Packaging industry development pushed to ensure food security, boost SMEs

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is pushing for the further development of the packaging industry to address the growing global concern on food security and help develop micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs).

Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña highlighted the need for further studies and advancement of the packaging industry, which has become one of the fastest growing industries among ASEAN members, in the 1st ASEAN Packaging Conference in Pasay City last Thursday.

“Packaging is considered as one of the fastest growing industries in the ASEAN region. Packaging is considered as the fourth or fifth largest industry in the world,” Dela Peña said.

Citing a report called “The Future of Global Packaging to 2018,” Dela Peña said that the sales of packaging are concentrated in Asia which accounted to about 36 percent in 2012.

In addition, Dela Pena pointed out that the reported food spoilage and product damage in developing and least developed countries, like the Philippines, ranges from 30 to 70 percent, an alarming data compared to 1.5 to 5 percent in industrialized countries.

“It is usually the result of insufficient packaging, lack of packaging appreciation, and absence of trained and skilled packaging specialists,” Dela Peña said.

“This loss is more than just an economic disaster which has a net effect of raising prices. It is an environmental and human disaster as well. It can be measured in the time, energy and materials devoted in raising the crops, to the environmental and health problems associated with spoilage and loss, to the human misery of poor health, malnutrition and even starvation,” he said.

Smart packaging Dela Peña also cited the use of smart packaging technologies in Japan, Singapore, and Korea which “is increasingly becoming popular in most ASEAN countries.”

Smart packaging technology includes the use of active packaging, intelligent packaging and radio frequency identification (RFID). Dela Peña stated that it yields promising results including improved quality and shelf life of dairy, meat, fruit, vegetable, and beverage products.

“Smart packaging using time temperature indicators could also be used in monitoring the quality of frozen foods ensuring safety of the consumers. This is still new in the region but many research studies are underway,” he explained.

“Ethnic foods from ASEAN countries are now exported to other countries mainly because of improved and longer shelf life through the application of appropriate packaging technology,” he added.

Plastic crates Dr. Rosa Rolle, senior enterprise development officer at UN-Nutrition and Food Systems Division, who discussed the role of packaging in reducing postharvest losses in developing and emerging economies, said that the use of plastic crates to store food products is one of the emerging trends in the ASEAN region.

Agricultural countries such as the Philippines could take advantage of this method in lieu of sacks since most of the farmers and aquaculture products get easily spoiled or crushed when transported to urban areas because of poor packaging techniques, Rolle told reporters after her talk.

Asked if the plastic crates could be affored by small businesses and farmers alike, Rolle admitted that plastic crates are costly but assured that it is a long-term investment as it usually lasts for 10 years.

Eco-friendly packaging Although technological advancements have paved the way for innovation on product packaging, Dela Peña underscored the need for environmental protection as part of a definition of good packaging.

“Biodegradable packaging materials are developed as alternative to plasticbased food packaging containers. Now we have bioplastics/polymers using different types of starches. Nanotechnology is being used to improve the properties of bio based packaging materials,” Dela Peña said.

Rolle echoed this concern and said that businesses should use recyclable plastics.

Dela Peña said that aside from developing the packaging industry, there are also a lot of adjustments needed to be done to address the global issue on food security.

“Packaging is not ‘almighty’ which means, it is not the only solution to minimize waste. We also need to improve farm roads and infrastructure and educate the farmers to becoming entrepreneurs,” he said.