Effects of Plastic Use in the Food Processing Industry and Sustainable Substitutes: A Review

The lightweight, inexpensive, chemically resistant, formable, sealable and useful barriers against moisture, oxygen and contamination make plastic materials ubiquitous throughout the food processing and distribution chain. They have benefits in terms of support for food safety, convenience and shelf-life extension but their widespread use raises environmental and resource-management issues. This review discusses the effects of plastic use in food processing industries, practical substitutes and reduction strategies. A literature-based review was conducted of peer-reviewed research, food-safety guidance and regulatory documents with particular emphasis on environmental impacts, food-contact safety, material performance, end-of-life management and alternative packaging technologies. It follows from the reviewed evidence that the environmental burden associated with plastic packaging is more determined by material selection, pack weight, protective properties, transportability, reuse, recyclability and disposal than just the material itself. Plastic food contact materials may also be of concern in terms of possible migration of substances or in case of micro- and nano-plastic pollution; such concerns require a risk-based approach instead of considering all plastic packaging potentially harmful. The alternative materials can include glass, metals, paper and paperboard, molded fiber, cellulose films, starch-based products, polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), chitosan films and reusable packages. However, there is no one-to-one substitution since the alternative materials may be heavier, use more energy, be sensitive to moisture, costlier or more vulnerable to breakage than the plastic ones. The best way out appears to be using a hierarchy involving reduction, reuse, recyclability, safety of recycled content, renewable or biodegradable materials if appropriate and better waste management practices.