14 Apr Keeping Your Foods Safe
With most things, there are rules and regulations to follow whether it’s finding the right permit to plant a tree, the correct regulations for painting your business and when it comes to food packaging, it is right there with the others. No matter what type of food a company supplies, they have to follow certain regulations when it comes to the packaging. We want to make sure you’re equipped with the best knowledge for the products you are purchasing and understand the differences between types of packaging.
Understand the Process
The Federal Drug Administration has had their hand in creating regulations for all food packaging companies to help create a guideline for safe packaging. We want you to understand the process a food manufacturer has to go through, but we also want you to have an enjoyable time reading our blogs. You can see the full guideline and report of Packaging & Food Contact Substances on the FDA website
However, to sum it up for you, all companies have to follow strict guidelines to ensure that any substance that may come in contact with the product, is abiding by the regulations. According to the FDA. “The term “safe,” as it refers to food additives and ingredients (including food contact substances), is defined in 21 CFR 170.3(i) as a “reasonable certainty in the minds of competent scientists that a substance is not harmful under the intended conditions of use.” Again, all that to say anything that comes in contact with your food needs to be “SAFE”.
Know the Types
Cans:
- This type of packaging accounts for about 90% of the market. This packaging can be expensive for companies, but is used for long term storage. You typically can find canned foods that have a very decent shelf life and used in emergency situations.
- Interesting fact: these foods must be filled in hot.
Tetra Pak’s Range:
- We all know this type of packing without knowing the name. Think of your milk cartons, orange juice and other dairy products. This packaging technique is not suitable for large volumes.
- Some disadvantages are the paper material used which eliminates some products that can be stored, but always good to recycle!
Glass Bottles & Jars:
- Today, glass bottles are not very popular as they once were for everyday packaging. Many products have gone to plastic bottles and tetra pak’s range for storage.
- Interesting fact: People will buy glass bottled products to later use the bottle for other reasons.
Frozen Foods:
- By freezing a product you are able to extend the shelf life and allows the best quality of a product. Many products can be frozen to avoid spoiling, but most frozen products are created to eliminate short shelf lives and maintain the quality as well.
Form-Fill-Seal (FFS):
- This type of packaging allows packing for more acidic products as well as low acidic products. Form-fill-seal allows producing of finished packages. These bags are the best option for tomato, like pizza sauce, fruit juices, cream, beans, vegetable stuffing and more. Some larger scale products like wine and vegetable oil can be stored in these bags.
The Camelback Way
Our main priority is taking care of our customers. When it comes to these types of issues, there are no limits. With the majority of our products in different forms of packaging, we also want to make sure that the guidelines are met. It is good to know that all food manufacturers have to abide by these regulations and will not continue to production if found in violation.