Removing the forever chemicals from packaging

To keep hot water and greases from leaking through fiber-board containers, PFAS chemicals have been used, but the FDA has recommended the phase-out of all PFAS chemicals for food contact. Therefore, Solenis, a global supplier of specialty chemicals, and Zume, a provider of non-plastic containers and packaging, have created an open-source project to eliminate PFAS

Buzzing on sustainability: Half of all coffee launches carry ethical or environmental claim

In 2020, 48% of coffee launches made at least one sustainable claim, according to Mintel Global New Products Database. According to market insight firm Mintel, consumers around the globe are ‘drinking coffee with a conscience’. The company’s Global New Product Database (GNPD) has revealed that of all new coffee product launches around the world in

The new label we need on produce: ‘smart-farmed’

Consumers should know that they’re buying from farms that are using technology to make agriculture more efficient and more sustainable. When I walk the produce aisles of a grocery store, I compulsively read labels. Organic, sustainable, fair trade, ethical. As a scientist, a father, and the son of small-time hobby farmers, knowing how food is

As the Ghost Kitchen Industry Matures, Here Are 5 Trends to Watch

The food industry has managed to squeeze about 10 years of innovation into just 18 months thanks to the pandemic. This in turn has given rise to a variety of ghost kitchen models that have allowed restaurants and food brands to increase sales and reduce their operating costs. Now that restaurant operators have seen that

Bacteria: a tasty solution to the plastic problem?

Scientists have devised a novel way of tackling the mounting issue of plastic pollution… by using bacteria to transform plastic waste into vanilla flavouring. The food industry wants to find a solution to the problem of the dramatic rise in the production of throwaway plastics that are failing to be contained, controlled, reused and recycled. According

Packaging made from crop waste allows companies to move towards ‘genuinely sustainable’ innovation

A company is making paper packaging products for the food industry using crop waste materials such as apple skins, avocado peel and mango pips. It is estimated that arable farming produces around 8 billion tonnes of carbohydrate waste every year in the form of discarded stalks, leaves and roots of crops such as maize, wheat,

A closer look at ICP’s corrugated cardboard box made from tomato stems

The Slovenian Pulp and Paper Institute (ICP) recently presented a corrugated cardboard pack made partly from tomato stems. The tomato stems are from locally sourced agricultural waste that has been  processed into liner and fluting papers suitable for incorporation into corrugated board. We spoke to Igor Karlovits, senior researcher at ICP, to find out more about the potential

First of its kind anti- pathogenic packaging

Aptar Food + Beverage, part of AptarGroup has launched InvisiShield — a first of its kind anti-pathogenic packaging, integrated into sealed packages to protect produce from pathogens like bacteria, fungi and viruses. The technology can be incorporated into existing or new produce packaging lines, and mitigates pathogen growth without impacting the product.  CSP Technologies “We are

Packaging Trend Focus: A look at the 2021 refill landscape

In the second of a series of articles looking at ThePackHub’s Global Packaging Trends Compendium, Paul Jenkins, Managing Director, ThePackHub, takes a look at the subject of refills.  The Global Packaging Trends Compendium 2021 details more than 550 packaging innovations and is grouped into nine trends. ‘Refill Revolution’ is one of the trend areas that

How mussels may help solve the microplastics problem

Microplastics – minute pieces of plastic measuring less than five millimetres that result from the breakdown of larger plastic items, such as water bottles — have been found in everything from beer and honey to seafood and bottled water​​. Are these tiny plastic fibres harmful to human and environmental health? The science is still out.