For many of us the term "food packaging” immediately conveys the branding of a product, the convenience to carry a product fresh and safely, from the manufacturer to the consumers’ tables as well as the material’s sustainability element. Packaging gives the ability to companies to communicate with their consumers playing a major role in how a product is perceived - does it resonate with your consumers, does it have a differentiating factor, does it tell a story, does the product convey your sustainability efforts, is it “attractive” to your target segment? 

All of this is valid, but beneath it all lies a world of science, engineering and innovation that makes packaging one of the most critical components in our food systems. 

Food packaging is primarily a delivery system. Imagine having to sell orange juice to end consumers on the other side of the world without anything to contain it in. Impossible as far as the laws of physics allow. Packaging provides protection for food from physical damage during transportation and must be convenient to store, open and reseal.

From a scientific perspective, food packaging considers chemical stability of the material to the structural integrity enabling food to arrive to our tables in a safe, fresh and intact manner. Besides, there is an increased importance to also do so sustainably. 

Science provides a balancing act of material science, physics and food chemistry. Packaging needs to provide a barrier against moisture, oxygen, lights and microbes, as well as must avoid unwanted chemical interactions. Modelling and Simulation through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) allows us to test, iterate and optimise packaging designs before the prototype is even created. 

With this technique you can simulate compression, drop and impact under various stressors which the product may experience during logistical conditions, it evaluates how packaging is protecting the food product under different temperature and humidity levels, it optimises features of the packaging such as its thickness, its seal and its shape to reduce material usage, thus being cost conscious, but without compromising on safety and freshness. FEA helps in identifying failure points and tackle them as well as to understand degradation patterns over time, ensuring environmental impact is in line with the company’s sustainability goals. The technique helps us to understand the behaviour of the packaging design during complex supply chain scenarios, such as for instance temperature-controlled logistics, or stacking in retail settings.

Nowadays focus on sustainability is also important to factor in when designing packaging and innovation is about thinking of its entire lifecycle, such as whether packaging can be made from renewable or low-carbon materials, how lightweight it is, thus minimising fuel usage and costs during transportation, whether it can be reused or disassembled as well as how it protects food from spoilage therefore reducing food waste. All of this whilst thinking also of other factors, such as keeping food safe and delivering food products of high quality and freshness as well as keeping overall costs down for companies and end consumers. 

Innovation in food packaging is a multidisciplinary approach involving a complex system which benefits greatly from modelling and simulation techniques to guide better decisions.