How Do Foodservice Manufacturers Create Their Products?

by Josh Biggs in Marketing on 13th January 2021

You probably eat a snack or two every day, but have you ever wondered how foodservice manufacturers actually go about creating their products? When it comes to creating chips, treats, and other snack foods, there’s actually a relatively involved process to get from the factory to a shelf at the grocery store and ultimately to your belly. Foodservice manufacturers use a variety of different tools and processes in order to manufacture their products with speed and consistency, all in the name of serving you the customer.

Of course, food manufacturing has changed a lot in the past few decades, especially because of the role technology plays in the manufacturing and distribution process. While formulation and recipes may stay consistent over the years, the way those recipes are being executed by high-tech machinery is certainly much different than it used to be when many popular snack foods hit the market. Read on to learn more about how food packaging, in particular, plays an important role in the manufacturing of different foods.

What sorts of food packaging supplies are most commonly seen?

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When it comes to the most typical food packaging supplies you probably think about, it can be helpful to think of your local grocery store, deli, or the taqueria around the corner. Some of the most common food packaging supplies are vacuum sealing bags, food pan liners, and wraps like aluminum foil, butcher paper, plastic food wrap or shrink wrap, and wax paper. All of these supplies are easily purchased by consumers and small businesses and are materials that are useful for keeping different foods at the appropriate temperature and safe from contamination. You may even think about food items from a bakery like cakes being packaged on a cake tray that provides a durable way to package and transport a cake from point A to point B.

Another type of food packaging that’s becoming more popular with restaurants because of COVID-19 is tamper-evident packaging. Tamper-evident stickers or seals that can be placed on delivery bags or containers can go a long way in letting customers know that their food products haven’t been tampered with since they left the restaurant, since the food containers haven’t been opened yet. While packaging materials for food certainly have the same general function they’ve always had, there are newer options and needs in 2021 that different materials can be better suited for.

How do custom-molded plastics play a role in food packaging?

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Now that you’ve learned more about smaller-scale food packaging, it’s time to start considering how big-name brands package their food products. Many times, custom plastic molding plays a role in creating the iconic shapes used in food packaging since using custom molds and injections is the best choice for creating intricate parts in various bins and improving the shelf life of a product. Take an iconic school lunchroom staple, the Lunchable. In order to effectively use packaging, a plastic injection molding company can help create trays that are designed and sized for holding stacks of crackers, cheeses, meats, and pizza dough, all at the right thicknesses. Custom plastic molded packaging offers a powerful way for brands to distinguish their products from the competition while also providing a more functional package. From an insert that keeps cookies separated appropriately to a custom container that matches the shape of a business’ logo to grooves that hold each piece of sushi in a container, there are dozens of ways that custom injection is used in the packaging of various foods.

Hopefully, this quick rundown of the various types of food packaging gives you a newfound appreciation for the vacuum pouches or frozen dinners you put in the microwave for lunch or dinner. When you really start to reflect on the detail and thought that goes into these products, it makes them taste even better.

Categories: Marketing

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