Nowadays, packaging comes as an important trading tool. 90% of all products offered in stores are packed. Food wrappers perform a wide circle of tasks. Besides preserving food freshness, aroma, and taste, packages are responsible for marketing purposes as well.
When it comes to fish and seafood products, the importance of fish packaging is obvious and very high. Packing seafood in proper wrappers allows for achieving the following purposes:
- maintain freshness;
- avoid food spoilage and bacterial growth;
- prevent pollution, puncture, and other damage caused by sharp edges.
Thus, covers help producers deliver fresh and safe products to consumers’ counters and tables. Besides, a well-designed wrapper comes as a powerful marketing tool.
Challenges in Fish Packaging
Fish and seafood require proper wrapping due to several challenges. The main ones include:
- Products spoil quickly if stored in the wrong conditions. For instance, when the temperature, cover integrity, humidity, etc. are not preserved. Violation of storage conditions leads to quicker food deterioration and increases the risk of bacterial growth.
- Odor control. Seafood is known for its strong unpleasant smell. Thus, manufacturers try to prevent the spreading of odors by using odor-resistant wrappers. The use of high-density resistant covers allows for preventing affecting other products and consumers from smell.
- Seafood and fish come as excellent breeds for bacterial growth. If storage or packaging conditions are violated, it will lead to contamination or microbiological growth.
Fish poisoning can lead to harmful impacts on the human body. Thus, it is important to prevent fish spoilage by packing it in proper covers.
Advantages of Flexible Wrappers for Fish
Different kinds of materials are used for fish packaging. Flexible wrappers come as the most popular type of cover. The main benefits of this packaging are:
- Freshness preservation. Flexible wrappers perfectly cope with preserving the nutritional qualities of the product. Such materials are highly resistant to all sorts of environmental influences, such as temperature changes, humidity surges, sunlight, etc. Thus, flexible covers keep food fresh, regardless of climatic conditions.
- Odor barrier. Flexible covers feature high resistance to odors, preventing cross-contamination. Thick layers do not allow the smell to leave the wrapper.
- Customization. This type of wrapper is adaptable to any shape and size of fish or seafood. Depending on the product, one can select a box, a sealed plate, a plastic bag, a can, etc. Sizes and shapes are customizable. Moreover, manufacturers frequently add handles, windows for visibility, zippers, and other tools for improved convenience.
- Eco-friendliness. Flexible wrappers are sustainable since they cause a low negative footprint on the Earth. Although flexible covers consist of compound materials, most types of packages are recyclable or biodegradable. Recyclability allows for reducing the amount of waste and providing for multiple uses of wrappers.
A wide variety of flexible covers allows for picking suitable options for any purpose, shape, and type of seafood. For example, dry fish snacks are packed in bags, while lightly salted filet is usually skin-sealed. Frozen fish is packed in bags or offered in bulk containers.
Why Flexible Packaging is the Best Choice?
What other solutions for packing seafood can be used? It is possible to find the following covers on the store shelves:
- cans;
- jars;
- paper or cardboard.
Yet, if compared to other types of wrappers, flexible packaging has an advantage. For instance, glass jars are vulnerable to breaks. They are heavy and inconvenient for transportation since they take up a lot of space. Paper can be used for packing snacks, but such wrappers cannot protect products from environmental aggressors.
Flexible fish product packaging comes as the best solution since it embraces all the beneficial properties of different types of wrappers. Flexible covers are durable and stress-, tear-resistant, which means that sharp edges of fish bones or fins won’t puncture them. They do not let moisture and odor go through, preventing cross-contamination. Solid covers prevent food from pollution and hygiene problems. Compactness ensures ease and convenience of transportation.
Types of Flexible Fish Covers
Finally, let’s briefly outline what kinds of flexible packaging are used in the industry:
- PET + PE for dry snacks;
- PET + PP for frozen and cooled fish;
- PP + bio polyamide for salted and aggressive marinades.
An additional adhesive layer of marketing info is attached between materials to provide customers with the required marketing information.
When selecting a proper type of packaging, manufacturers should take into account multiple criteria. First of all, consider the type of product to be packed. While plastic bags are perfect for frozen fish packaging, seafood filet is usually skin-packed. Further, think about the way customers will consume it. Find the most convenient ways to open the cover, think about if it is crucial to re-open it, etc.
To draw the line, note that seafood requires proper packaging since it has a strong smell, tends to emit moisture, etc. Thus, a wrapper should prevent neighboring products from cross-contamination. Flexible covers come as the best solution for packing seafood products. The packing industry offers a wide assortment of flexible wrappers to satisfy the demand of all producers. Besides, modern covers perfectly preserve freshness and promote food on store shelves.
