The Food System and the Environment Food Packaging

Robert F. Testin and Peter J. Vergano (803)656-2229 (803) 656-5684

11 segments of the packaging With self-service supermarkets, pack- aging that make products easier to use or industry, including food packag- aging has taken on the role of providing provide more convenience for the con- A ing, face environmental issues. information. The package is the manu- sumer. For example, fast-food chains are under facturers' link with the customer at the all pressure to reduce the amount of solid important point of purchase. The pack- The Role of Food waste they generate and Maine has age must attract the customer to make a Packaging in Waste banned fruit drinks in aseptic packages purchase. It also, provides information (juice boxes). on how to use and store the product and Reduction Yet, packaging is integral to today's lists ingredient and nutrition facts. Food packaging can reduce waste. life style (see box, "A Country Without Finally, utility-of-use has become a For example, a pod of fresh peas is 62 Food Packaging"). Nowhere would the key element in many food packages. percent inedible. In order to get a pound loss of modern packaging be more Microwaveable packages, single serving of fresh peas, about 2.6 pounds of peas quickly felt than in the food processing sizes, recloseable and resealable pack- and pods would have to be purchased, and distribution system. In underdevel- ages, squeezeable packages, and shelf- resulting in 1.6 pounds of discarded pods. oped countries where packaging is mini- stable packages are all examples of pack- However, buying 1 pound of frozen peas mal or nonexistent, food losses of 30-50 percent are not uncommon. In the United States, packaged food losses are less than A Country Without Food meat that was tainted or "high" due to 3 percent, while fresh food losses are 10 Packaging a lack of both adequate packaging and to 15 percent. Reduced food losses lower What would the United States be refrigeration. food costs. Food packaging allows con- like without food packaging? To Any attempt to go back to the days sumers to enjoy a variety of foods year- envision this, one need only go back without food packaging would cause around, not just during local harvest 200 years (20 years before the inven- major problems. Today, the popula- seasons. Also, food packaging can de- tion of canning, the first modem food tion demographics are reversed— crease rather than increase solid waste preservation/packaging development). about three-quarters of Americans generation. The shipping distances from produc- now live in urban areas. There are These benefits of packaging come tion to cities and towns were often more of us--250 million according to from a $70-billion-a-year industry, of only a few miles. Chicken, pigs, and the latest census. Our food distribu- which approximately 70 percent is used cattle were kept by homeowners in tion lines are 3,000 miles long—Cali- for food and beverages. On average, most cities and towns and many fornia to New York or even longer— food packaging costs about 9 percent of homeowners had their own gardens, e.g., Chile to the United States. the retail price of food products. root cellars, and smoke houses. Without food packaging most of us The system worked, up to a point. would have to revert back to growing What Does Packaging What made it work? Most people most of our own food on small plots Do? lived on farms and in small towns, and of land. Spoilage would reduce much Aside from the obvious, providing a continued to do so up to the beginning of what is produced, forcing people to container for the product, the package of the 20th century. The population spend even more time in food produc- affords protection against the harmful was smaller—only 4 million in 1790. tion. With most people engaged in effects of bacteria, oxygen, light, and Despite being located close to food food production there would be little disease agents such as rodents and in- production and availability, quality time to provide many of the goods and sects. Items are also now packaged to and safety remained a problem. Salted services we enjoy today. Thus, food give consumers clues if tampering oc- and dried meats, and wilted vegetables packaging is an integral part of our curs. from the fruit cellar were the order of modern society. the day. Even the best inns served

Both authors are associate professors of Packaging Sci- ence, Department of Food Science, Clemson University.

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The Food System and the Environment

Aluminum cans past, recycling has been emphasized are about 25 material shortages, such percent lighter during times of today than when as the war years of 1918-19 and 1941-45. they were first Paper has had an established system of saving introduced, for many years. A great many natural resources reuse and packaging packages are made from recycled paper. costs. About 30 percent of all paper and over 50 percent of corrugated boxes are recycled. Each time paper is recycled the fibers get shorter and eventually wash out of the system. Another success story in packaging recycling is the aluminum beverage con- tainer. Unlike paper, aluminum can be recycled an unlimited number of times without degrading its physical properties. Today, more than 60 percent of alumi- num beverage cans are recycled. (See greatly reduce or eliminate leaves the customer with only a 1-ounce pressure to "Less Packaging and More Recycling McDonald's decision to plastic pouch to dispose of. The pods of packaging. Reduces Waste," elsewhere in this issue.) foam packaging was influenced the frozen peas remain at the food proces- eliminate A major roadblock to recycling is not pressure from environmental sor where they are turned into recyclable greatly by technical ability, but financial feasibility. Yet, packaging makes up less by-products such as animal feed. (See groups. For example, technology has been devel- of the MSW being "Managing Solid By-products ofIndus- than one-third oped that can process used aseptic juice 1). trial Food Processing," elsewhere in this landfilled (figure boxes into plastic lumber. However, issue.) In New York City alone, con- plastic lumber is more expensive than suming packaged vegetables annually Recycling regular lumber, which limits its sales. eliminates the need to dispose of over Traditional packaging materials, pa- The less expensive inputs from recycled 100,000 tons of fresh produce waste. per, metals and glass have been recycled sources relative to virgin sources or the In a chicken processing plant, virtually in varying degrees for many years. In the greater the demand for final products all the waste—feathers, viscera, heads, and feet—is converted into by-products, often chicken feed. This is a true form of Figure 1. Less Than One-Third of Municipal Solid Waste recycling. Processing 1,000 chickens Comes From Packaging produces about 1,650 pounds of recy- clable waste products and requires the use of only 15 pounds of packaging. Nondurable goods, 28.1% Compared to dressing chickens at home, 50.4 million tons this reduces the solid waste load from Yard wastes, 17.6% 31.6 million tons 1,000 chickens by a net of 1,635 pounds. Other, 1.5% The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has 2.7 million tons developed estimates of waste reduction for some common food packaging mate- rials. On average, every pound of paper packaging eliminates 1.4 pounds of food waste. Plastic is even more efficient. One pound of plastic packaging reduces food wastes by 1.7 pounds. Durable goods, 13.9% Food wastes, 7.3% 24.9 million tons Environmental Concerns 13.2 million tons Containers/packaging, 31.6% Food packaging is not without its 56.8 million tons critics. With landfills filling up and citi- zens not wanting new ones in their com- Total weight in 1988:179.6 million tons munity, municipal solid waste(MSW) has become a major environmental con- States, 1990 cern. Government agencies, elected Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the United update, EPA 1530-SW-90-042, June 1990. officials, and national firms are under

