Plastic Packaging Helps Food Banks Keep Food Safe and Sustainable

Plastic packaging has become a necessary material for the food industry, and it remains the best option for keeping food safe at every step of its journey. It also extends the shelf life of food, which is particularly helpful for food banks and the people who rely on them.

Unfortunately, some products donated to food banks are unusable due to spoilage or damage because their non-plastic packaging failed. As a result, those products are thrown away, creating more waste and unnecessary work for the people at the food bank. It also puts burdens on the environment when all that discarded food waste reaches landfills.  If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world.

And speaking of landfills, plastics only make up 12% of Municipal Solid Waste, and packaging only makes up 5%, so despite what you hear, plastic is not filling up our landfills.

Packaging matters

Goods packaged in plastic are excellent for food banks because plastic is durable, flexible, and light, allowing food banks to safely collect, sort, re-bundle, and distribute food.

What about other materials? While canned foods are generally popular at food banks, aluminum is easily dented, which can lead to contamination and safety risks. Glass is also problematic, as it can shatter and the seals used in glass packaging can leak or break.

Plastic packaging solves these challenges by being more flexible and even shock absorbent during transport and handling. Products packaged in plastic also have longer sell-by dates, allowing those in need to reduce trips to food banks.

Glass and aluminum packaging materials are also heavy, making them harder to collect, sort, repackage, and deliver. Items packaged in plastic containers are easier to carry, especially for recipients with limited strength or no personal transportation.

Plastic increases access for those in need

Food banks are in constant need of instant food mixes, shelf-stable milk and dairy alternatives, cereals, snack bars, rice and spaghetti, all of which require plastic packaging to ensure their longevity. Stable milk and dairy products, in particular, use packaging made of layered plastic and paperboard  that doesn’t require refrigeration and can last long periods, so families can keep them handy for a significant time.

In addition, fruits like sliced peaches and mandarin oranges that are packed in easy-to-open personal plastic cups are ideal to help food banks ensure access to balanced meals with nutritional value.

Food banks also collect and distribute a variety of sanitary and personal items including feminine products, toothbrushes, soap, infant formula, and lip balm. For these products to safely reach people who need them, plastic is the reliable choice.

Plastic bags are a factor, too

Food banks also rely heavily on the often-criticized plastic grocery bag when distributing items to those in need. Their light weight, carrying capacity, and water resistance are all important factors in the bundling and transportation of food bank supplies Policies like bag bans and the proposed federal tax on virgin resin that target single-use plastic packaging could place burdens on the work of food banks.

Plastic packaging, for both individual products and bundling products together, is the best choice to support food banks in getting much needed food and basic products to those in need. Without plastics, products are harder to collect, sort, and distribute and are more likely to be thrown away due to contamination or damaged containers.