Food packaging
VANESSA CLARK unpacks the shopping and presents the vocabulary you’ll need to talk about different sorts of food packaging.
1. aerosol, spray can
, Sprühdose 2. bottle
, Flasche 3. cereal box
, Müslipackung 4. chocolate wrapper
, Schokoladenpapier 5. crisp packet UK, bag of chips
N. Am.
, Chipstüte 6. (drinks) can
, Getränkedose 7. (drinks) carton
, Getränkekarton 8. egg box
, Eierkarton 9. fruit punnet
, Obstschale 10. jam jar
, Marmeladenglas 11. margarine tub
, Margarinebecher 12. meat tray
, Fleischschale 13. plastic bag
, Plastiktüte 14. pouch
, Beutel 15. tin UK, can N. Am.
, Dose 16. tube
, Tube 17. yogurt pot
, Joghurtbecher
Too much packaging!
Supermarkets have done a lot in recent years to reduce the amount of packaging they use for their products, mostly in response to consumer demand. Consumer-led initiatives, such as customers dumping their packaging at the checkout, have put pressure on shops and food producers to become more environmentally conscious. Plastic and
polystyrene trays for meat and fish have been replaced by vacuum
packs. More fruit and vegetables are available to buy loose, by the kilo, instead of pre-packed, and some shops are experimenting with a wider range of loose dry products, such as rice and pasta.
In many European countries, water and beer are sold in refillable glass bottles. You buy a crate of bottles and pay a deposit, which is then returned to you when you take the bottles back. Most jam, honey and other spreads, however, are still sold in non-returnable glass jars. Aluminium tins and drinks cans can easily be recycled, along with bottle tops and the foil lids of yogurt pots, for example. We are more aware now of the environmental damage done by
single-use plastic bags, which too often find their way into the sea or end up in landfill. A good alternative is the biodegradable bag, which can be put into the compost bin.
Crisp packets, drinks cartons and pouches are problematic to recycle, as they contain a mix of materials. Some of these hybrid items can be returned to the manufacturer for specialist recycling.
The packaging paradox
Packaging can also be good for the environment because it reduces food
waste. It protects products in the supply chain and keeps food fresh longer. The shelf life of beef wrapped in butcher paper is only three days, but vacuum-packed beef can be kept up to three weeks. The challenge is to come up with more smart materials and packaging ideas for our needs.