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In the packaging of food, it is necessary to create barriers in the form of laminates or laminate films. One of the main applications of a laminate film is to create a protective barrier — a line of defence against common sources of contaminants of food like gas and water vapour. By regulating these external factors, food can be kept under the best, most favourable storage conditions.

Although this barrier appears to be singularly thin and simple on the outside, its function requires it to be more complex in composition and arrangement. In fact, it can be multilayer and flexible in order to be effective. Don’t be deceived into thinking that all food packaging are created equal, because they are not all the same.

Its arrangement and composition

To achieve maximum protection, such complexity in structure translates into several layers of polymers and barrier coatings like polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), and ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH). Some common examples of polymers used include polyethylene and polypropylene, which are both polyolefins.

Taken all together, there is an underlying purpose for layering and combining these materials. Depending on its application, the substrate may be made of plastic film or some metallised layer like aluminium. By incorporating an EVOH barrier coating to the process, it is customised into a flexible laminate film. This makes the packaging less permeable to water.

Two types of protective barriers

First, it is necessary to have a water vapour barrier to keep food from either going dry in open air or absorbing moisture from the environment. When dehydrated, any cooked food that is dry tends to solidify and form lumps. Frozen food that absorbs water from the air will change in texture and lose its crunch.

Second, we need an oxygen barrier to lock in the freshness. It keeps protective gases in at a ratio of 1:4:20 for nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, respectively. It also prevents more oxygen from entering. When food oxidises in the presence of light, it becomes discoloured and turns rancid. The taste and odour become unpleasant. There is loss of nutrients and vitamins. More importantly, there is the danger that microorganisms could proliferate, leading to contamination.

 So, have we summed up the functions that these protective barriers serve? To wrap it all up, food packaging is important to us because it helps maintain the taste of food, prolong its shelf life, and ensure its quality from production to consumption.

Help Customers Perceive Your Brand as Best for Its Price

In the competitive world of sales, how do you manage to justify the price you set for a product? The trend seems to be moving towards offering a discount or going on sale – all at the cost of losing profit. Is there any other way to generate more sales in the market while keeping your price point? The key lies in convincing your customers and presenting your brand at its best.

The truth is: There is a limit to how low you can go due to production costs. Still, you have to compete with other products and make your brand do better. Here is what you can do to make your product worth its price and stop your customers from going for a cheaper alternative.

1. Quality is king. Present yourself as a brand with premium quality and superior performance.

Understandably, a company takes a big risk when it makes some production cuts due to rising costs. When a company presents a watered-down version of the original thing, the public is usually quick to notice and lash back. You lose not only the consistency of your product but also its reputation, thus, reducing its following.

Hunt’s, for instance, has steadily stuck around since 1888. Now a household name worldwide, it takes pride in producing “the best ketchup ever”. Said to be 100% natural and made from vine-ripened tomatoes, the sauce come out thicker and richer.

• Know your customer. Target a specific group of consumers who are not as price-conscious.

Identify that segment of your market who is more price-driven and those who are not. There are people in the audience who are less-reliant on price whenever they purchase. For them, there are other important factors like quality of the product, customer service support, and after-sales service. Thus, service could be one area in which you excel and make a difference.

Remember: The market out there is a diverse population with their own specific individual needs. But if you go by measures such as quality, performance, service, and value for money, then you can’t go wrong.

• Make your product known through media. Create a meaningful perception about your brand.

Social media and media as a whole can be very powerful! Other than resisting the trend and going against the flow of using celebrity endorsements, see where you can wow people and break out of the mold. Brainstorm within your team, and identify current issues revolving around everyday people that might help you set a new trend. These are the ads that would befriend your customers and make them feel that they matter.

Instead of being vague and impersonal, reach out to people in a genuine way. Make customers feel that your brand is not only different, but it is also personal. Use the power of persuasion to convince buyers that you are, indeed, giving them the best price they can get for your product.