Review 32 Food The Food System and the Environment

the MSW supply. Thus, using biodegrad- able food packages would not reduce Design Guidelines MSW unless the demand for compost To help manufacturers design greatly increased. packages with minimal environ- mental impacts, the Institute of Overpackaging Packaging Professionals has re- Another criticism of packaging is that cently published package design firms use more of it than necessary which guidelines. For more information, raises the product price and contributes to contact Institute of Packaging Pro- solid waste disposal problems. Often fessionals, 11800 Sunrise Valley " what seems like overpackaging is actu- Dr., Reston, VA 22091,(703) 620- ally part the package function. 9380. A blister pack of small items may well be cost effective in terms of reducing pilferage or minimizing clerical help in References Fresh corn is often packaged to allow handling and counting. Individually Alexander, J.H. "Solid Waste in Perspec- consumers to see the product and to wrapped cheese slices prevent the cheese tive." First Annual Packaging and protect kernels from bruising and dryness from drying out in the refrigerator once after the husks have been removed. Government Seminar, The Packaging the package is opened. The empty space Institute, 1977. at the top of the box of many processed made from recycled materials, the more Alter, Harvey. The Greatly Growing dry foods such as cereals is the natural successful recycling will be in reducing Garbage Problem, U.S. Chamber of settling that occurs during shipment from packaging wastes. Thus, consumer will- Commerce, Washington, DC, undated. factory to consumer. ingness to bring discarded packages to Alter, Harvey. "The Origins of Munici- Once new packages are introduced, central collection centers and their pur- pal Solid Waste: The Relations Be- competition quickly forces continued chasing of final products made from tween Residues from Packaging Mate- reductions in the amount of materials recycled materials is a key to successful rials and Food." Waste Management used. For example, the aluminum can recycling. and Research, Vol. 7, 1989, pp. 103- and plastic beverage containers are both 114. about 25 percent lighter today than when John. "The Changing Face of Biodegradability they were first introduced, and the weight Carey, America." National Wild Life, Vol. About 75 percent of MSW in the of the 16-ounce glass soft drink bottle has 24, pp. 18-26, 1986. United States goes to sanitary landfills, been reduced over 30 percent in the past the rest is either recycled or incinerated. 10 years. (See "Less Packaging and Deighton, John. A White Paper on Pack- The modern sanitary landfill is de- More Recycling Reduces Wastes," else- aging, The Schecter Group Inc., New signed to prevent degradation since it is a where in this issue.) York, undated. source of methane gas generation and Industry Committee for Packaging and potential groundwater pollution. William Designing Packages for the Environment. Packaging Saves Rathje of the University of Arizona has Waste,INCPEN, London, 1987. shown that even a highly degradable item Disposal and/or Institute of Packaging Professionals. such as a newspaper is still readable after Recycling 1.0.P.P. Packaging Reduction, Recy- several decades in a modern landfill. From an environmental perspective, cling, & Disposal Guidelines, Institute Even with today's technology, the ideal package would either weigh of Packaging Professionals, Reston, degradability does not alleviate the litter nothing or be reused or recycled an infi- Virginia, 1990. problem because degradation occurs too nite number of times. Most packages can Rathje, W.L. "Rubbish!" The Atlantic slowly. Only in remote areas where only approach these ideals. In the past, Monthly, pp. 99-101, December 1989. pickup is not possible or likely—e.g., most packages were not designed with wilderness areas or the oceans—can environmental acceptability in mind. Testin, Robert F. and Peter J. Vergano. degradability be of some assistance. This is changing. Packaging users and Packaging in America in the 1990s, Biodegradability in packaging materi- producers alike are beginning to look at Institute of Packaging Professionals, als could become more important as more design and purchasing decisions from an Reston, Virginia, 1990. solid wastes are composted. Today, environmental perspective. These efforts U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. however, composting accounts for only may lead to redesign of not only pack- Characterization of Municipal Solid about 0.2 percent of the waste disposal in ages, but product/package combinations Waste in the United States, 1990 Up- the United States. Highly compostable pointed toward minimizing the package's date, EPA 1530-SW-90-042, Wash- food and yard wastes are not being environmental impact. Have you noticed ington, DC, 1990. composted and end up as 25 percent of how many packages now say "Made from Recycled Materials"?

April-June 1991 33