What are the categories of food packaging?

In the most familiar form, a package is a simple box on the grocer’s shelf or the wrapper on a candy bar. Package can also be a wooden cart around a machine or a bulk container for industrial products.

The most significant properties are light weight, cushioning ability moisture resistance, ease of fabrication or molding, chemical inertness, non-abrasiveness, no dusting, thermal insulation, useful temperature range and competitive cost.

There are four broad categories of packages that require different technologies to satisfy the requirements of end user.

Consumer package
Consumer packaging that is market and is oriented and is directed to the consumer in the area of foods, soft goods, hard goods, materials for which there is an immediate need. It will be delivered to the ultimate consumer in the retail store.

Industrial package
The materials basically oriented as industrial products or items that will be sold directly to an industrial consumer. The packaging means for warehousing and distribution to the retail store.

Institutional package
Institutional packaging is a food packaging that is intended to be used in retail operations, restaurants, commissionaires and cafeterias and is intended to be manually handled.

Military package
Procures for use of military services
What are the categories of food packaging?

Three piece cans

Three piece cans consisting of a can body and two end pieces, are used to seal heat-sterilized foods hermetically as well as for other food products like powders, syrups and cooking oils.

The can wall is formed by welding. Three piece welded cans are only constructed from steel as aluminum is not suitable for welding.

As the material for the can wall, lightly coated Sn-plated steel sheets and Ni-plated steel sheets may be employed.

Two main types of base steel are commonly used in can manufacturing type L and type MR. Type L is very corrosion-resistant and is used in canning of very corrosive products e.g., apple juice, berries, prunes and pickles.

Type MR is more suitable for canning moderately to mildly corrosive products, e.g. grapefruit, peaches, peas, and corn.

In both the two-piece can and the three-piece can the outside surface of the can is provided with printing, in order to appeal to consumers for commercial value of the canned goods.

On the other hand the inside surface of the can is coated with resin so as to ensure the corrosion resistance of the can body.

The coatings and ink are normally dried by passing the sheets through a thermally heated oven where the temperature is in the range 150–205 °C.

Three piece cans usually are delivered to the packer with one end in place and the other shipped separately. After filling, the second end is double-seamed by closing machines, which can change the headspace air to a vacuum or inert gas, if required.

Presently, the three-piece cans are being widely used and other cans like two-piece cans, aluminum cans, and other flexible containers are slowly replacing them.
Three piece cans