Machinery for food packaging

When specific requirements emerge from the packaging industry, plastics frequently represent the answer, and they are often the only solution capable of meeting requirements and performing functions that no other material can achieve. Plastics can in fact be rigid or flexible, transparent or opaque, and they can be given any shape. Plastic packaging, particularly in the food industry, enables retailers and consumers to rely on foods that are protected from contamination, and that preserve flavours and optimum temperature for longer. In addition, changes in lifestyle have led to a far greater increase in the use of plastic materials in this sector. One just has to consider a phenomenon such as the widespread adoption of microwave ovens. This has led to the use of plastic trays for foods designed for this type of preparation, the introduction of single-portion packaging in retail outlets, and the almost complete replacement of glass in containers used for liquids, from beverages to sauces. Plastic packaging can be conveniently used from freezer to microwave oven to the table without causing problems. Considering the accelerated rhythms of everyday life, this flexibility perhaps represents their greatest advantage. On the following pages, with the usual contributions from a number of Italian manufacturers specializing in food packaging machines, we will try to provide as complete a picture as possible of the state of the art in this sector.