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Most people believe that packages and containers are simply manufactured, filled, and sent to the stores. But the packaging world can be much more complex than you might initially realize. For example, fluorination is one of the most crucial packaging and design solutions, yet most people have never heard of it. Take a minute to learn all about the fluorination process.

What Is Fluorination?

It’s an unfortunate reality that plastic bottles can begin to lose their shape if they sit out on the shelf for too long—a process known as paneling. Paneling happens when the walls of the bottle lose their structural integrity and begin to sink in on themselves. Fluorination is one of the packaging and design solutions created to halt the paneling process.

How Does It Work?

Containers to be fluorinated are loaded in large stainless steel bins, placed in a chamber, and exposed to a mixture of gases, including elemental fluorine. This gas causes carbon-fluorine bonding on the interior and exterior of the container, thereby creating a barrier between the contents of the container and the container walls. This new barrier reduces or eliminates the migration of potentially aggressive chemicals and significantly increases a bottle’s shelf life.

There are a host of methods food packaging companies use to attract grocery shoppers. One of the most effective tools in food advertising is color. Even if a shopper can’t see what’s inside a package before they open it, eye-catching colors will make a product appealing. Research shows that colorful packaging triggers appetite and affects how consumers choose food. The right color can tempt a person to purchase something, even if the item wasn’t on their shopping list.

It’s Pretty But Is It Safe?

Advertising and marketing agencies use a variety of inks to design packaging, but not all inks are the right choice for every type of food package. An ink that might be safe to use on a box of cookies may be hazardous to use on a package of meat. As such, companies that market anything eatable should look for food-safe coloring for their packaging.

An Ink of Another Color

In response to calls from health officials and customers, many companies that manufacture inks and dyes now provide safer products. Linseed and soybean oil are two of the more popular ingredients in vegetable-based inks. These eco-friendly dyes produce vivid colors that allow for enhancive packaging without damaging the environment with toxic substances found in traditional colorings.

Government-Mandated Package Coloring

Changing the way it colors food packaging may ensure that a company complies with federal regulations. A 1950s ruling by the FDA says any color additive must comply with certain safety standards for use. Since the 1970s, packaging companies have used protective barriers or inside packaging to ensure that inks in labels do not migrate to foods. Plastic films and interior packaging, along with the latest in food-safe coloring for packaging, makes it easier than ever to comply with FDA rules regarding color additives.

Metal paint cans are a staple in home improvement stores. Although they serve as durable paint containers, metal cans are eyesores and major components of landfills. Metal containers can be a health risk for people and animals because it is practically impossible to use all the paint inside cans. In response, some paint companies have begun using package concepts and materials featuring plastic.

An Eco Friendlier Choice for Paint Containers

Tin-coated steel is the main component of most metal paint cans. While tin alone will not rust, rust can develop on the surface of metals coated in tin. This fact makes most paint cans a threat to the environment. Plastic containers offer the same functionality and durability as the metal variety without the possibility of tainting the soil or water with rust.

The Versatility of Plastic Paint Cans

The traditional sizes of paint cans include ounces, pints, quarts, and gallons. Because of plastic’s manufacturing versatility, it is the ideal choice to fabricate paint containers of all sizes. Plastic paint cans are easier to carry than metal cans because steel is heavier than plastic. If necessary, consumers can pour paint from larger containers into smaller ones for jobs that do not require a lot of paint.

Make a Name for Your Products

Most people don’t expect to see plastic paint cans on the shelf when they shop for home improvement supplies. As such, your products will stand apart from all those metal cans because they are different. You can also attract attention to your plastic containers with labels that enhance your package concepts and materials. You can place an advertising sticker just about anywhere on a plastic container, and it will stay in place with the help of a strong adhesive.

There has been an effort throughout the United States to increase the use of recycled materials, including plastic. The FDA becomes involved when industries collect used polymeric materials (typically food containers) and propose to recycle these materials to make new food containers. The FDA’s safety concerns with the use of recycled plastic materials in food-contact containers and packaging supplies in Minneapolis are:

• That contaminants from the previously used consumer material may appear in the final food-contact product made from the recycled material, and;
• That recycled post-consumer material which was not regulated for food-contact use may be unknowingly incorporated into food-contact packaging, and;
• That components of recycled plastic may not comply with the existing regulations for food-contact use.

To address these objections, the FDA considers each proposed use of recycled plastic for food packaging supplies on a case-by-case basis. It then issues advice as to whether the recycling process can be expected to produce plastic that is suitable for food-contact applications. The FDA has prepared a reference document entitled Guidance for Industry – Use of Recycled Plastics in Food Packaging: Chemistry Considerations that can help manufacturers of food packaging evaluate their processes for recycling plastic into food packaging.

The U.S. has the largest portion of the worldwide pet care market. Consumer desire for premium pet food brands has supported continued growth in the sector, and the increase in the number of households with no children and high levels of disposable income is spurring the per-capita pet expenditure.

With this increased disposable income and the increasing trends of pet humanization and concerns about pet health, we have seen a rise in consumers seeking quality packaged food products for their animals. Consumers are demanding options in packaging supplies in Minneapolis that have quality standards similar to human food packaging.

Pet owners increasingly want the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliant materials. These stringent pet food quality regulations can be a possible restraining feature when it comes to packaging innovation. Plastics in the forms of PVC, HDPE, PET, and others are some of the most widely used materials in the pet packaging supplies to protect food from contaminants and preserve nutritional value. These materials offer cost efficiency, temperature resistance, and durability. And along with features such as single-serve flip-open and zipper flaps, they add to customer appeal in the pet food packaging market.

In addition to safety concerns, sustainability also motivates consumers to purchase certain brands of pet food. Consumers continue to be increasingly concerned with and aware of the waste and environmental impact of traditional packaging supplies. Environmentally friendly packaging can heavily influence consumer buying decisions.