Food-safe packaging

The packaging of your product is more than just attractive wrapping that facilitates sales, and that certainly applies to fresh products. The packaging also contributes to the shelf life of your product. And therefore food safety.

How long a product shelf life needs to be is related to, among other things, what the client wants, and the requirements set by retailers. But the basis lies in the properties of the product, and in the laws and regulations. An important food safety standard is the EU regulation 2073/2005. The NVWA has been focusing on food safety for years. Info Sheet 85 helps production companies to manage the risks, especially the management of Listeria monocytogenes. A simplified decision tree helps food producers to take the right management measures.

You can also prevent Listeria from developing in your product completely. There are various options for this, including process adjustments and possibly additions. If you are faced with the choice for new packaging, take a close look at the production process in the decision. Heating in the packaging saves a lot of trouble. You have virtually no food safety analyses and no more sleepless nights, because all microorganisms are killed with sufficient heating.

When heating isn't a possibility, there are other options. The NVWA requires you to have knowledge of your product with regard to the spreading of Listeria. You gather that knowledge through research, so-called challenge testing. It's not always necessary to carry out expensive surveys. A good preparation is half the cost!

Pieter Vos
Director Nutrilab