How food packaging evolved over time
We lived like animals and there was
no concept of storing or safekeeping the food. Yes, I’m talking about our
ancestors from the cavemen era. As humans became more sophisticated and urbane,
they started using packaging.
Ancient food packaging:
Humans started using packaging for
food with whatever natural resources they had.
Leaves:
The first form of food packaging
was huge leaves. Banana leaves were a popular choice to wrap and pack food.
Jute:
Next came the use of jute fibers for
food packaging.
Bamboo:
As human skillset expanded, so did
their packaging techniques. Bamboo boxes and containers were used for storing
and preserving food.
Advent of modern packaging:
Modern packaging started in
nineteenth century.
Metal:
Metal cans were used for meat,
lentils, soups and other food items.
Glass:
Glass containers were used for milk.
These were cleaned and reused.
Plastic:
Twentieth century came up with the
invention of plastic. It was widely used for making food boxes on wholesale as
it was cheap and readily available as a by-product of petroleum extraction.
Pollution:
Things looked bright for the packaging
industry as apparently plastic had no drawbacks. It wasn’t until humans
realized that this durable packaging material was a little TOO DURABLE.
Plastic doesn’t decompose and can stay in the environment for billions of years. It
is a major source of climate change and environmental pollution as well.
Failed recycling:
Humans tried to fix their mistake
by inventing recycling. But amount of recycling done is scarce compared to the
amount of plastic being added on daily basis.
Back to square one:
Basically, packaging has circled
back to the very beginning. We are now looking for better, sustainable
solutions for food packaging.
Food companies are trying to invest
in containers that can be reused or upcycled instead of getting disposable
plastic food boxes on wholesale.
Why most companies don’t go for sustainable packaging?
Plastic is cheaper and sustainable
packaging can be expensive. There aren’t enough packaging companies that offer
sustainable packaging i.e. food boxes on
wholesale rates that are made up of biodegradable (corrugated, Kraft) or
reusable (glass, Metal) material.
Solutions?
For corrugated and Kraft paper wood
pulp is acquired from chopping off new trees, which is leading to mass
deforestation all over the world. Companies should recycle paper for packaging
instead of cutting more trees.
Invest in glass and metal containers
for food packaging boxes. We should
change our mindset and be more comfortable with reusing containers instead of
disposing of them.
Discourage use of plastic for food
packaging instead buy compostable food
boxes on wholesale. These boxes are environmental friendly as well as
economical.
Conclusion:
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