Many people won’t remember a time when plastic food packaging didn’t exist, but before the 1950s, food was usually packaged in tin cans, glass jars and paper bags.
Of course, it’s now much more common to find plastic food packaging in supermarkets. And if you have a food manufacturing business, it’s important to know which types of plastic packaging are safe for food and which are not. We’ll discuss that in this blog.
Whether you’re a small company in the early stages of your food product development or a large corporation wanting to explore wholesale suppliers, Measom Freer can offer a range of plastic food packaging solutions. As a leading producer of plastic containers in the UK, we’re committed to reducing our environmental impact. That’s why all our plastic food packaging is fully recyclable.
We can also provide you with all the packaging services you’ll need, including custom moulding and printing services. And as we’ve been in business since 1937, we have all the expert knowledge you will need to get your plastic food packaging just right.
What makes plastic safe for food?
The Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2012, set by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), details standards that plastic must meet in order to be defined as food safe.
This is a very long and detailed document, but the long and short of it is that what makes a plastic safe for food is its purity. Here at Measom Freer, we colour our plastic products using Masterbatch, which is safe for use in food packaging.
Here are some of the reasons that plastic is one of the best materials to use for your food packaging requirements.
- Safety: Plastic is extremely durable. If you drop a glass container, it is likely to shatter, but plastic packaging is often shatter-resistant.
- Weight: Plastic containers are much cheaper to transport all over the world, as they are much lighter than their glass counterparts.
- Hygienic: Plastic prevents contamination of food by viruses, allergens and other foodstuffs.
- Recyclable: All plastic packaging supplied by Measom Freer is completely recyclable.
- Prolongs shelf-life: Using plastic packaging for your food helps to extend its shelf-life. This helps to keep costs lower for your customers.
- You can print on plastic food packaging: It’s easy to print your logo, ingredients, images, and other important information onto plastic containers. Here at Measom Freer, we not only take care of the plastic food packaging itself, but all your printing requirements, too.
Which plastics are food safe?
At Measom Freer, we stock a wide range of food-safe plastic containers, plastic bottles, and measuring scoops, all available to buy in bulk. Examples of food-grade plastics are:
- Polyester (PET)
- Polypropylene
- Polystyrene
- PVC
What types of food can our plastic packaging be used for?
Measom Freer’s plastic bottles can be safely used for many food products, including, but not limited to, oils, flavourings, additives and drink concentrates.
Clients use our plastic jars and containers for many food packaging purposes, including nuts and seeds, teas, confectionery, conserves, supplements and protein powders.
If you’re unsure whether our plastic packaging would be suitable for your product, give us a call to receive advice from one of our experts.
Contact us today for your plastic food packaging solutions
Measom Freer & Co Ltd have been manufacturing and supplying a huge range of plastic food-grade packaging to customers in the UK and Europe for over 84 years.
If you require any food-safe plastic packaging materials, please get in touch today. You can speak with our knowledgeable product development team by calling 0116 288 1588 or filling in our enquiry form.