When we hear the words “packaging” and “transport”, we often think about the material and process of delivery. They are much broader terms, however, because they include other elements that affect customer experience. On one hand, the unboxing or unpacking of a product is a hands-on experience that creates a first impression on the customer. On the other hand, the transport method says a lot about how the product was handled and if it was given as much value as the buyer placed upon it.

Well, there are parts of packaging and transporting that can be tricky! In both instances, the goal is for the product to reach the customer in a presentable, intact, and cost-effective way. As a precaution, we even take measures such as labels and warnings to ensure that the package is safe and child-proof.

Typically, when you pack commercial goods like wears, accessories, and other fashion goods, your concerns would mainly be weight, cost, and protection of the merchandise. If you course these items through e-commerce sites, then the fastest, most economical way would be through disposable pouches or plastic bags. Unfortunately, when these arrive crumpled on the outside and wrinkled or even damaged on the inside, it definitely alters customer experience –particularly for items of a higher price tag.

What about when you’re dealing with perishable goods like food, health, and wellness products? To create the best customer experience, you want to deliver them at their best and freshest state. Measures are taken to prevent them from getting crushed, soggy, or stale. To avoid waste, spoilage, and safety issues, we consider factors like temperature, moisture, and humidity. One such example would be to see to it that they are kept cool and refrigerated or sealed and insulated with some laminate film.

In any case, every step taken during packaging and shipping can affect the quality of goods. So, whether as a food producer or a retailer, you have your own role to play in improving customer experience before the goods reach their doorstep or get into their hands.

Have you ever particularly cared about how your product is packaged? Too many to count, food products come in all sorts of packages, but the most outstanding brands do pay attention to their product packaging. There must be a reason why producers think that packaging could be just as important as the content itself. If we knew what these reasons were, then we would mind how each item is packed because this means more to the customer than we originally thought.

For something that will be tossed and torn after use, it turns out that packaging has tremendous value to the product. It does seem to carry its own weight in the retail market. So, if you want your brand to be iconic, here are 4 reasons why you should care:

1. Packaging presents the product.

Going back to the basics, it is all about product presentation. A first impression counts and this lasts in the mind of your customer. It packs a punch when the item appears to be durable, finely-made, expensive-looking, and yet affordable. Instead of looking cheap and off-the-mill, there is a deliberate intent to please consumers and make them happy.

If you were the consumer, what impressions would you get from a food product that is poorly packaged? Externally, the colour is bland, the carton easily tears, the foil is hard to open, and there is no laminate film to help protect any perishable ingredients. When the workmanship on the outside fails, the consumer begins to think twice about the quality of the content within.

• It feels personalised.

With delivery in mind, imagine the experience of unboxing a well-wrapped product. There are people who are particular about the tiniest detail, and they do notice that extra touch. For start-ups, this is a great way to make your product memorable.

When you connect with buyers in a personal way, you could become the public’s brand of choice for years to come. Just look at popular household names in the UK today like Kraft Heinz, Cadbury, Walkers, and Jacobs. 

• Packaging serves a purpose.

It goes beyond the concept of securing food and non-food items in a box or in a bottle. Instead, there is a less-rigid approach that offers you so many more alternatives to work with! Known as flexible packaging, it gives you a choice on the look and shape of your product. In fact, it gives you a whole bunch of choices in the form of bags, pouches, liners, and overwraps.

So, what exactly do these extra features do? They ensure safety for the consumer and increase shelf life of food. Some add ease of use by being zippered and resealable. Others are made from earth-friendly material that is biodegradable or recyclable. In a very minimalist way, they also add layers of protective material to keep food fresh longer.

All in all, product packaging says what the brand stands for. As a marketing strategy, branding makes your product stand out and beat the competition. Just by improving and innovating, it can boost sales and increase likability. In fact, your consumers will not only like the product; they will love it, simply because they know it has been handled with care!