Prevent Overdue Food Loss with MAP

When we think of waste associated with food products, we often think first of the waste that packaging creates. However, a significant amount of waste is that of the food itself.

You feel good about bringing home a shopping cart full of healthy, fresh produce — until it sits in the back of the fridge for a few days, starts to break down, and you have to throw it out. It looks so great on the shelf, but that expiration date is often difficult to meet. Fresh foods spoil; it’s as simple as that. In fact, one-third of the world’s food production is lost or wasted every year.

Numerous international initiatives have sprung up over the past several years attempting to combat the loss and waste of food all over the world. Werner M. Dornscheidt, President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, a partner of the SAVE FOOD Initiative, explained, “Our goal is that, in industrialized countries, less food gets disposed of and that consumers plan their purchases carefully, but, most importantly, we need to raise awareness at the industry level on the issue of food losses, which is a priority for the future.”

It’s all about the package

Packaging plays a big role in stemming the problem of food spoilage and waste. Whereas fresh foods result in 50% of total waste, packaged foods came in around only 2.5%. One reason for the reduction of waste in foods is a revolutionary packaging method called Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP).

MAP-ping your product

Two-thirds of all food waste is due to spoilage. MAP helps reduce spoilage and is gaining ground in the food packaging industry, especially with additive-free foods that are likely to have a shorter shelf-life. MAP is the insertion of a mixture of gases, usually including oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen, into a package to preserve food. By using MAP, food packagers are able slow down the process of decay by inhibiting the growth of microbes in the food, therefore reducing food spoilage and increasing shelf-life.

Consumers want foods to taste fresh, rather than like they have been in storage for a month. Who doesn’t? As producers maintain their focus on the quality of their products, packagers should focus on preserving that quality. MAP can help with that goal.

Make your products stand the tests of both taste and time. Enhance your customers’ experiences by preserving your product quality with advanced packaging.

[cta]It’s painless: Our package analysis is no-cost, no-obligation. Get the information and options you need to make a positive change for your product and for your customers. Contact the experts at CTI online, by email, or by phone at 847-968-4855.[/cta]