2A+Ivan+Lau

Food, is essential for all of us to continue to survive. However, the quality of a food depends on how it is packaged. Therefore, food packaging is actually quite important in our life. //Example of food packaging : Packaged apples// media type="youtube" key="YUdGecoDv0Q" height="315" width="560" //Food packaging// For me, there are three main functions of food packaging. 1. Physical protection - protect the food from shock and temperature. 2. Barrier protection - protect the food from oxygen and water to prolong the shelf life of the food. 3. Convenience - Add convenience in distribution, handling, stacking, display and so on.

There are several types of materials that we use for food packaging nowadays, like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, glass, metal, flexible films, aluminium and many more.

**__ A) Aluminium __** Advantages : 1. Non-toxic and aromaless. 2. Completely impermeable. 3. Keeps food edible for long period. 4. Acts as a complete barrier to light and oxygen (oxygen may oxidize fats causing fats to become rancid), odours and flavours, moisture and bacteria. 5. Enable storage without refrigeration, e.g.: drinks and dairy products. 6. Low cost. Disadvantages : 1. Not suitable for very acidic foods such as rhubarb. 2. Aluminium cans have thin coating of plastic to prevent aluminium from leeching into the food. The plastic lining exposes the consumers to toxic levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) and this may cause cancer, infertility, miscarriages and insulin resistance. 3. Smelting of aluminium gives off sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide - result in smog and acid rain. 4. Creating 1 ton of aluminium cans leaves behind 5 tons of liquid waste material that pollute soil and groundwater.

__** B) Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) **__ Advantages : 1. Acts as an excellent barrier material against oxygen and carbon dioxide - widely used for soft drinks. 2. Easily moldable into any shapes. 3. Recyclable - environmental friendly. 4. Small amount of substances transfer between PET packaging and food - does not risk human health. 5. Cheap. Disadvantages : 1. Becomes increasingly brittle and opaque at increasing crystallization levels. 2. Shelf life of a beverage in it is usually shorter than in glass bottles. 3. Shrinks under a high temperature and alters the taste of water.   __** C) Glass **__

Advantages :  1. Can be recycled infinitely. 2. Made from all natural materials - safe and healthy. 3. Eliminates the risk of unwanted chemicals migrating into food and drink. Disadvantages :  1. Fragile. 2. Can be dangerous if it gets cracked. 3. Can melt under very high temperature. 4. Heavy.

The amount of waste that goes to the landfills is increasing daily. Therefore we should use the food packaging materials wisely. It is better for us to use eco-friendly materials for food packaging to reduce the waste created. By doing this, we can save the world! __**Resources:**__ [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []