Page 87 - FoodFocusThailand No.215 FEBRUARY 2024

STRENGTHEN THE PACKAGING

be cleaned, it would take 40 hours. There was also an shown in Figure 6. The recycling economy is currently
advertisement of salt in a single-use packaging (Figure 2), encouraged as a minimum recommended solution, but if
which was considered an innovative product as it offered applicable, the circular economy remains a preferred choice
a sense of convenience that precisely satisfied consumer for the zero-waste goal.
demand, thus heralding the advent of a disposable lifestyle,
which has prospered to this day and contributed to the rise Ecological Materials and Packaging for Meat
of plastic waste, an ecological problem that everyone is Products
aware of. That is the reason why the circular economic Packaging for meat products, especially fresh meat, must
model, which champions the endless circulation of be designed considering several important factors. For
materials, has garnered widespread public attention now. instance, oxidation, associated with the presence of oxygen,
can cause color change in meat and requires a good
Keywords for Eco-Packaging understanding of the mechanisms involved. The levels of
The following are the keywords concerning environmental oxygen in packaging must be optimized. Hence, high-barrier
issues that will provide better understanding of the use of packaging materials must ensure maximum protection,
ecological packaging: freshness maintenance, and rancidity prevention. Plastic is
- Waste hierarchy, or waste pyramid, is a tool for waste the only transparent material that allows consumers to view
management evaluation (Figure 3). It presents a hierarchy the packaged product from the outside. Such an advantage
of preferred and current waste-handling methods. We are makes plastic ideal for fresh meat because consumers tend
now positioned at the bottom of the pyramid, where waste to avoid making a purchase altogether if they cannot see the
is vainly disposed of through the most common method: meat within. Thanks to modern packaging technologies,
landfill. Meanwhile, the best solution is waste prevention, plastic packaging structures have been enhanced to preserve
being positioned at the top of the pyramid. As a result, the meat quality, freshness, and color more efficiently. Since
circular economy, which promotes the full exploitation of these initiatives have been going on for quite some time, the
waste, has become a popular trend today. current packaging development efforts usually focus on
- Bioplastic, biodegradable, and compostable are aspects related to environmental sustainability, such as
commonly confused words, but they can be better renewable, bio-based, and biodegradable plastics. These
understood through the diagrams in Figures 4 and 5, which include, for example, polylactic acid (PLA), which is a
can clarify the differences between these terms. thermoplastic produced from sugarcane, maize, or tapioca
Conventional plastic and bioplastic can be differentiated starch, landfill-biodegradable plastic, and recycled plastic,
by the “origin” of materials: non-renewable and fossil- such as recycle polyethylene terephthalate (rPET). These
based or renewable and bio-based materials. Optionally, materials are compatible with the circular economy.
the differentiation can also be based on the “destination” Additionally, the design and structure of packaging have
or the nature of degradation: biodegradation or non- also been improved in terms of both ecological sustainability
biodegradation. Traditional plastics are fossil-based and and functionality. Packaging can be streamlined in many
non-biodegradable, while bioplastics can be bio-based, ways most of which is a reduction in packaging materials:
fossil-based, biodegradable, or non-biodegradable. discontinued use of chicken trays (Figure 7), replacement
Biodegradable plastics are both bio-based and of plastic bags for chicken with plastic netting (Figure 8),
biodegradable, and one of the most widely used materials usage of pouches with handles for whole chicken (Figure 9),
is polylactic acid (PLA). and replacement of tray for ground meat with pillow
There are some interesting notions regarding the bag, which can reduce plastic content by 70 percent
definition of biodegradable or compostable plastics. (Figure 10).
Biodegradable plastic is only defined by its biodegradability, Packaging for meat products is still largely plastic-based,
but not taken into account are other relevant composting as plastic materials enable consumers to see what is inside
factors, such as duration and mechanisms involved – the packaging. However, since ecological sustainability has
namely industrial composting or home composting. also been factored in to promote a circular economy, novel
Certified compostable plastic can degrade under specific materials, and packaging are now available for such
conditions and will eventually yield a final product that can purposes. Hence, following up on the information about
be used in plant cultivation. Tracking the certification data technological advancements and innovations for packaging
for both types of plastics from the testing standards will will benefit entrepreneurs as suitable packaging types can
provide more useful insights. Therefore, it can be said that be efficiently chosen and matched with their respective
all Compostable Plastics can be Biodegradable Plastic, products.
but not all Biodegradable Plastic can be Compostable
Plastic (Figure 5).
- Circular economy is an economic system that makes
full use of resources, from upstream to downstream, in the
most productive manner without leaving any waste behind.
It consequently enables an endless circulation of natural More Information Service Info C013
resources. In comparison with linear and recycling
economies, the circular economy is markedly different, as

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