Introduction

Safety food packaging doesn’t have to be a hassle any more with so many environmentally conscious packaging options now available, it makes sense to consider all of your options.

Acrylic boxes are the option we have chosen today and we will discuss on how to improve the packaging.

First, it is important to note that proper food packaging protects food from physical damage, allow for storage, handling, and shipping, but it also protects against chemical and microbiological contamination.

In order to keep food safe, there are restrictions on the type of packaging that can be used for food contact.

If a food contact material is not tested for food safety or does not meet the requirements, then there may be a risk to consumer health through the migration of harmful chemicals.

Migrating chemicals from packaging could also change the taste and smell of the food product.

The risk to food safety from food packaging and choosing approved suppliers must be considered when putting together a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.

The GB legislation The Materials and Articles in Contact with Food Regulations 2012 implements a number of EU regulations.

Framework Regulations EC 1935/2004 specifically requires that food contact materials must not release their constituents into food at levels harmful to human health or change food composition, taste and smell in an unacceptable way.

PLASTICS HAVE COME TO STAY

Within a few decades, plastic has become a staple of a large majority of the products we purchase and use. It has have changed our homes, shops and some of our environment. There are very few places that you can go to, that are free from plastic.

The use of plastics has allowed manufacturers to create products and their packaging for many years past when things were made from costlier metals and woods.

The main base of all plastics is plastic resin, however, through different processes, this plastic resin is transformed to fit specific needs.

First, they go through the cracking process. This is where the plastic resin is created with high heat that breaks down and cracks the hydrocarbons. After cracking has been finished, the different compounds created are formed into a chain, also known as a polymer.

Creating different chains and polymers is what allows resin companies to create plastics that have different characteristics. These differences are what allow the plastic resin to be used in different ways and create multiple products.

ACRYLIC PACKAGING

There are different kinds of packaging materials out there. Some packaging materials are more harmful than others. Acrylic is arguably one of the most reliable packaging material you can find.

Shipping

Many artists use acrylic boxes to bubble wrap to package large paintings for shipping. Acrylic boxes can also be used to transport. fragile items when proper cushioning is done. It doesn’t require much careful planning.

Glass substitute

Acrylic is a form of plastic material that can be used as a substitute for glass. It is a good protective packaging for food.

The acrylic packaging is high-quality and feels sleek, smooth, and fingerprint-free. This aesthetic packaging can not only showcase your product well but also can protect it.

Acrylic packaging boxes are both eye-catching and safe. Safety and health are the two most important points of concern for everyone.

Resistant to high temperatures

Acrylic is resistant to high temperatures. Acrylic food boxes do not undergo chemical reactions at room temperature.

The chemicals react only if the melting point is reached, but acrylic is a very combustible material, and in the case of full combustion, it will produce no harmful gas.

Environmentally friendly

Acrylic is environmentally friendly and can be designed to be lightweight and recyclable.

Acrylic packaging is not only effective for product display, but also sales promotion, and has even become necessary packaging due to its recyclability.

At present, the acrylic-based food contact materials on the market mainly include food packaging containers and food display racks which are mostly manufactured to be environment and user-friendly, and recyclable. It helps you utilize empty space.

Health

Many consumers know that there are BPA-free acrylic canisters that protect food as long as you dont use the BPA-free acrylic food canisters to microwave the food (which is not recommended).

Acrylic canisters are good to store flours, noodles, cookies, and similar food items. Although food canisters made of acrylic can be heat-resistant up to 95 Celsius, they are not advised to be used for microwave usage or dishwasher as the heat can be extreme.

Acrylic is an industrial material. It’s important to know that acrylic has different types depending on the grade.

Food-grade acrylic is made with food safety in mind and is not harmful when used. With a strong environmental awareness in society, acrylic boxes have become an invaluable packaging material.

Shock and Shatter-resistant

The shock resistance of acrylic is 200 times greater than glass which makes it very hard to get shattered if it falls. The fact that acrylic is a plexiglass and is a material with high impact strength, durability, and applicability. Acrylic is often used in deep sea submarine windows for its unique features and qualities.

The durability of acrylic material can be witnessed easily as it is used in plane windows, making of greenhouses, skylights and storefront windows. Most of the surveillance mirrors and windows are made of acrylic.

Ease and less weight

When you are out there choosing the best food canister, weight must be one of your concerns. A food canister lesser in weight could be easier to handle for you and your kids too. The density of acrylic can range from 1150-1190 kg/m³ while the density of glass ranges from 2400 to 2800 kg/m³ which means acrylic weighs less than half of glass.

It is preferred to buy acrylic canisters because of their less weight as they can be handled easily. Their transportation is also easy and cheap. You know what canister to get if you dont want your kids to cause a mess.

Space

No one can deny the fact that kitchen storage is always at the premium. It gets hard to prioritize the stuff and deciding where to keep certain items. If you have a small kitchen, the lack of space can easily frustrate you. But, a small space doesnt always mean having difficulty in fitting things in. Acrylic canisters here are the solution.

The best way to secure space in your kitchen would be to stack your food containers above one another to make up space for other items

If you offer a display box with your product, this stylish crystal material can make the product itself pop. Acrylic packaging also highlights the quality of your final product.

