Plastic Food Packaging: The Ultimate FAQ Guide

1. What is Plastic Food packaging

Plastic food packaging comprises of a range of food storage containers made of food-grade plastic materials.

It provides safe storage for ready-to-eat meals, take-outs and other food options from restaurants, food outlets, bakeries, etc.

The packaging is made of reusable and recyclable plastics such as PP, HDPE, PET, RPET, PVC, and HIPS.

2. Why use Plastic Food Packaging?

Plastic food packaging has so many advantages that you should consider when choosing food packaging.

These include;

• Ability to keep your food products fresher for longer
• Providing maximum visibility for packaged products
• It is leak-proof and tamper-resistant making it an excellent option for protecting your products from tampering and pilfering
• It is made of food-grade materials that will prevent foo contamination
• It is both reusable and recyclable
• Plastic packaging generally is affordable
• You can customize plastic food packaging to suit your different application needs

3. Which Industries use Plastic Food Packaging?

Plastic food packaging is used in the food and beverage industry.

The packaging is used for a range of purposes that include;

• Packaging Seafood and herbs
• Packaging processed foods
• Packing food products for transportation and storage
• Marketing of generic food products, new products, etc.
• Foodservice which includes catering
• Retail where it used to package grocery, farmer’s produce among other products in retail points

4. Is Plastic Food Packaging Reusable?

Yes, with proper maintenance, plastic food packaging can be used over and over again.

5. How does RPET and PET Plastic Food Packaging Compare?

RPET is simply recycled PET.

PET is a popular plastic material for food packaging as it is flexible enough to meet diverse food packaging requirements. This includes the FDA requirements for material used in food packaging.

The material has excellent barrier properties that make it suitable for packaging a wide range of foods. It is also clear making PET food packaging ideal for applications that need to show the purity, color or consistency of food products.

What is more is that PET packaging comes in a range of shapes and sizes. Meaning, it is easy to find the right packaging for virtually every food product. Besides, this type of plastic food packaging is easily customized to meet individual requirements at an affordable price.

Another thing you should note is that PET packaging is very lightweight yet highly durable. Pet packaging doesn’t break easily or shatter when broken-rather, they split apart.

Like PET, RPET, which is the recycled version of PET is widely recognized in the Plastic food packaging industry.

Both plastics pack impressive benefits, which include convenience, durability, appeal, cost-efficiency, and eco-friendly.

So when it comes to RPET and PET, you’re almost sure to find the ideal solution for your food packaging needs.

6. What is the difference between PP and PVC Plastic Food Packaging?

PP Plastic food packaging is made of Polypropylene (PP). This plastic material tends to be stiff and less brittle than most plastics.

Packaging made of PP can be translucent, opaque, or a different color. The plastic tends to have a high melting point making it suitable for packaging that is microwavable and dishwasher safe.

PVC plastic food packaging, on the other hand, is made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This is a pretty popular plastic in the plastic food packaging manufacturing industry.

The plastic is highly resistant to biological and chemical elements, a property that helps PCV plastic food packaging maintain the integrity of its contents.

Both PP and PVC are FDA approved food-grade materials and are also recyclable.

7. Are there Design and Size Limitations for Plastic Food Packaging?

Yes, the design and size of plastic food packaging will depend on your specific application requirements.

8. Are Elsepack Plastic Food Packaging FDA Approved?

Of course!

Elsepack strictly uses Plastic food packaging materials that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

9. Can you use Plastic Food Packaging for advertising?

Yes, plastic food packaging with printed inserts can support the promotion of your brand and products.

You need to ensure that the inserts are alluring and include all the necessary details that you want to communicate to your customers.

10. Which is better between Plastic Food Packaging vs. other alternatives?

Due to its many advantages, plastic food packaging provides better alternatives to other food packaging materials.

For instance, plastic food packaging is reusable, leak-resistant, and a lot of them are microwavable, thus tend to cut a lot on costs.

Also, this type of food packaging is very easy to clean as it is also dishwasher safe.

Another notable advantage of plastic food packaging is that it allows you to stack densely, giving you a clean and well-organized storage.

You also don’t need to keep opening plastic food packaging to know its contents because of the clear plastic design.

Using clear plastic food packaging has been shown to save up to 10% of time in busy commercial kitchens and restaurants. This is because you due to not having to open packaging to see its contents and not having to spend time marking them.

11. What Specific Plastic Food Packaging Solutions does Elsepack Offer?

Depending on the type of food you want to package, we have a lot of different packaging solutions.

We have solutions for meat, seafood, herbs, bakery, deli, pizza, sandwich, chocolate, salad, and the like. You can choose from a range of blister, trays and clamshell food packaging to help keep your food fresher for longer.

12. Does Elsepack have In-house Mold Design for Custom Plastic Food Packaging?

We do.

Our in-house mold for plastic food packaging allows us to keep all manufacturing in-house, thus maintain low costs of production for our customers.

It also allows us to meet different client needs for custom plastic food packaging. Meaning, we can provide packaging in any size, shape, and thickness depending on your unique requirement.

13. What should you consider when Choosing Plastic Food Packaging?

Among the many things that you should consider when choosing plastic food packaging, the material is critical.

You need to choose packaging made with the best quality material that is both food grade certified and eco-friendly.

Secondly, you need to consider your need/application.

What is your market demographic?

What do you intend to achieve with the packaging? Are you looking to enhance product appeal, increase sales, or what?

Getting answers to these questions will allow you to choose the most suitable plastic food packaging for your project.

The answers you get will determine what design, size, color, shape, and thickness among other features to go for.

Another thing that you might want to look into is the manufacturer. Plastic food packaging is sensitive. You need to work with a supplier who has the right skills and experience in producing quality plastic food packaging.

You may also need to factor in the cost of plastic food packaging vs. your budget. Between shipping, product packaging, and cost of the packaging itself, you want to make sure that you can still turn a reasonable profit.

14. How does Elsepack Control Quality of Plastic Food Packaging?

There are many ways in which we ensure the quality of our packaging products.

One way is by ensuring the quality of raw materials we use production. We have a quality control team that oversees the procurement of raw materials and their handling.

The team also monitors production and inspects each stage to make sure products are made as per the required standards.

And after production, we conduct tests to ascertain the quality, performance, and reliability of the final output. We can provide test certificates for your peace of mind.

15. What is Elsepack Lead-time for Plastic Food Packaging?

Our lead-times vary depending on several factors, including order date, volume, order complexity, etc.

Standardly though, we can deliver plastic food packaging within 7-15 days.

Designs can be delivered within 24 hours after receiving your initial idea and prototypes for the same in 3 days.