PACKAGED FOOD BRAND

BY

ABHILASH

ARUNKUMAR

CHANDAN

PAVANKUMAR

RAHUL

SARANYA.B

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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We thank PROF.MANOHARAN for providing this wonderful opportunity for carrying out this project. It was a dedicated and a co-ordinate effort of the entire group and it was really a good learning experience.

CONTENTS:

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PAGE

1. INTRODUCTION............................................................ 3 2. SECTOR INFORMATION

PACKAGING FUNCTIONS AND ITS IMPORTANCE....................................................... 4-5

USEFUL FEATURES OF PACKAGING....................... 5-6 PACKAGING SCENE IN INDIA.................................... 6-7

3. COMPANY BRAND INFORMATION BRAND INFORMATION OF MTR................................. 8-9 SHARE INFORMATION.................................................. 9 EXPANSION OF BUSINESS........................................... 9-12 PRINCIPLE COMPETITOR............................................. 13-14

4. TOPIC RELATED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OF PACKING...................................... 15-16 DIFFERENT TYPES OF

PACKAGING MATERIALS........................................... 16-18

5. CONCLUSION................................................................ 19

6. BIBLOGRAPHY.............................................................. 20

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INTRODUCTION

Today, packaging has been acknowledged as a strategic tool for enhancing competitiveness of food products by experts. Packaging elements are highly important for food products buyers and these elements can highly influence their purchasing decision.

Understanding the relative importance of product attributes influencing food choice at the point of sale is mostly important to the success in today competitive food markets. For many years, conjoint analysis has been used to estimate the importance of various products attributes for consumer’s purchasing decisions (Green and Srinivasan, 1978, 1990; Enneking et al., 2007). Packaging seems to be one of the most important factors in purchase decisions made at the point of sale (Prendergast and Pitt, 1996). Packaging is also a key food product attribute perceived by consumers. There is no escaping the fact that packaging performs marketing function, even if a company does not explicitly recognize the marketing aspects of packaging. In addition, with the move to self-service retail formats, packaging increases its key characteristic as the salesman on the shelf at the point of sale. The critical importance of packaging design is growing in such competitive market conditions, as package becomes a primary vehicle for communication and branding (Rettie and Brewer, 2000).

The previous studies showed that although the managerial focus toward packaging has increased, a review of the marketing literature reveals few theoretical contributions in the area of packaging and relatively few efforts in relation to its impact on the marketing function such as consumer behaviour.

The package is a critical factor in the decision-making process because it communicates to consumers. The package standing on the shelf, affects the consumer decision process and package design must ensure that consumer response is favourable (Silayoi and Speece, 2004). However, several conflicting trends in consumer decision making has made the food package design challenging. Some consumers are paying more attention to label information, as they become more concerned about health and nutrition issues.

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SECTOR INFORMATION

Product branding and packaging decisions are very important decisions as in the present age of globalization and liberalisation, a large number of brands of various products are available to the consumer to choose and select from. As all brands are not equally liked by a consumer and he selects his brand after a careful analysis of a number of factors associated not only with the product but also the manufacturer, the brand name, the packaging, the price, the contents and also the various other factors.

The marketers of all the competitive brands of a product try to reach to the consumers by the means of marketing communications and appeal them to buy their brand. For making the consumers to take favourable decisions for their products, the marketers need to build strong brands and nourish them overtime so that its market strength is not deteriorated on account of introduction of equally competitive brands by their existing competitors or by the entry of an altogether a new brand with attractive product features including appealing packaging. The marketers therefore need to continuously undertake research and developmental activities to keep intact the brand image.

Packaging is an integral component of a product and it plays an important role in its saleability. Packaging is no longer a mere outer covering of a product for its protection; it is very much a contributing factor for its increasing marketability. A vividly beautiful packaging of a product, to some extent, develops a positive image about it in the minds of the consumers. Thus packaging is not merely used as a means of product’s protection during transportation and storage but it is also used as a marketing and promotional tool.

