The Next Generation of Sustainable Food Packaging to Preserve Our Environment in a Circular Economy Context

Packaging is an essential element of response to address key challenges of sustainable food consumption on the international scene, which is clearly about minimizing the environmental footprint of packed food. An innovative sustainable packaging aims to address food waste and loss reduction by prese...

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Main Authors: Valérie Guillard, Sébastien Gaucel, Claudio Fornaciari, Hélène Angellier-Coussy, Patrice Buche, Nathalie Gontard
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2018-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Nutrition
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnut.2018.00121/full
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spelling doaj-112e04b34cf542fab57384cb664c00c22020-11-25T02:42:23ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Nutrition2296-861X2018-12-01510.3389/fnut.2018.00121412270The Next Generation of Sustainable Food Packaging to Preserve Our Environment in a Circular Economy ContextValérie Guillard0Sébastien Gaucel1Claudio Fornaciari2Hélène Angellier-Coussy3Patrice Buche4Nathalie Gontard5UMR IATE, University of Montpellier, INRA, SupAgro, CIRAD, Montpellier, FranceUMR IATE, University of Montpellier, INRA, SupAgro, CIRAD, Montpellier, FranceCoopbox Group S.p.A., Bibbiano, ItalyUMR IATE, University of Montpellier, INRA, SupAgro, CIRAD, Montpellier, FranceUMR IATE, University of Montpellier, INRA, SupAgro, CIRAD, Montpellier, FranceUMR IATE, University of Montpellier, INRA, SupAgro, CIRAD, Montpellier, FrancePackaging is an essential element of response to address key challenges of sustainable food consumption on the international scene, which is clearly about minimizing the environmental footprint of packed food. An innovative sustainable packaging aims to address food waste and loss reduction by preserving food quality, as well as food safety issues by preventing food-borne diseases and food chemical contamination. Moreover, it must address the long-term crucial issue of environmentally persistent plastic waste accumulation as well as the saving of oil and food material resources. This paper reviews the major challenges that food packaging must tackle in the near future in order to enter the virtuous loop of circular bio-economy. Some solutions are proposed to address pressing international stakes in terms of food and plastic waste reduction and end-of-life issues of persistent materials. Among potential solutions, production of microbial biodegradable polymers from agro-food waste residues seems a promising route to create an innovative, more resilient, and productive waste-based food packaging economy by decoupling the food packaging industry from fossil feed stocks and permitting nutrients to return to the soil. To respond to the lack of tools and approach to properly design and adapt food packaging to food needs, mathematical simulation, based on modeling of mass transfer and reactions into food/packaging systems are promising tools. The next generation of such modeling and tools should help the food packaging sector to validate usage benefit of new packaging solutions and chose, in a fair and transparent way, the best packaging solution to contribute to the overall decrease of food losses and persistent plastic accumulation.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnut.2018.00121/fullfood packagingsustainabilitybiodegradablebio-sourcedwaste-based
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Valérie Guillard
Sébastien Gaucel
Claudio Fornaciari
Hélène Angellier-Coussy
Patrice Buche
Nathalie Gontard
spellingShingle Valérie Guillard
Sébastien Gaucel
Claudio Fornaciari
Hélène Angellier-Coussy
Patrice Buche
Nathalie Gontard
The Next Generation of Sustainable Food Packaging to Preserve Our Environment in a Circular Economy Context
Frontiers in Nutrition
food packaging
sustainability
biodegradable
bio-sourced
waste-based
author_facet Valérie Guillard
Sébastien Gaucel
Claudio Fornaciari
Hélène Angellier-Coussy
Patrice Buche
Nathalie Gontard
author_sort Valérie Guillard
title The Next Generation of Sustainable Food Packaging to Preserve Our Environment in a Circular Economy Context
title_short The Next Generation of Sustainable Food Packaging to Preserve Our Environment in a Circular Economy Context
title_full The Next Generation of Sustainable Food Packaging to Preserve Our Environment in a Circular Economy Context
title_fullStr The Next Generation of Sustainable Food Packaging to Preserve Our Environment in a Circular Economy Context
title_full_unstemmed The Next Generation of Sustainable Food Packaging to Preserve Our Environment in a Circular Economy Context
title_sort next generation of sustainable food packaging to preserve our environment in a circular economy context
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
series Frontiers in Nutrition
issn 2296-861X
publishDate 2018-12-01
description Packaging is an essential element of response to address key challenges of sustainable food consumption on the international scene, which is clearly about minimizing the environmental footprint of packed food. An innovative sustainable packaging aims to address food waste and loss reduction by preserving food quality, as well as food safety issues by preventing food-borne diseases and food chemical contamination. Moreover, it must address the long-term crucial issue of environmentally persistent plastic waste accumulation as well as the saving of oil and food material resources. This paper reviews the major challenges that food packaging must tackle in the near future in order to enter the virtuous loop of circular bio-economy. Some solutions are proposed to address pressing international stakes in terms of food and plastic waste reduction and end-of-life issues of persistent materials. Among potential solutions, production of microbial biodegradable polymers from agro-food waste residues seems a promising route to create an innovative, more resilient, and productive waste-based food packaging economy by decoupling the food packaging industry from fossil feed stocks and permitting nutrients to return to the soil. To respond to the lack of tools and approach to properly design and adapt food packaging to food needs, mathematical simulation, based on modeling of mass transfer and reactions into food/packaging systems are promising tools. The next generation of such modeling and tools should help the food packaging sector to validate usage benefit of new packaging solutions and chose, in a fair and transparent way, the best packaging solution to contribute to the overall decrease of food losses and persistent plastic accumulation.
topic food packaging
sustainability
biodegradable
bio-sourced
waste-based
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnut.2018.00121/full
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