What is the best type of Baby Food Packaging?

Date 14/08/2019
Category
Articles
What is the best type of Baby Food Packaging?

The purpose of baby food packaging is to deliver unspoiled, unadulterated and completely protected baby food from manufacturers to consumers. Baby food packaging is no joke as bad packaging may alter the quality of the food which if consumed can be disastrous for babies. In older times, baby food was available only in glass jars that were both eco-friendly and protective but not convenient or travel-friendly. The concept of baby food packaging has evolved over time and now baby food is being packaged in many ways.

However, ideal baby food packaging should contain a few important features. The packaging must ensure that the food remains fresh. The packaging should also make sure that the food is protected from elements like moisture and sun rays that may alter its quality. Also, the packaging should be attractive enough to encourage parents to buy the product. Ideal baby food packaging should have the following characteristics-

  • The packaging should be made up of food grade, non-toxic, FDA-approved film, laminated together to ensure complete safety and protection.
  • The packaging should be strong, puncture resistant to keep away infections, moisture, odour, light etc from the food
  • The packaging should be safe as the product will be used around a baby. For example, a glass jar is protective for the contents inside it but it is not safe to package baby food in as a glass jar as it can easily break. Thus the packaging material should be flexible.
  • The packaging should be re-sealable as baby food can’t be used up in one go. It should either have a zip lock closure or a cap.
  • Looking after a baby is a tough task for every parent. So, baby food packaging should be user-friendly. It should come with stand-on-its-own mechanism and should be easy to carry around in the backpack or stored in the pantry shelf or the refrigerator.
  • In the competitive baby food market, packaging should be attractive so that parents are tempted to buy that particular baby food.
  • Lastly, baby food packaging should be recycle-able so that waste production is reduced in the environment.

Prevalent types of baby food packaging are as follows –

Glass Jars

Glass jars have been used to package baby food for ages. Glass is environment-friendly and very effective in keeping the actual product fresh and uncontaminated. However, they are heavy, inconvenient to carry around, prone to breaking and involve higher production cost.

Boxes and Cartons

These work for dry baby food. However, the inner packaging of these boxes should have multiple laminations or at least a barrier film to keep the box and the baby food from touching each other. This kind of baby food packaging is environment-friendly and can be easily made to look attractive through colourful printing.

Barrier Bags

These bags are the best union of convenience and functionality. This innovative baby food packaging has multiple layers of barrier film. This locks the freshness of the product inside and eliminates all chances of contamination. Stand-up mechanism and 3-side-seal mechanism can easily be incorporated in these bags making them extremely user-friendly. They can also be attractively printed and designed to attract customers.

Baby food packaging is no child’s play. Baby food manufacturers can’t compromise with quality and safety. Going by the needs of the day, barrier bags are by far the best kind of baby food packaging. But, such factors vary with the type of food. A producer of baby food should analyse the requirements of the product and only then choose the most suitable kind of packaging for the product.