Dive Brief:
- Sealed Air, maker of the plastic Bubble wrap, produces innovative packaging that does more than just protects food from physical damage — it can reduce food waste too.
- Cryovac is air-tight wrapping that protects and cushions turkeys and other highly perishable products, but its biggest benefit is its hygienic, antibacterial properties that "extend the shelf-life of food by basically by removing the air or the oxygen that surrounds that food and then sealing the package under vacuum," Ronald Cotterman, Sealed Air’s vice president of sustainability, told Triple Pundit. Cutting down on loss of product due to bacteria exposure can reduce the industry's problems with food waste.
- To address food waste issues at the consumer level, Sealed Air now offers "saddle packs," which control portion sizes in ready-to-cook amounts so that they only open what they need while keeping the rest refrigerated or frozen.
Dive Insight:
"[Cotterman] admitted that some consumers may not be happy with having more packaging. But reducing food waste, he argued, 'tips the scale in a very favorable way in net reduction and total environmental impact,'" Triple Pundit reported.
Sealed Air is also looking outside of fossil fuels toward alternative packaging materials, which could include biodegradable or recyclable products, though the latter can be complicated by "clean and dry" recycling standards that Sealed Air's packaging may not fit into.
In September, the USDA and EPA announced the first-ever national goal for reducing food waste — a 50% reduction by 2030. The Food Waste Reduction Alliance, a joint venture of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Food Marketing Institute, and National Restaurant Association, has also released a food waste guide for the industry.
The national goal and official guide are important for the U.S., which wastes about 21% of the food supply at the consumer level each year, including up to 47% of its edible seafood supply annualy, mainly due to consumer waste.
Other companies are working on packaging to reduce food waste, including Dairy Sour Cream's new flexible squeeze pouch that has "a pull tab to guarantee freshness upon initial opening. Its opening valve design further aids in maintaining freshness by keeping air from getting into the package when squeezed," according to a news release.