Flexible packaging has several benefits for the food manufacturers and the consumer than other types of packaging such as the rigids. Open mouth flexible packaging has been a tremendous help in the food industry as it offering enhanced shelf life, and improved food safety and convenience.

Extended Shelf Life

Another advantage that flexible packaging can provide is in the preservation of food and to increase the shelf life. This is well enhanced by flexible packaging, for example, it has high barrier characteristics against factors such as oxygen, moisture, light among others which are factors that cause deterioration of foodstuffs.

Plastics films, foils and laminates are employed in flexible packaging application supporting excellent barrier properties against oxygen and moisture. Sachets that are capable of absorbing oxygen can be used to eliminate any remaining oxygen in the package. Light barriers help to avoid the action of UV rays that trigger oxidation. These guarantees of a hermetic seal ensure that no exchanges with the outside environment, moisture, oxygen or contaminants can occur.

Due to its capability to form protective enclosure, flexible packaging can preserve the meals for months or years, in some cases as in powders, spices, etc. This is possible because it enables transportation of foods over long distances without getting spoiled. Beverage retail stores are also useful in that they allow the companies to store the products for longer without the prospect of expiry. This is particularly true because even the consumers can preserve and utilize the products for extended periods thus eliminating food wastage at home.

Improved Food Safety  

Another advantage of flexible packaging is that it effectively protects contents during handling, storage, and transportation as compared to other packaging types. This implies that since the contents are tightly sealed from the external environment there is minimal chances of contamination and people falling prey to food poison. Re-sealable safety caps make it possible for one to observe if the product had been opened before, enhancing safety.

This is because the packaging is lightweight and at the same time comes with some form of resistance that will prevent it from being torn accidentally and therefore contaminated during transportation. This reduces contamination of outer transit packaging layers since leak proof packaging minimizes any leakage. When properly placed, a label can afford the consumer adequate information concerning allergies or other food related advise. Modified atmosphere packaging reduces the oxygen level in the pack thus retarding growth of microbes.  

Consumer Convenience

It also provides enhanced consumer convenience in terms of storage, handling and use of the flexibility packaging. This is because unlike with rigid packs, the packaging does not occupy more space than needed because it actually adapts the shape of the contents. It enables storing more items in the kitchen cabinets and pantries so that it can easily be accessed when needed.

Flexible packaging is lighter than most of the packaging materials, thus easily maneuverable as compared to rigid packaging such as cans, jars or bottles. It is easier to store, open, dispense or reseal other elements such as stand-up pouches, spouts, slider zippers, tear notches among others. They are conveniently disposed microwaveable pouches that give quick meal solutions.

Lower Packaging Weight

The flexible packaging is made of thin plastic films, foils, and papers that contribute to having a lighter overall packaging weight. This leads to reduced material use when compared to the other forms of food packaging methods. For instance, while Pouches (from plastic films) could be 12-100 microns thick, Rigid Plastic Containers are 150 to 500 microns thick.

The use of lighter packaging materials implies that the transport costs from the manufacturer to the retail outlets are brought down by the fact that many units are shipped at a go. It also results in lesser packaging waste that can harm the environment. This all puts flexible packaging in a better environmental position compared to the other forms of packaging.

Marketing Capabilities

It means it offers almost boundless opportunities for varied and new shapes, sizes and visual looks of the packaging. It may include shiny surfaces, vibrant colours, and very detailed images to create appealing and well-marketed packages. It also must be said that packages can be made with different shapes, closures, handles and even other details.

This assures that the outer layer is transparent enough that the product can be easily viewed from the outside. This is helpful in the marketing process especially when it comes to selling foods where quality and freshness can be portrayed. Reclosable zipper pouches make it possible to see the product repeatedly during its use without having to open a new packet. These marketing capabilities increase sales as explained by the following literature review.

Cost Effectiveness

Indeed, on a per-unit basis, flexible packaging material and its manufacturing costs are significantly lower than those of the other formats. Some other costs involved with the production lines such as set-up costs are also relatively low because changeovers are much quicker.

Summing up all the above mentioned advantages such as increased shelf life, reduced weight, minimal space required for storage and many others– flexible packaging offers the highest cost effectiveness throughout the entire food chain, from manufacturers to retailers. All of these supply chain savings relate and contribute to making the packaged foods even more cheaper for customers.

Eco-friendly Properties

This characteristic makes flexible packaging more sustainable compared to other packaging types because of its lower weight and material consumption. Several new developments have provided compostable and recyclable flexible packaging films that are also gaining wide acceptance. This is has been accelerated by regulatory measures due to the aspect of sustainable packaging.

Hence, flexible packaging allows the right shelf life, protective attributes, convenience features, cost, and environmental effects. The end-to-end benefits mentioned above make flexible packaging a suitable solution for majority of food applications. Brand owners should consider the migration or adoption of flexible packaging since it offers benefits towards their businesses and consumer base. They get a wide range of varieties available and then they can choose the best one to suit their product.