‘Smart’ packaging faces mixed EU reaction

By Elisabeth Jeffries

Date: 26/02/04

SHOPPERS with a good nose for a bargain might not need to use it so much in the kitchen, due to an amended regulation that could allow the more widespread use of active packaging in Europe. Wrappings containing odour absorbers, beer bottles designed to keep the contents fizzy and cartons displaying whether the milk inside has soured are all developments whetting the appetite of the packaging industry.

The regulation would amend part of a 1988 food contact directive stating that materials should not trigger chemical reactions which might change the food's taste, appearance, texture or smell, or alter its chemical composition, even if the changes are beneficial. It also states that labelling will inform users about the nature of the active packaging.

It is a change that is well overdue, as the technology has been available for ten years. "Smart [active or intelligent] packaging is big in Japan where it originated, and is legally easier to pass through in the US, but it's had a mixed reception in Europe," says Nick Waite, a consultant for Pira International, apackaging research company.

Food scandals - and the typically more fastidious European palate - have probably contributed to the delay. So far, the most common application for smart packaging - restricted to a few countries where both the law and local consumer tastes have permitted it - has been in the use of oxygen scavengers in packs of cooked meat and in bread wrappers. These prevent the meat from discolouring and keep the bread fresher for longer. The effect, employed because most packaging allows some air in, can be obtained by using sachets full of iron powder in the wrapping that attracts the oxygen contained within and turns rusty.

In industry terms, it is still a niche market, but it was worth around €950 million in Japan, Europe and the US in 2001, according to a study by Pira. Of that sum, around 40% consisted of oxygen scavenger packs, a consumption level which the organization predicts will double by 2007. Other data show that, of the 300 million oxygen scavenger packs sold in Europe in 2001, two-thirds were in the UK, the majority of which were used for chilled cooked meat.

The European Food Safety Authority is not carrying out a risk assessment on active packaging, however.

The industry says it provides advantages for both consumer and producer. For producers, the extended shelf life can have financial and logistical advantages. For consumers, it may prevent waste, keeps the food fresh and makes it look attractive for longer. Plastic or 'PET' beer bottles are a case in point.

"They are likely to be the next big growth area," suggests Waite. "The use of PET is an advantage for producers partly because it's lighter than glass and can help reduce costs. However, fizzy drinks have a tendency to go flat more quickly in plastic beer bottles, hence the interest in active packaging."

According to Waite, the development of this sector may be greater in eastern Europe, where consumers have been more willing to accept beer in plastic bottles due to intermittent glass shortages in the past. It could also be useful for security reasons at concerts and nightclubs. Since some consumers may find rusty sachets intrusive, there are also developments allowing the scavengers to infiltrate a film contained between the outer and inner layers of the wrapping.

Though oxygen scavengers are the most common application, there are a wide variety of other uses, including oxygen emitters (to prevent coffee packs from exploding as CO2 builds up inside), anti-bacterial films and flavour absorbers.

Manufacturers are also interested in smart packaging for the high-growth ready-made meals sector. Says Waite: "The packaging will be so good at preventing degradation that even ready-made meals will taste as if they're freshly prepared."

• Elisabeth Jeffries is a freelance journalist specializing in the energy, petrochemical, plastics and packaging sectors.

An amended Regulation could permit the more widespread use of 'intelligent packaging' in Europe. Such packaging can contain odour absorbers, keep fizzy drinks fizzy and some cartons can display whether the milk inside has soured. Such packaging is popular in Japan, but has had a mixed reaction in Europe.