Earlier the role of packaging was merely to protect the product from sun and dust and also from damages during handling. With advancement of the nations, new legislations have been incorporated for the merchandising of the goods. This has resulted into the importance as well as the necessity for an appropriate quality and type of packaging.

Today marketing is a game of names. Brand sells the most in the market place. The present era of cut throat competition has enabled the consumer to select the brand of product to be consumed from amongst a vast number of competing brands. This availability of brand choice has resulted into a fast eroding of the consumer’s loyalty for a particular brand. Consumers are not resorting to more of impulse buying and are eager to try new brands. Hence the companies today not just take research and development activities for improving the product quality but also try to add value to their products means of via innovative packaging.

Packaging Functions:

These days packaging is designed to take care of the convenience for its use and also to differentiate a brand from the others. In case of many products reusable packaging is also used to attract consumers for its purchase.

Packaging is a function of both physical distribution as well as advertising. It is essential that latest techniques and materials of packaging be used. Many institutes, including the Indian

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Institute of Packaging render useful advice to the marketers on the nature of packaging designs and the materials to be used which would be suitable for a particular product.

Importance of Packaging:

Depending on the products and the industry, the packaging can have different levels of importance. Sometimes packaging becomes the most important way of delivering the good, and its cost represents the largest part of the total cost of the product.

According to Prefetti, “Packaging becomes the most important way of delivering the goods, and its cost represents the largest part of the total cost of the product”. Packaging serves a number of utilities which the marketer’s want to communicate to the consumer to attract him to purchase his brand. Through packaging the important information about the product, price, manufacturer and the consumption precautions etc. can be conveyed to the buyer.

Product packaging decisions are very important and the marketers need to be very careful about it, as packaging is sometimes the key factor of success or failure of a new launch.

According to Chunnawalla, “Packaging, as a function, has two separate dimensions – the science and technology and the behavioural aspect related to the art of product design which enhances the value of the contents and passes on the impression to the consumer directly or subtly.

Overall it can be concluded that packaging is an integral and an important component of the product. It not only helps in protecting the product from being damaged during its handling but also protects it as an attractive packaging works as a silent salesman.

Useful Features of Packaging:

Packaging deals with the nature of the container/wrapper, its size, shape, colour and the message printed on it. It represents the talents of the various specialists viz. researcher, designer, engineer, marketer and others.

The packaging of a product may also attract the attention of the consumers at the very first sight if its features appear to be attractive. The marketers need to take care of these marketing aspects also.

The usual features of packaging are the following: a) The container should be strong so that it can stand the strain of transportation and handling. It should be strong also to ensure a long shelf-life. b) While being strong, it should avoid being too heavy so that it remains easy to handle and inexpensive on freight.

Over and above the usual features, the packaging should also have certain features from the marketing angle, as a well-designed packaging is often described as the silent sales representative.

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These marketing features of packaging are as follows:

a) It must advertise the brand and the manufacturer. b) It must be distinctive and capable of ‘differentiating’ the product. c) It must be suitable for display. d) It must be helpful in identifying the product. e) It must carry the brand name, brand / trade mark and all the other required information. f) It must be attractive. g) It must be so designed as to add convenience for carrying and handling the product. h) It should require the minimum shelf space. i) The colours and the material used for outer packaging must not create any socially or psychologically bad image about the product. j) Packaging must be capable of keeping intact the hygiene of the product for its shelf life.

However, due care must be taken as an over-enthusiastic approach may lead to cost over-runs as packaging has a direct bearing on the product cost. Therefore, the cost aspect of packaging should be strictly controlled so that the product may not be overpriced.

Packaging Scene in India:

The Indian market has been rapidly changing during the last ten years or so due to the entry of some worldwide players who have upgraded the market standards.

