The most important thing in the restaurant industry is undoubtedly the food — and yet, it would not be able to reach us if not for the packaging in which it lives until it is cooked and served. In fact, in many cases, the food is actually packaged after it is prepped and cooked so that it can be delivered in one form or another to the consumer.
There are many ways that packaging functions as the essential tool that allows food to stay fresh and reach our plates. Check out some of the ways that packaging as such is essential to the journey of food from farm to table.
Harvesting and Shipping
Unless you make a concerted effort to buy primarily local, then chances are that a lot of the food that you handle and consume was shipped from quite a distance. Without tools like food metal detectors, x-ray food inspection, and thermoform packaging, chances are you wouldn’t be able to get the food that you do at the quality caliber and freshness that you currently do. It is particularly important that the bulk food that you do get is delivered having been fully inspected for any contaminants.
Preparation and Storage
Food for large institutions and at professional establishments, or even at the processing centers for places like grocery stores, is prepare and rationed out into packages before it goes on to be sold by the consumer. This job requires the help of things like food packaging machines and food sealing machines.
Even after the food has been prepped, prepared, and portioned out, there are several other steps to this process. For instance, when restaurants provide containers for leftovers to their customers, they usually use things like plastic clamshells to help customers take them home. There are also special packaging and containers for food donation, and freezing already prepared food.
From plastic clamshells to the most complicated food sealing machines, containers and packaging are totally essential to the way that we deal with food shipping, production, and preservation. Without modern packaging and food packaging technology, the restaurant industry as we know it would not be possible.