Designing packaging to meet both food and packaging waste targets

With so much focus on plastic and packaging waste, it’s important to not lose sight of the key role of packaging — product protection. Inadequate packaging that results in wasted food defeats the whole purpose of packaging, which needs to be designed to ensure that a product is protected, preserved, contained and transported throughout the value chain.

The challenge for packaging technologists and engineers is designing optimum packaging with the lowest environmental impact at the start — it is about finding the balance between meeting food waste targets and, at the same time, achieving packaging waste targets.

If the balance is tipped either way, it will create unintended consequences which could see overpacking (wasting packaging materials) or underpacking (wasting food).

Finding the perfect balance can be challenging and requires technical knowledge and understanding of packaging design.

Looking at some of the Save Food Packaging winners in the 2024 round of the Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design (PIDA) Awards, two packs stand out for incorporating Save Food Packaging design principles that find the right balance.

When designing packaging for potatoes, the pack needs to protect the product from spoilage and damage through transportation. It also needs to be designed with air circulation to help preserve the potatoes for longer periods without deterioration. As a part of the nightshade family, potatoes contain the toxin solanine and can spoil quickly if exposed to light and not stored properly. Therefore, effective communication to consumers about storage is also important.

Dutch Cream Potatoes Red Gem has designed an FSC-certified recyclable pack with an innovative design that extends beyond simple containment:

• Cardboard inherently blocks light, which is crucial for potatoes that are prone to greening when exposed to light; this packaging characteristic helps to extend the shelf life and preserve the quality of the potatoes by preventing the natural greening process.
• The sturdy construction of the box minimises damage and bruising during transportation and handling; the interlocking design of the box not only facilitates easy in-store stacking but also serves as an effective reclosable storage solution for consumers at home.
• The ‘popcorn box’ top design opens widely, creating a flume-like entry when potatoes are dispensed from the weighing machine. This design facilitates the smooth filling of the box, reducing the likelihood of impact damage as the potatoes enter the box.
• In addition, the communication of storage and recipe ideas is linked to the website via a QR code on the pack.

Don Smallgoods has designed an innovative flow wrap (envelope pack) with reseal functionality for the smallgoods industry called Deli-Cuts. The packaging is designed to be easy to open and close, provides product visibility, minimises the mess of liquid in the pack and is a lightweight mono material. Traditionally packaging in the smallgoods category is thermoformed and is not resealable, whereas the flow-wrap solution is designed for reseal functionality.

• The intuitive reseal functionality is designed to preserve food freshness, sealing in moisture and flavour, thus reducing wastage due to dry, spoiled product. It enables consumers to retain the product in its original packaging for fridge storage; therefore, product information such as use-by dates remains visible to consumers.
• Whilst consumers want to see the product, there is a tendency for ham and bacon to lose their pink colour when under bright lights. To resolve this, the design has enabled the product to be viewed on the reverse side of the pack.
• On cooling pork products, it is normal for products to release some moisture. This can be seen as free liquid in the bottom of packs. To alleviate this, Don has placed the products onto an aqueous board which absorbs any free liquid.
• The pack uses 50% less plastic than the current DON 100 g Fillers Range and the more compact pack improves pallet efficiency by 150%.
• The material used in the packaging design is CEFLEX complaint and recyclable through alternate pathways. The internal board is kerbside recyclable and complies with Australian pulpability testing.

By using the five Save Food Packaging design principles in their new product development process, both Dutch Cream Potatoes Red Gem and Don Smallgoods have developed unique, intuitive packaging that can play a significant role in minimising food loss and waste from farm to fork.