In today’s day and age, brands are dealing with consumers that aren’t just smart but health and environmentally conscious too.

They are aware of the repercussions of poor packaging on the products they consume and how it impacts the environment and their health at large.

Owing to this awareness, businesses must focus on regular food packaging materials testing to ensure there’s minimal waste or non biodegradable materials used by reducing the net packaging waste and identifying solutions to become more eco-friendly and safer.

The right packaging also needs to ensure the safe delivery of the product through the supply chain.

If you;re a business owner in the food industry, we can help you navigate the world of regulation and compliance for food packaging.

All food packaging materials testing labs can run the right quality tests to ensure that your food packing is safe and eco-friendly.

Parameters for Testing Food Packing

There are multiple packaging material testing aspects that you must consider while testing food packings like:
• The material should keep the food item safe, hygienic, and fresh representing the food creatively
• The printing shouldn’t fade out due to friction between materials surrounding the food item
• The seal should be leak-proof ensuring that the packet doesn’t burst
• The container used for food packaging shouldn’t puff out or leak
• The material should adhere to the guidelines listed by your organization

Quality control tests for packaging material

The complete testing of packaging materials becomes much easier when adequate measures and appropriate tests are conducted. Here are the major tests conducted for the quality control of packaging materials.
• Edge Crush Test [ECT]
• Bursting Strength Test [BCT]
• Puncture Resistance Test
• Compression Testing
• Food Packaging Seal Integrity Testing
• Reduced Pressure Tests

Parameters that the Packaging Material Must Surpass

Here’s a quick overview of the parameters that the packaging material must surpass to be cleared for distribution:
• The packaging material should ensure an adequate barrier to microorganisms.
• The packaging material should be tamper proof, should pass the seal integrity test in a way that it can be sealed only once.
• The size should be ideal for wrapping to avoid gapping & billowing
• In case, the food will directly touch the food packaging material, the food packaging testing laboratory must verify and certify the packaging material being used
• Packaging materials like aluminum, plastic & tin should be tested for physical, microbiological and chemical analysis
• The gases used during packaging should not be toxic and shall not pose any health hazards for the community
• All food materials have to be tested from a food testing laboratory in cases of any suspicion or possible contamination before the food is made available for the sale

What are the different types of quality control tests for food packaging?

Quality control tests are done to ensure that the used food packaging is safe for both consumers and the environment. A variety of quality control tests for packaging material get conducted for this purpose, such as:
• Edge Crush Test (ECT)
• Reduced Pressure Test
• Compression Testing
• Bursting Strength Test (BCT)
• Foot Packaging Seal Integrity Testing
• Puncture Resistance Test

What is food packaging seal integrity testing?

All packaged food consists of a seal that keeps the food item protected inside the packaging. But what if this seal isn’t reliable enough, and it gets broken during the transport or processing? In order to avoid such incidents, food packaging seal integrity testing is carried out along with the testing of packaging materials. It analyses the seal’s strength to ensure that it offers the required protection to the food item.

How to perform test packaging materials?

Food packaging material testing, the material has to pass the following parameters: • Quality control of packaging materials
• An appropriate size for wrapping
• Chemical, physical, and microbiological tests for aluminium, tin, and plastic materials
• A proper wall for the microorganisms
• Safety, if the food directly touches the packaging
• Safety of the used gasses
• Food packaging seal integrity testing for tamper-proof