Plastics in Food Packaging

Abstract

The success of the plastics can be seen in the continued growth of the global plastics production. One of the key applications for these plastics’ material is for the packaging purpose, particularly in food packaging. The role of plastics as food packaging material has been evolved to not just merely protect the food product from outside influences or damage, but also reduce the environmental impacts through the use of green plastics and minimize food wastage by integrating technology into the packaging system. This article reviewed the recent development of plastic materials that have close contact with food, to wrap and to preserve the food. The brief outlook of the type of plastics used in food packaging is discussed. The plastics in food packaging have been enhanced with more functions to meet the increasing customer expectations, contributing towards sustainable development and circular economy. This article will focus on the advances in plastics packaging, in the areas of smart and biodegradable food packaging. Smart packaging can be classified into active and intelligent packaging. Active packaging refers to the incorporation of active compounds into the packaging system to extend the product shelf-life, whereas the intelligent packaging involves the use of technology to monitor the food quality and safety. Biodegradable polymers refer to polymers that can be degraded to carbon dioxide, water, and biomass, by the action of microorganisms once they end up in the environment.