How food packaging evolved over time

Posted by Brayden Wyatt
2
Oct 13, 2020
434 Views
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We lived like animals and there was no concept of storing or safekeeping the food. Yes, I’m talking about our ancestors from the cavemen era. As humans became more sophisticated and urbane, they started using packaging.

Ancient food packaging:

Humans started using packaging for food with whatever natural resources they had.

Leaves:

The first form of food packaging was huge leaves. Banana leaves were a popular choice to wrap and pack food.

Jute:

Next came the use of jute fibers for food packaging.

Bamboo:

As human skillset expanded, so did their packaging techniques. Bamboo boxes and containers were used for storing and preserving food.

Advent of modern packaging:

Modern packaging started in nineteenth century.

Metal:

Metal cans were used for meat, lentils, soups and other food items.

Glass:

Glass containers were used for milk. These were cleaned and reused.

Plastic:

Twentieth century came up with the invention of plastic. It was widely used for making food boxes on wholesale as it was cheap and readily available as a by-product of petroleum extraction.

Pollution:

Things looked bright for the packaging industry as apparently plastic had no drawbacks. It wasn’t until humans realized that this durable packaging material was a little TOO DURABLE. Plastic doesn’t decompose and can stay in the environment for billions of years. It is a major source of climate change and environmental pollution as well.

Failed recycling:

Humans tried to fix their mistake by inventing recycling. But amount of recycling done is scarce compared to the amount of plastic being added on daily basis.

Back to square one:

Basically, packaging has circled back to the very beginning. We are now looking for better, sustainable solutions for food packaging.

Food companies are trying to invest in containers that can be reused or upcycled instead of getting disposable plastic food boxes on wholesale.

Why most companies don’t go for sustainable packaging?

Plastic is cheaper and sustainable packaging can be expensive. There aren’t enough packaging companies that offer sustainable packaging i.e. food boxes on wholesale rates that are made up of biodegradable (corrugated, Kraft) or reusable (glass, Metal) material.

Solutions?

For corrugated and Kraft paper wood pulp is acquired from chopping off new trees, which is leading to mass deforestation all over the world. Companies should recycle paper for packaging instead of cutting more trees.

Invest in glass and metal containers for food packaging boxes. We should change our mindset and be more comfortable with reusing containers instead of disposing of them.

Discourage use of plastic for food packaging instead buy compostable food boxes on wholesale. These boxes are environmental friendly as well as economical.

Conclusion:

If you’re looking for good quality food boxes on wholesale rates, then you should consult Food Packaging Boxes; one of the best packaging firms.
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