Food packaging has ‘massively improved’ safety

In this exclusive video interview, filmed as part of the Food Manufacture Group’s 90^th​ birthday celebrations, Waterhouse said the changes to packaging technology had improved food safety and extended the shelf-life of products.

“We’ve gone through a really interesting stage in packaging development,”​ said Waterhouse, who is chairman of the Packaging Society. “I think food safety in itself has improved massively because of the packaging.​

‘Massive implications’​

“With shelf-life, we’ve done tests with new materials and new films, which will change the packaging systems, but will double the shelf-life of a lettuce, for instance. It may sound pretty trivial, but if you consider the implications of that to the supply chain, it has massive implications.”​

Also in this video interview, Waterhouse said food and drink labelling meant consumers didn’t have to endure the same risks as their parents or grand-parents. Best-before dates and nutrition labelling was a sense of “idiot-proofing”​, he said.

‘Move away from common sense’​

“Best-before dates let us not smell things anymore. Then you get the labels that change colour for the condition of the stuff inside. Those sorts of things are helping us move away from common sense to a certain extent.​

“You start to put those things together, with the packaging system to make us feel confident about the food. People get more confident out of what’s in the pack, what it’s going to be like. So, it’s a great advance.”​

Meanwhile, watch out for Waterhouse’s feature in the September issue of Food Manufacture​, as part of the Food Manufacture Group’s 90^th​ birthday supplement.