Packaging and technologies for food products: a state-of-the art survey

This paper proposes an in-depth analysis of the packaging materials and technologies used for commercial food and beverage products, and as such, it builds upon a previous publication by Bottani et al.(2011).The original study evaluated a sample of 175 food and beverage products, for which, through an in-field investigation of Italian retailers, the relevant characteristics of the packaging and product were retrieved.In this study, a larger sample of products is analyzed, consisting of 212 food products, and the product/packaging characteristics are updated in case changes occurred in the packaging material or processing technologies of foods.Moreover, compared to the previous research, end-of-life considerations of the packaging material are added.Statistical analyses are then made on the sample of products, to determine possible relationships between the product characteristics, the processing technology, the packaging type and the end-of-life.By delving into the relationships between product attributes and packaging technologies, results of this research contribute valuable insights to the food packaging industry, offering an up-to-date perspective, as well as suggestions for food manufacturers to identify the most suitable packaging technology for new food products.