Which Material is Safest for Retail Packaging?


 
P

PhilipHedrick

TVWBB Member
Hi everyone,

I'm currently looking into the best material to use for packaging food products in my retail business. There are so many options out there plastic, glass, metal and paper but I'm concerned about which one is the safest in terms of food safety. I've heard concerns about chemicals leaching into food from certain types of packaging, so I want to make sure I'm making a choice that keeps my customers safe. Sustainability and cost are also important factors for me.

Can anyone share their experiences or recommendations? I'd really appreciate any advice or insights you can offer on this topic!

Thanks in advance!
 
That's a great question! Choosing the right packaging for food can be tricky, especially when you consider safety, sustainability, and cost. I've been looking into this myself for my baking good and I came across this helpful article that breaks down the pros and cons of different materials: Retail Packaging.
 
Without getting into my background in marketing, I would say the first thing to address are a few questions about what you are packaging:
  • Liquid, moist, or dry product? This determines which options might be unsuitable.
  • How perishable is the item? Does it need to be vacuum packed, frozen, or preserved?
  • How reactive is the product? i.e. pH level, If acidic, then be careful with metals, etc.
  • What sort of label(s) do you need? nutritional, direct sales, or retail store display.
If you haven't already done so, I would suggest visiting the FDA.gov website (among others) for food packaging & labeling info.

Not all food products require nutrition labels (e.g. spices), so see if your product is exempt from federal and state requirements.
 
The container is going to be contingent on what the product is. I was a representative for a major player in food packaging for fast food and carry out paper products and I saw a lot of over packaging from lots of “Take out” places. More information will give better answers to the question. There are myriad options out there and they go from not terribly expensive ton”Holy Cow”
so, what are you planning on selling?
All of the above points from Arnold and Scott are valid and need to be entered into the equation as well.
 
Some states that have their own rules on the packaging. CA and Prop 65 comes to mind.

If shipping to CA is in the plan I suggest researching this. I don't know all the details, but I have found some items that could not ( or would not ) be shipped to CA as a result of Prop 65 labeling requirements.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top