Food products need varying levels of protection to ensure that the product will stay safe and fresh until its stated “best by” date. Different types of packaging can provide varying levels of moisture, oxygen, and light protection. Specific products, such as liquids, microwave or frozen foods, will need even more unique barrier protection.

Packaging must adhere to the FDA’s food additive regulations in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Most customers we work with use materials that are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA. These materials include LDPE, HDPE, PP, glass, aluminum, and paper with certain pre-approved coatings.

Smaller brands tend to hand-fill their products, giving them ample flexibility about their packaging. As brands get bigger, they may begin working with a contract packaging provider (copacker) or invest in equipment to automate the filling process. In these situations, a brand must ensure its packaging aligns with the copacker’s requirements and equipment. Some lines require rigid containers; others require flexible packaging. Some have specific dimension requirements.

Packaging must also have room for required information, which includes the quantity of food contained in the packaging, nutritional information, ingredients, and allergen declarations, and the name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor. The FDA regulates these requirements and sets guidelines for the placement and size of the font used for all this information.

When designing your packaging, it is important to factor in these labeling requirements and determine if they will be printed directly on your packaging or on a label that is adhered to it.

You’ll want to consider the cost of the packaging itself, but brands sometimes overlook the cost of storage and transportation. Because rigid containers, mainly when made with glass, are fully formed and expanded right from their manufacturing line, they are a lot bulkier, heavier, and more expensive to ship than packaging solutions that flatten out.

Consider the following when designing food packaging for sustainability:

• Source Material - can recycled content be used?
• Storage and transportation - rigid containers are far less carbon efficient becuase they take up so much more space
• End of life - ca the material be readily recycled?

You’ll find that different materials stack up in different ways against these factors. For example, flexible packaging - such as stand-up pouches and sachets - can be made with some recycled content and are very carbon efficient to transport and store; they are not generally recyclable. On the other hand, a glass jar can often be recycled and made with some recycled content; it tends to be significantly more energy and carbon-intensive to manufacture, ship and store.

Another important note is that recycled content can be tricky when it comes to packaging with direct food content, so you’ll often find limits on how much post-consumer waste you can incorporate and still align with FDA regulations.