Keeping Food Safe for Your Family and for the Earth

In order to keep up with the busy, hectic world in which we live, sometimes there just is not time to spend hours on meal preparation. In today’s society, a common way of thinking seems to be centralized around a “faster is better” type of approach. And our food options reflect that. From entire dinners that are pre-packaged and frozen to be sold to fast food joints that do not even require a person to leave their vehicle in order to pick up a meal that is already ready to be consumed, we have adapted the food preparation process to our advantage.

While this is typically seen as a good thing, as it allows us to devote our time to other things, there are aspects that need to be taken very seriously. Food preparation and packaging companies must follow strict guidelines and standards in order to be able to deliver quality food that will not endanger the person or people eating it.

Why our food should be kept safe
There are multiple ways that food can be handled and packaged in order to ensure its quality and the safety of those who consume it. From lidding film to vacuum pouches and thermoform packaging and other food packaging equipment, the process of protecting food has become quite complex, and with good reason. Every year, there are millions of people who end up getting sick from food poisoning. About one in every six Americans have to deal with some sort of food borne illness each year, and as many as 128,000 people require hospitalization, and unfortunately, even in this medically advanced day and age, about 3,000 people will die every year as a result of a disease that came from bad food.

How our food can be kept safe
When most people see a lidding film as part of food packaging, there is a sense of trust and confidence in the quality of the product that comes along with that lidding film. While the lidding film itself is not the sole thing that protects the food from contamination, it implies that the food has been through a process of screening and proper handling. But many people do not give much thought to what those processes typically entail. Most people would not think that the process can often be so in depth as to involve x-ray food inspection or a food metal detector, but these are vital steps in making sure that the food is completely free of dangerous inedible substances. And the proper packaging seals that non contaminated food until it reaches the consumer.

The importance of packaging

While good, secure packaging can communicate to the customer that the food which he or she is purchasing is safe to consume, the packaging also communicates more than that to some. About 52% of people across the globe decide what to buy partially based on how the packaging of the product can be disposed of, and what positive impact, whether environmental or social, that packaging could potentially have. About 60% of the population of the United States has proper access to a good plastics recycling system, and as more and more people understand the severity of the environmental situation on this planet, more and more people are attempting to do something about it.

Companies will respond to the buying habits of consumers. While the weight of a two-liter plastic bottle was 68 grams back in 1977, it weighs just 47 grams today, which is a 31% drop per bottle. That reduction has saved over 180 million pounds of packaging, and that is only considering the two-liter bottles used for soft drinks. Who knows how much has been saved across the board.

Pay attention to the packaging that your food comes in. It might not only save your life, but help save the planet too.