Food Service and Packaging

Thinking Globally: Food Packaging Means Food Preservation

When it comes to food service, polystyrene's unique combination of performance and low cost does more than just keep food hot or cold. It presents a great opportunity to help reduce global hunger. In the developed world, the volume of food wasted before it reaches consumers is only 2%. But this figure rises dramatically - up to 50% - in emerging nations where packaging, refrigeration and distribution systems are limited. One recent report estimates that in the former Soviet Union about one quarter of all food production is wasted because of poor or non-existent packaging. As plastics packaging becomes more widely introduced in developing countries, it will help preserve meagre food supplies, minimise waste through spoilage, and protect against the dangers caused by food-borne disease.

Protective Packaging

"In today's busy world, safe product delivery requires a strong and efficient packaging material that can hold up under tough conditions. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) protective packaging offers a broad range of physical properties to the package designer and user. EPS offers superior insulation, design versatility, and exceptional cushioning properties to protect against shock and compression - yet it's extremely light in weight. Beyond these benefits - and its competitive pricing - EPS can offer cost savings in design and development, product assembly, and distribution."

Dairy Packaging

For consumers living in those parts of the world where we take our food supply for granted, it's all too easy to forget the critical role that plastics packaging plays in ensuring the availability, protection and freshness of the foods we consume in our daily lives. The use of polystyrene in dairy packaging is a good example of the very effective use of plastics in the food distribution chain, ensuring both hygiene and energy savings.



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