Affordable and shapeable

Acrylic products are quite cheap because of the lower shipping costs owing to their less weight. Acrylic can be shaped into any shape and size way easier than most.

SAFETY PRACTICES WITH PLASTIC USEAGE

Avoid microwaving or otherwise heating food in any plastic container.

Avoid saving or reusing commercial plastic food packaging.

Avoid serving hot meals in plastic food containers. Heat in a separate dish.

Avoid washing plastic food containers in the dishwasher. The heat degrades the plastic.

Throw away your old, worn-out plastic. They deteriorate into food much more easily.

When buying sauces or other groceries that come in glass mason jars, save the jar! These make perfectly safe Tupperware alternatives.

BETTER WAYS TO USE ACRYLIC BOXES

Acrylic boxes can be used along with other packaging items to make movement easy or to preserve food items better.

These items include tape, LDPE, Cardboards, Bubble wraps, etc. The following are ways use acrylic boxes better:

With Low density Polyethene (LDPE)

Line the inner box wall of your acrylic box with an LDPE foam. It will serve as a cushion for fragile items when you move.

Low Density Polyethene are soft, flexible, lightweight plastic material. Low density polyethylene is noted for its low temperatures flexibility, toughness, and corrosion resistance.

It is often used for orthotics and prosthetics. Low density polyethylene has good chemical and impact resistance and is easy to fabricate and form.

LDPE film is used for shrink bundling and can be used to wrap an acrylic box for reassurance. It also helps to reduce shipping cost.

With Cardboard boxes

Your Acrylic boxes and canisters can fit into cardboard any day, any time. Cardboard boxes have been protecting products for centuries.

The first recorded usage of a cardboard box was documented in 1817, and oddly enough, it was used for a German board game.

The material was later refined into corrugated cardboarda paper sandwich of two sturdy flat sheets with a fluted sheet in the middlein the 1870s for the purpose of safely shipping glassware and other fragile items and the rest, as they say, is history.

Today, about 80 percent of products in the U.S. come in cardboard packaging. The rigidity of the material holds objects in place giving extra protection while also acting as a cushion.

The use of cardboard boxes is environmentally conscious.

Of the cardboard material that is produced each year, about 60 percent is dedicated to food packaging where its commonly used for storing juice, other beverages, candy, dry foods and frozen foods.

Cereal, for instance, was one of the first products to ever be stored in paper packaging.

Sealing dry cereal in a box helps extend its shelf life, makes it appear more attractive and appealing to consumers, and makes it easier to store and ship.

They ore also offer that extralayer of protection that cushions impact in case of any.

Corrugated cardboard packaging keeps fresh foods safer, too. In one study, researchers contaminated corrugated trays and plastic containers with bacteria, then packed those containers with sterilised peaches.

After 48 hours, 95 percent of the peaches in the plastic containers had picked up the bacteria. In cardboard trays, contamination never exceeded 25 percent.

Cardboard boxes are not only ecologically friendly, they are reusable and recyclable.

Cardboard and cardboard boxes are an essential part of the packing and shipping industry, responsible for transporting nearly all products in the United States.

Cardboard boxes could also serve as mulch for your garden or even a barrier against weed growth when laid flat.

If you have no use for a cardboard box, it should be recycled rather than thrown in the trash.

It is important for With Bubble Wrap and consumers to recycle cardboard correctly, as it will create methane if allowed to breakdown in a landfill.

Methane is a gas that is partly responsible for the greenhouse effect that has taken a toll on our environment.

Note to use a card boxes, you must have a box cutter to cut the boxes into shape.

With Bubble Wrap

This is an unconventional use of the item but Bubble wraps could also be used on food materials.

You can use it to insulate your food within your acrylic box. It works as a great insulator for hot and cold food alike.

Line the insider of your acrylic box, or your coolers or bags with bubble wrap for a makeshift insulated container.

Add ice for colder items. You can also just wrap hot dishes with bubble wrap to keep food warm.

Bubble wraps could also help to keep your food fresh. You could wrap your food in bubble wrap. It’d be a more insulated version of cellophane. Just make sure to wash the bubble wrap.

Bubble wrap is an excellent insulator against impacts. Bubble wrap is exceedingly good at its primary function: to keep goods safe and secure during transit.

Its bubbles of sealed air provide a flexible but durable cushion that forms a surprisingly sturdy barrier against impact.

When doubled or tripled up in layers and combined with a sturdy corrugated shipping box, it can protect goods from even severe impacts.

Bubble wrap is reusable. When you’re done with your bubble wrap, don’t throw it away! Bubble wrap can almost always be reused unless its been significantly damaged. Bubble wrap is cost-effective.

Bubble wrap is lightweight. Bubble wrap is a great stress reliever. Bubble wrap just like cardboard boxes offer that extra layer of protection for your food or product.

Conclusion

Safety and health are the two most important points of concern for everyone. Within a few decades, plastic has become a staple of a large majority of the products we purchase and use. They have changed our homes, shops and some of our environment.

There are very few places that you can go to, that are free from plastic. Amid the many harmful attributes of plastics, there some precautionary measures we can adopt while using acrylic boxes for packaging food.