Manual on Food Packaging for Small and Medium Size Enterprises in Samoa Manual on Food Packaging for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises in Samoa Prepared with the cooperation of the Small and Medium Food Enterprises in Samoa by FAO Consultant Richard Beyer. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Sub-Regional Office for the Pacific Islands Apia, 2012 About this manual This manual was prepared under funding support by FAO Technical Cooperation Programme project TCP/SAM/3203. It is based on consultation with a number of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in Samoa during July 2012. The layout is such that specific packaging information is included in the first chapter, while the second chapter relates to findings in Samoa and highlights points where there is common ground. The third chapter builds on chapter two and suggests strategies for consideration by SMEs. It has been the intention to include a number of areas where quality can be improved and maintained inexpensively and with it a closer match between packaging, shelf-life and consumer expectation. The ultimate aim is to enable processors to select the most appropriate packing for their products and thereby become more profitable and successful in both local and export markets. It is to be recognised that the packaging industry is very dynamic and new combination of components are becoming available on a frequent basis and thus this only reflects the current state of packaging and would need periodic updating. All comments and feedback are welcome and should be sent to [email protected] and [email protected]. Manual on Food Packaging Page 3 of 74 Acknowledgements Special thanks go to all the entrepreneurs in Samoa who so willingly gave up their time to share their views and concerns. Every attempt has been made to encapsulate those views so that the most eco- nomical and practical packaging can be selected. Some information has been difficult to source but grateful thanks must go to Vinay Narsey of Narsey’s Plastics Ltd in Suva who has spent much of his valuable time in providing very useful information. Thanks to all the overseas packaging suppliers who responded to requests for information although they have universally avoided committing their companies to costs without formal requests for quota- tions – unfortunately this aspect must be left to the SME operators. Those responding have been listed in the text. In addition gratitude is extended to those who gave their time to attend the feedback work- shop (tabulated on page 4) and who contributed to the refinement of this manual. Finally, many thanks to the FAO Sub-Regional Office for the Pacific Islands for initiating and supporting the work, in particular the Food Safety and Nutrition Officer, Dirk Schulz for technical comments throughout the project, as well as editing this manual. Manual on Food Packaging Page 4 of 74 Glossary BO Biaxially oriented film that is simultaneously stretched in two directions as they are extruded Codex Alimentarius International food code, including food standards, guidelines and codes of practice to protect the health of the consumers and ensure fair prac- tices in the food trade FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FSANZ Food Standards Australia and New Zealand HACCP Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points ISO International Standards Organisation Laminate Flat sheet of plastic material that may contain one or multiple compo- nents LDPE Low density polyethylene Metallised Aluminium added to an existing film Monomers Single chemical units that make up polymers PES Polyester PET Polyethylene terephthalate PE Polyethylene Polymer A substance that is comprised of long chains of chemical units that give plastics their sheet structure PP Polypropylene PS Polystyrene PVDC Polyvinylidine chloride PVCVC Polyvinyl chloride – vinylidine chloride SAME Samoa Association of Manufacturers and Exporters Saran PVDC with a range of monomers incorporated SMEs Small and Medium Size-Enterprises SROS Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa Manual on Food Packaging Page 5 of 74 Manual on Food Packaging Page 6 of 74 Table of Contents About this manual ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................... 4 Glossary .................................................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 1 General Aspects of Packaging ................................................................................................. 8 1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Summary of the Functions of Packaging ............................................................................................ 8 1.3 Food Composition and Packaging Choices ........................................................................................ 9 1.3.1 Rigid Containers ........................................................................................................................ 12 1.3.2 Flexible Films ............................................................................................................................ 18 1.3.3 Single Component Films ............................................................................................................ 18 1.3.4 Multiple Component Films ........................................................................................................ 23 1.4 Printing Inks ...................................................................................................................................... 30 1.5 Summary of Labelling Requirements ............................................................................................... 31 Chapter 2 Food Manufacturing in Samoa .............................................................................................. 32 2.1 General .............................................................................................................................................. 32 2.2 Associations ...................................................................................................................................... 34 2.3.1 Evidence of Deterioration .......................................................................................................... 35 2.3.2 Product Shelf Life and Packaging .............................................................................................. 36 2.3.3 The Day Book ............................................................................................................................ 39 2.3.4 Shelf Life Manipulation Through Packaging Choices ............................................................... 41 Chapter 3 Future Work ............................................................................................................................ 43 3.1 Where to from here? ......................................................................................................................... 43 3.2 The Buying Motive ........................................................................................................................... 44 3.3 Competition....................................................................................................................................... 44 3.4 Recommendations for Immediate Action by Food Processors ......................................................... 45 Appendix 1 Terms of Reference for the Mission .................................................................................... 47 Appendix 2 List of Workshop Participants ............................................................................................. 48 Appendix 3 Functions of Packaging ...................................................................................................... 49 Appendix 4 Single Flexible Films – The Building Blocks ..................................................................... 52 Appendix 5 Detailed Properties of Single Component Flexible Films ................................................... 54 Appendix 6 SMEs consulted ................................................................................................................... 55 Appendix 7 Consultation Forms ............................................................................................................. 56 Appendix 8 Selected Packaging Suppliers .............................................................................................. 59 Appendix 9a Evaluation Form ................................................................................................................ 60 Appendix 9b Sequential Quality Assessment Chart ............................................................................... 61 Annex 10 General Standard For The Labelling Of Pre-packaged Foods ............................................... 62 Annex 11 Codex Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling ............................................................................. 69 Manual on Food Packaging Page 7 of 74 Chapter 1 General Aspects of Packaging 1.1 Introduction We encounter packaging every day but rarely consider its importance or the reason for its existence.