There is emerging a strong change in the packaging scene in India and rather there is a packaging revolution. The total packaging volumes for consumer packaging in India reached a total of 39,906 million units by 2002. The packaging industry in India in growing and the market is dominated by flexible packaging formats. There is a great level of change in the product packaging particularly in the material used for it.

More and more Indians are now becoming health conscious and a majority of the products here are now available in hygiene packaging. Even the common man is now becoming conscious about the quality of water, the standard of cooking oil and calorie intake etc. This has resulted in a significant shift away from loose unbranded low quality cooking oil to the branded oil packaged in PET and HDPE bottles. Further healthier living has also resulted in a growing demand for PET bottles in the potable water sector.

More and more consumers in India now are also realizing the need for nutritive drinks, thus showing a preference for juice drinks, 100% juices, milk drinks etc. which is further pushing up demand for liquid cartons.

Packaging revolution in India has resulted in the supply and hence the consumption of a wide variety of consumer products. Marketers have introduced various packaged sizes of their products suitable to different pockets and needs besides tetra pack packaging for food products etc. have helped in increasing their shelf life. The market size for various products has registered a significant growth rate just because of the this packaging revolution.

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The long run survival for many of the brands has been possible only due to their adapting to the new and innovative packaging materials for their products.

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COMPANY BRAND INFORMATION

BRAND INFORMATION OF MTR

MTR Foods Private Limited is amongst the top five processed food manufacturers in India.

They manufacture, market and export a wide range of packaged foods to global markets that

include USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE, Japan and Oman.

MTR Foods Ltd. began as a single restaurant in Bangalore called Mavalli Tiffin Rooms.

Tiffin is a word traced to colonial rule in India and refers to a light meal or lunch.Mavalli

Tiffin Rooms opened in 1924 and was run by members of the Maiya family.

Starting with the legendary MTR restaurant in Bangalore, India’s Silicon Valley, we now

offer ''complete meal solutions'.

Their deep understanding of culinary expectations and needs has resulted in many new

and innovative products. Their investments in infrastructure and technology ensure that

they can scale rapidly and bring these to market. Today, consumers across the globe count on

us to bring them all-natural, wholesome and delicious food that is also convenient and no-

fuss.

At MTR, we are proud of our rich heritage. Their tradition of food and hospitality began in

1924 with the establishment of the MTR by the Maiya family in Bangalore. This

restaurant is a city landmark today and people still stand in queue to savour its unique,

completely authentic dishes. Then in 1975 Maiyas diversified in to business of convenience

foods and instant mixes. As business expanded modernization and state of art facilities

including dedicated Lab and printing and packaging facilities were added.

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MTR’s wide range of products include ready to eat curries and rice, ready to eat cook gravies,

frozen food, ice cream, instant mixes, spices and variety of pickles and papads, milk beverage

drinks. MTR has its foot prints across the globe. In order to fuel further growth, MTR

became part of Norwegian Company M/s Orkla in 2007.

SHARE INFORMATION:

J.P. Morgan Partners owns a 28-percent share of MTR Foods. Another 14 percent of the

company is owned by Magnus Capital Corporation, a venture capital group based in

Mauritius. Chairman and company director Sadananda Maiya owns the remainder.

REASONS FOR SHUTTING DOWN THE RESTAURANT AND EXPANDING

GROCERRY:

Change was forced on the restaurant in 1975 during the State of Emergency declared by

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Gandhi's rules for the emergency required every restaurant to

conform to prices set by the government. The Maiya family felt unable to abide by the

government price list. The prices were so low that the restaurant would have had to cut the

quality of the food it offered. MTR had made its reputation on hygiene and cleanliness, and

the owners felt that compromising the quality of the food they offered would have been

disastrous. Rather than following that course, the family shut the restaurant. Its workers,

many of whom had been with the restaurant for years, were suddenly unemployed. The

Maiya family accommodated a few of them by offering them places in a small grocery store

attached to the restaurant. At this point, Sadananda Maiya got the idea to expand the grocery

by offering a bigger line of products under the MTR brand name.

