Food and beverage fresh industry - Sinyar Packing Film

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 1.3 billion tons of food worth more than $1 trillion ends up lost or wasted every year, accounting for one-third of global food production. At the same time, 870 million people still struggle to meet their daily needs, and one in three children suffers from malnutrition.

The problem in developing countries is mainly food wastage. Because of the low preservation capacity, many fresh foods will deteriorate or rot during transportation, resulting in a lot of waste. The Associated Press previously reported that 23 percent of perishable food in developing countries is wasted because of improper refrigeration, compared with 9 percent in developed countries.

Stretch film is a common packaging material, but excessive packaging also often leads to people buying more than the required amount of stretch film, increasing the problem of food waste. Nearly half a million tonnes of vegetables and salads and around 250,000 tonnes of fruit are thrown away each year in the UK because fresh food is soft, moldy, or out of date, with a total value of £2.1bn. This waste is not only bad for the environment, it also leads to large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. In the food and beverage fresh industry, the following problems are often encountered.

1. Food contamination:

If the quality of the stretch film is not good or does not meet food safety standards, it may lead to food contamination, affecting the quality and safety of food.

Plastic wrap film has a potential impact on food:
With time and high temperatures, tiny particles of plastics and additives may leach into the food. There are three types of interactions between plastics and food: adsorption, migration, and osmosis.

Adsorption: refers to the absorption of ingredients in food by plastic wrap film, especially the absorption of water in food by plastic. Fats may also be dissolved in lipophilic plastics.
Migration: refers to the movement of plastic components into food. The concentration of additives in plastics is higher than in food, so it is easier for additives to get into food.
Penetration: is a two-way phenomenon involving the exchange of gases or liquids through plastic packaging.

2. Packaging Efficiency & Consumables waste:

Stretch film packaging process, the use of poor quality or inappropriate wrapping film, or improper operation, may lead to packaging failure, make the food vulnerable to the external environment, and loss of freshness, thereby increasing the risk of food waste.

If the food packaging is not tight, it may lead to food deterioration, affect product quality and shelf life, and increase the cost burden of enterprises.

Wrapping film is an important tool to protect food and beverage from the external environment. If the winding film is improperly selected or the packaging is not firm, it may lead to the exposure of the product to the air, reduce the preservation effect of food and beverage, and shorten the shelf life of the product.

If the operation is improper or the equipment is not suitable, it may lead to inefficient packaging, increasing the packaging time and cost.

If the stability of the wrap film is not enough, the packaged food may be damaged during transportation, resulting in loss and waste.
(Refer to our video on how to use it.

3. Beverage industry – Label damage and packaging problems

Because beverage industry products are usually packaged in a warm state, especially in the summer, high temperatures can cause condensation on the surface of the beverage bottle, which in turn causes the stretch film to react with the label on the bottle, resulting in label damage. Some manufacturers have encountered packaging problems, resulting in customer dissatisfaction with the product, and the speed and image of the product have been affected.

For example, one manufacturer of bottled cider used ordinary wrap film, but due to the influence of high temperature and condensation water, the brand label on the bottle was often damaged, resulting in water accumulation during the packaging and transportation of bottled cider. The packaging of this stagnant water not only makes customers unhappy but also can lead to product damage and waste.

Solution: Breathable wrap film

To solve this problem, producers worked with packaging suppliers and chose a different type of wrap Film called Breathable Stretch Film. The design of the breathable stretch film allows air to pass through the film and prevents condensation from accumulating on the bottle, thereby reducing label damage and product moisture. The Breathable Stretch Film also has 60% higher tensile strength than conventional wrap film, making the packaging more robust. After the use of this stretch film, the packaging problems of bottled cider are quickly solved, product quality is guaranteed, customer satisfaction is improved, and sales and image are improved.

This negative case suggests that the beverage industry needs to consider factors such as permeability and performance when selecting wrap films to avoid label damage, product moisture and customer dissatisfaction. Choosing the right stretch film can improve packaging efficiency and product quality, reduce resource waste, and have a positive impact on the environment.

4. Environmental impact:

Some of the stretch films may be plastic products, causing a negative impact on the environment. Excessive use of plastic wrap film can increase the amount of packaging waste, difficult to degrade and recycle, putting pressure on the environment.

A large amount of plastic wrap film becomes waste after use, and if it is not properly recycled and disposed of, these discarded stretch films may end up in landfills or be arbitrarily discarded in the environment. Plastic film breaks down slowly in the natural environment and can take decades or longer to degrade. Discarded plastic wrap pollutes the environment, threatens wildlife and exacerbates the problem of plastic pollution.

Although plastic wrap is convenient to carry, inexpensive, and can extend the freshness of food, but there are also a series of problems. The use of plastic wrap film has led to a plastic pollution crisis, and this film is difficult to recycle. The decomposition process of plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) can release highly toxic dioxins when the plastic film enters landfills or is incinerated. In addition, plastic wrap contributes to plastic pollution in the Marine environment, and unlike other plastics, scientists have found that PVC and PVDC are more likely to adsorb bacteria and metals, thus harming fish that eat these microplastics by mistake.

Our newly developed biodegradable wrap film, PCR recyclable wrap film, with international certification, can solve these problems.

5. Lack of stickiness:

If the viscosity of the winding film is insufficient, packaging may not be tight, easy to lose or fall off, leading to the deterioration of food, dry or contaminated.

6. Sticky

After using must be the container stack of the residual winding film completely removed, such as the residual winding film on the tray may be a loose bottom plate fixed to the bottom of the tray.

If necessary, remove the film in the winding station with a tray lifting device residual film may also cause the sensor to be triggered by error.

7. Static electricity on films and containers

The film and the container are electrostatic because of the friction that occurs during the removal of the film. If the customer needs it, we can customize anti-static stretch film.

8. Color shifting:

Some foods, especially those containing oils or spices, may react with the wrapping film, resulting in color migration that affects appearance and food quality.

Improvement: Use Food Grade Wrap and test for compatibility with specific foods.

When using breathable stretch film in the fresh food industry, some of the following problems may be encountered:

Shelf Life: Breathable stretch film is designed to keep the fresh produce inside the package breathing and to control the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. However, incorrect membrane selection or packaging may result in insufficient or excessive gas exchange, affecting product shelf life. This problem can lead to faster spoilage or spoilage of fresh produce.

Environmental adaptability: Different types of fresh products have different storage environment requirements. The use of general-purpose breathable stretch film may not be able to meet the needs of specific products, because each fresh product has a different demand for oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Quality Control: The quality of the breathable stretch film is crucial to the freshness of the product. Low-quality membranes may have holes or defects that affect gas exchange efficiency and cause freshness loss in fresh produce.

Anti-pollution: Respiratory vents allow gas exchange, but may also allow microbes or external contaminants to enter the interior of the package. It is necessary to ensure that the film material and packaging method can effectively prevent the entry of these pollutants in order to maintain the hygiene and quality of fresh products.

Sustainability: Although breathable stretch film has certain advantages in terms of freshness, its sustainability is still a challenge. Finding more environmentally friendly, degradable, or recyclable alternative materials is an important topic.