Food packaging for supermarkets and retail stores requires a careful balance between ensuring product freshness and quality, using eco-friendly materials to reduce waste, and creating appealing branding to attract customers – all while keeping costs optimal and efficient. While some large supermarkets have their own food processing and packaging facilities, many products are provided by independent food factories or co-packers. A crucial aspect is the packaging quality, as defects can result in product spills, health risks, brand damage, and costly returns or recalls.
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With the increasing demand for high production volumes, it’s essential for food factories to implement automated packaging and inspection processes to prevent defective packages from reaching supermarket shelves. Although standard inspection steps like label inspection, metal detection and check-weighing are common, automated in-line seal inspection is particularly beneficial, as sealing is a critical step in packaging process. The use of new recyclable materials to reduce waste carries a risk of defective packaging, as the seal quality might not yet match the consistency of traditional materials that have been used for decades. 100% in-line seal inspection not only ensures product quality and shelf life but also enhances packaging processes and productivity, ultimately lowering costs for both food producers and supermarkets. This is why supermarkets have strong incentives to require their suppliers to implement seal inspection in their packaging processes. Also, in-line seal inspection itself represents a minor investment compared to the cost of an entire packaging line.
Packaging formats and trends
Maintaining the quality of food products is essential for preserving their freshness, taste, and visual appeal. Various flexible and rigid packaging formats are used depending on the application, often packaged under modified atmosphere conditions to prevent product degradation due to oxidation. Below is a brief overview of some of the most commonly used packaging formats:
• Flow-packs for sliced cheese, charcuterie, sausages, minced meats, tortillas, pizza dough, cookies, etc.
• VFFS bags for fresh cut, grated cheese, frozen food, cereals, chips, etc.
• HFFS/Pre-made pouches for ready meals, soups, cheese/meat chunks, cereals, pet food, etc.
• Trays/Thermoforms for meat (bacon chunks, sliced meat), sliced cheese, ready meals, appetizers, etc.
In the 2010s, resealability emerged as an innovation across these packaging formats, providing convenience for users, though it offered limited improvement in conservation once the package was opened and exposed to air.
More recently, the focus has shifted to the use of recyclable materials, such as paper-based or mono-material packaging, and reducing the amount of plastic used. This reduction is often achieved by changing the packaging type (e.g., switching from trays to flow-packs or using thinner films or trays). Another growing trend is the shift from cans and jars to pouches. However, regardless of the packaging format, ensuring a secure seal is crucial for maintaining freshness and product quality.
Packaging challenges and social media impact
In assessing customer appeal and product attractiveness, packaging branding plays a crucial role. Elements like printed films or colored trays can evoke a sense of quality and luxury, which are often key factors for discerning customers. However, these printed films can also introduce packaging challenges, which will be explored further. In today’s digital landscape, social media plays a significant role for supermarkets. Influencers, marketing campaigns, and storytelling (such as sharing recipes) are commonly used to promote products. At the same time, social media provides an easy platform for customers to voice their dissatisfaction with just a few clicks, particularly regarding product quality. When photos of defective products go viral, the resulting brand damage can be substantial.
Ensuring quality and safety
To minimize the risk of defective packages, it is crucial to implement stringent quality control measures. Supermarkets often conduct sample-based incoming quality control and regular audits of their suppliers, examining production processes, inspection technologies, and final outputs. By collaborating closely with suppliers, supermarkets can enforce the adoption of specific production and inspection technologies, thereby enhancing overall quality and meeting their rigorous standards.
Given the high production and packaging speeds in the food industry, particularly for high-volume products, it is essential to implement automated packaging lines that include inspection and rejection of defective packages. Automation is increasingly necessary as finding and retaining skilled operators becomes more challenging, and human errors and distractions can compromise quality. Automated systems can efficiently handle repetitive tasks, ensuring consistent performance.
Compliance with stringent food safety regulations is mandatory for all food manufacturers and packaging facilities. Inspection steps like metal detection, check-weighing, and label inspection are widely accepted and standardized to meet these regulatory requirements. While these inspections focus primarily on safety and information, they are less effective in ensuring overall package quality. Seal inspection, however, is a critical step in maintaining packaging quality. Often, this inspection is limited to sample-based testing methods, such as submerging samples in a bath or using a leak-testing device every 15 minutes. If a defect is found in a sample, a portion of the production batch typically undergoes further inspection—a labor-intensive and disruptive process.
A more efficient approach involves checking every package during the packaging process and rejecting defective ones before they are sealed and palletized. This method enhances quality control, reduces labor costs, and minimizes the likelihood that poorly sealed packages will reach the market.
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