Nestlé questions its shelf-life needs
Senior packaging research and development specialist Yves Wyser said: "There is still room for improvement in packaging sustainability." This could include reductions in the amount of packaging. "But of course, if we go too far, we might end up increasing food waste, which would have a much greater environmental impact."
Wyser, who is based at Nestlé's Research Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, added: "People are asking what levels of protection any given product requires, and what shelf-life the market requires."
As he pointed out, Nestlé's core business is in shelf-stable foods. "In this area, shelf-life of 18 months or two years is typical. But is this really necessary? Do people need that?" Probably not, he said. "If we can reduce the shelf-life, we might be able to reduce the environmental impact of our packaging."
Nestlé's core business
Wyser was speaking to researchers at the June symposium of the International Association of Packaging Research Institutes in Valencia, Spain.
He pointed to the apparent dearth of research into the role of packaging in reducing food waste.
"We know that packaging already makes a huge contribution, but 30% of food produced is still not consumed," he said.
According to the European Commission's estimates for 2014, food waste in the EU already totals more than 100Mt a year. Its forecast is that this will increase to 126Mt by 2020, if no action is taken.
Wyser suggested that intelligent packaging could be one part of the solution. "All legislation currently requires both a 'best before' and expiry date," he said. "So if we do get to the point where we have on-pack freshness indicators, which information should the consumer follow?
Intelligent packaging
"We need to move forward with the technology to the point where we can have full confidence in actually replacing the expiry date."
He also touched on current research into nanotechnology in packaging. "Rather than just adding a barrier, the interesting area is where it is able to add new properties," he said.
As with active compounds, he stated, a key challenge was the small number of nanomaterials authorised for use in the EU in food contact (currently just four).
"The regulators are really not ready to authorise nanomaterials," he explained. "For example, any clays used must be guaranteed not to exfoliate. And there is still uncertainty as to whether consumers would accept nanomaterials in contact with food. That's why they need to be an enabler for true consumer benefit."
