The role of packaging in food safety and security

The role of packaging in food safety and security is paramount. Perhaps no other factor plays the role of packaging when it comes to ensuring food safety and security. The role of packaging in food safety and security can be understood at its barest from the fact that packaging saves the product from rotting, contamination and a host of other undesirable changes.
Food being a highly decomposable item; it is prone to many effects resulting from pests, microorganisms and other contaminants. It is here that the role of packaging in food safety and security comes into play. Proper packaging not only protects food from the influence of any of these; it also helps the food to retain its moisture, shape, substance and other important characteristics. The most important attribute of the food that packaging in food safety and security plays is in helping to preserve the nutritive value of the food item.
The role of packaging in food safety and security and its importance to the world
Food is the most essential need for all animals, including man. In the developed world, there is such a surplus of food that much of its gets wasted. The role of packaging in food safety and security is in ensuring that this can be minimized to a great extent. If food is properly packaged, it is possible to extend its shelf life and have it consumed after a while, instead of altogether throwing it away.
On the other hand, the role of packaging in food safety and security is equally important in many other parts of the world, there is not enough food for millions of people. When food is packaged rightly, its use can be optimized. The developed world transports food in millions of tons to the developing world. The role of packaging in food safety and security is crucial in such operations, where the quality of the food can be retained.
The role of packaging in food safety and security in the globalized world
When food that is prepared in one part of the world gets consumed in another; the role of packaging in food safety and security acquires vital importance. This is what is happening in today’s globalized world. Food companies have their operations in almost any part of the globe that makes economic sense for them. This food is not necessarily fully consumed in the part of the world in which it is produced. Rather, it reaches out to different parts of the world. This globalized system works in the food industry just like the way it works in a garment or an automobile business.

Key points
Countries of the world follow many of these regulations and conventions in addition to the many of their own. The core concept behind these regulations is that food must be safe throughout the supply chain, from the proverbial “farm to fork”. Planners and thinkers around the world work in tandem to understand the food problems the world is facing and prioritize their tasks towards ensuring that a good part of the inequities get minimized, if not outright eliminated. In ensuring this, the role of packaging in food safety and security is primary.

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