Pros and Cons of Using Plastic Materials for Food Packaging

Pros and Cons of Using Plastic Materials for Food Packaging
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Pros and Cons of Using Plastic Materials for Food Packaging
Plastic materials are used for packaging foods as they help in food protection, preservation, merchandising, marketing and food distribution. This ability is attributed to the large, organic molecules that are carbon-containing and which are used in making the plastic materials more fluid, printable, easy to mold and seal by heat. Overall, plastic packaging plays a role in ensuring that foods reach the consumers while still safe and in good quality. Because of these great qualities, the manufacturers of foods and beverages have increasingly shown an interest in using these plastics in food packaging. This growing interest in plastic packaging has also led to investigations about the other benefits they could be having when it comes to food packaging and the possible disadvantages. For instance, some studies have linked them with harming nature, degrading the environment, and having the disadvantage of low melting point. The present paper looks at some of the major pros and cons that are associated with the use of these plastic materials for the purposes of food packaging. Generally, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages indicating that plastic food packaging causes more harm than good.
Plastic packing is acknowledged for its flexibility and adaptability when it comes to use. According to Raheem (2012), plastic materials are fluid and therefore can be molded into different shapes, sizes and can easily be sealed using heat. With this ability, customization of plastic packages can be done according to the customer’s needs and preferences. In storage of food, this option is most appropriate because it is extremely light-weight and hence only takes up minimal space. The transportation of foods packaged in plastics also becomes easier due to this ability to take up minimal storage space, which largely reduces the carbon footprint during transportation. The flexibility also allows for the creation of high quality packages that can attract the attention of the customers and cause them to notice the packages. When this is in a retail setting, it can increase sales.
Plastic packaging has the ability to withstand environmental conditions that are considered extreme. For instance, their chances of degradation in hot or cold environments are quite low. For this reason, it becomes easy for the foods or beverages involved to be preserved in terms of their integrity and quality. This also means some other external influences such as dust, oxygen, odors, moisture and light cannot affect the food contained in the packages as they will be protected (Abdhilkadim, 2015). This also leads to another benefit whereby it helps to prevent wastage of food through spoilage thereby eliminating any chances of registering loses. Its inability to degrade easily or be affected by external influences also means that co...