Metal packaging is a strong choice for the distribution of food products. Tin cans are useful on multiple levels since they preserve food and retail shelf life for lengthy periods. Other forms of metal packaging have served food producers and consumers well for over a century. Here are reasons why metal persists as a durable form of protection for transporting food through supply chains to consumers.
One of the most important reasons a manufacturer chooses metal packaging is to achieve cost efficiency. Since metal does a great job protecting the product, it reduces the chances of recalls or other issues relating to financial losses. The lightweight nature of aluminum makes it less costly to ship than heavier materials. Heavier metals involve higher costs, but they may still be worth it when it comes to ensuring customer satisfaction.
The use of tin foils, such as those that protect chocolate candies, is typically among the most affordable ways to add packaging within food packaging. Since plastic, despite its low cost, is the most wasteful form of packaging, metal beats plastic for efficiency regardless of cost.
Another key to metal's cost efficiency is that it can be used over and over without loss of quality. Manufacturers can purchase recycled metal at a discount compared with newly produced metal. Whether the metal is new or reused, its appearance is usually captivating to consumers. Manufacturers need not constantly pay for expensive research to find alternatives to metal packaging once it's proven to be a reliable and efficient choice at stimulating interest in retail stores.
Consumers already have developed a long relationship with metal packaging. Not only do they like how it looks, they like how it feels and what it does to protect contents. Grocery shoppers have a sense that metal preserves not only nutrients in food, but its taste, freshness and color as well. Metal can be shaped in many ways so that the container is air-tight, which protects food from contaminants and other environmental elements such as light, moisture and gases.
Since metal provides excellent protection for food, it significantly reduces food waste. Long ago before the emergence of IoT sensors, manufacturers faced losses in products during the shipping process for items using inferior packaging. Weather, handling and theft all existed as factors that could create financial losses and food waste during shipping. In the past, the best way to guard against these losses was to prioritize quality packaging materials. That's why metal has been a top choice for nearly two centuries.
Another reason why metal has been so common, particularly with tin and aluminum, is that it's easy to print directly on the surface. Instead of adding a layer such as paper that lists ingredients to the packaging process, graphics and product information can be stamped onto metal in various colors. The combination of clear print and shiny metal adds to the perception of premium quality.
Now that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of environmental concerns, part of the equation in purchasing decisions includes consideration of packaging. Can the container be saved for other personal purposes or can it be sent to a recycler? If so, consumers will view the packaging as sustainable.
Just a few decades ago, there wasn't much talk in society about packaging. Consumers often accepted whatever packaging went along with the products they sought. Then consumers began learning about how plastic and other waste has ended up in waterways, poisoning marine life. It has raised concerns about the quality and safety of food that originates from bodies of water.
Governments around the world are investigating whether certain plastics should be banned. Food producers that rely on plastic packaging must deal with an uncertain future in terms of possible regulations that restrict the use of materials containing toxic chemicals. Producers who focus on metal packaging, on the other hand, can plan ahead more into the future without worrying about the banning of metals.
Europe has led the way in sustainability, as a high percentage of metals return to production through recycling. About 75 percent of aluminum cans in Europe are recycled, according to Metal Packaging Europe. America and other places around the globe are following Europe's lead. So it's important for a global food producer to make sustainability a top priority in its mission to cut costs with the least impacts on the environment. Metal continues to be one of the most sustainable materials for food packaging.