Plastic food packaging is an effective solution for packaging various food products. It is a cheap and versatile material that is used in different packaging contexts. Here are the main types of plastic food packaging and their characteristics.
Plastic food packaging: what is it?
Plastic food packaging consists of a number of plastic composites used to package food products. They are materials that must meet specific requirements to comply with legal regulations and ensure the highest standards in terms of hygiene, safety and storage of the packaged food.
Plastic food packaging can come into direct contact with food products or it can contain an inner package to protect it during storage, transport and sale. Plastic packaging must safeguard the product against external contamination, protecting its appearance, quality and nutritional properties as much as possible.
Plastic materials used for food packaging are very popular because of their ductility, lightness and transparency; they also help to optimize space and keep production costs manageable. Their high transparency allows you to check how the product looks without sacrificing adequate protection from light with an effective barrier effect.
With regards to recycling plastic packaging, there are also some recyclable plastics, like PET, PP and ECC, or biodegradable plastics like the bioplastics (PLA or Mater-Bi). There are some sustainable food packaging alternatives, recommended for companies that want to reduce their environmental footprint while still enjoying the reliability of high-quality, affordable packaging.
The main plastic packaging solutions
The basis for plastic packaging is a series of polymers that can be used to create different structures for the packaging of various types of food products. Here are some of the main plastic food packaging solutions.
PET
PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is a particularly versatile and workable plastic that can take on different forms. It is a polymer that is popular for its strong resistance to high temperatures and chemical agents, as well as its transparency to enhance the look of food products.
PET packaging for food is used to create flexible films and laminates, combined with other plastic materials, such as polypropylene, polyethylene and aluminum. These packaging solutions can be used to package long-life products, fresh and perishable foods, vacuum-sealed products and MAP, plus pet food.
PE
One type of plastic packaging for the food sector is PE packaging (polyethylene), a malleable and flexible thermoplastic material. This polymer can be used to produce films for food, such as flexible films, rigid film rolls to package fresh pasta, deli products, cheese slices and cold meats in MAP, or bag in box packaging for liquid and semi-liquid products.
Polyethylene is a polymer suitable for packaging ready meals, fresh and perishable foods and is often combined with other plastics like amorphous-polyethylene terephthalate (APET) and polypropylene (PP). This type of food packaging offers excellent storage performance and is also available as customized packaging and high-barrier packaging.
PP
Polypropylene is used for rigid and flexible food packaging. It offers good resistance to high temperatures and strong protection against chemical agents. Plastic packaging made from polypropylene is effective and used to make trays, containers and flow packs.
This plastic material can be combined with other polymers, especially for the production of laminates to ensure a high barrier effect against moisture and oxygen. In this case, specific internal packaging is usually created for contact with food, with an outer part designed for resistance and customization of the artwork on the food packaging.
High-quality plastic packaging
If you are looking for a company to supply high-quality plastic packaging, Volmar is a highly specialized supplier of food packaging solutions. We offer innovative products and complete food packaging solutions, with a myriad of different types of packaging in plastic or eco-friendly alternatives.
Our catalog includes plastic food packaging such as flexible films, laminates, composites, rigid films, vacuum-sealed bags, bag in box and eco-friendly packaging for food made from bioplastics. We also provide full support for all food product packaging requirements and offer high-quality products at competitive prices.