EXPANSION OF BUSINESS:

Through the early 1980s, MTR distributed exclusively in Bangalore, selling at various

department stores and major groceries. In 1983, MTR decided to press into other southern

cities. It sent distributors to Madras, Hyderabad, and Vijayawada to introduce its products.

The next year, the company made a major technical innovation. It began packaging its foods

in what was called a polyester poly standby pack, the first of its kind in India. This was a

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high-quality plastic bag with a pyramidal base which enabled it to stand upright. The upright

bags greatly increased the brand's visibility on store shelves.

Through the next ten years, MTR Foods worked on bolstering its reputation in southern India.

It faced a slew of small competitors in a highly fragmented market. The only big food

companies operating across India were Hindustan Lever Ltd., a subsidiary of Unilever, and

the Swiss food giant Nestlé. The company consolidated its position in southern India and

expanded its manufacturing facilities in and around Bangalore. MTR claimed to have leading

market share in several product categories. Overall, however, the Indian packaged food

market was still small. MTR was in a sense a pioneer, offering ready-to-eat food when such

products were still a novelty and not entirely a necessity. In India, most food was cooked

from scratch at home, and women had not yet started entering the workforce in significant

numbers. MTR worked its way into being a respectably sized regional player in the 1980s,

while the whole packaged foods market in India was valued at only around $30 million.

MTR began a push to become a more prominent company in the early 1990s. Beginning in

1993, the company increased the number of products it offered and actively sought out new

markets. It pushed into more cities in southern India, where it eventually gained leading

market share in every region that enjoyed a predominantly vegetarian cuisine. Market

opportunities also increased in Bangalore, which had become the so-called Silicon Valley of

India, the centre of the country's booming information technology industry. MTR began

providing lunches to workers at several prominent technology firms. By the end of the 1990s,

Sadananda Maiya estimated that about 80 percent of Bangalore's high-tech workers were

MTR consumers. Overall, the convenience food market in India was growing. As income

levels rose and more women were holding jobs outside the home, packaged food boomed.

The category was expected to triple in sales by the early years of the new century. MTR

changed its structure in 1994 in order to accommodate future growth. The firm was broken

into two divisions, one for its main food lines, spices, and vermicelli, and another to

specialize in chips and other snacks. MTR also launched an export division. Sales at MTR

grew as much as 40 percent annually in the late 1990s, and MTR planned to spread into more

markets. Successful in southern India, MTR began penetrating into northern markets by

1998.

MTR launched a new product in 1998 in order to gain a nationwide following. This was its

Softy ice cream cone. The ice cream market had long been dominated by big food companies,

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most prominently Hindustan Lever. MTR's new cone was an immediate hit. The company

was able to price its ice cream competitively against Hindustan Lever and still maintain a

high profit margin. In some cases, MTR was able to retail its frozen treats for half what

Hindustan Lever charged. The company quickly expanded its ice cream portfolio, bringing

out several sizes of packaged hard ice cream, some of which it sold to five-star hotels. MTR's

reputation for purity evidently helped it pick up new customers.

The company also expanded its line of snack foods such as chips and fries. In addition, it

brought out a new line of ready-to-eat meals based on North Indian recipes and entered an

arrangement with another company to help with distribution in northern India. MTR also

continued to upgrade its packaging technology. The company used a method that had been

developed by India's defence department and eventually began supplying ready-to-eat food to

the Indian Army. Its new packaging was called the retort pouch. The retort pouch was first

developed in the 1970s and kept food safe with no refrigeration. The consumer simply

dropped the unopened pouch in boiling water for a few minutes to heat the food. MTR's

packaged meals were thus extremely easy to prepare and left virtually no cooking mess. The

company brought 11 new prepared meals in retort pouches into the northern Indian market

and debuted a smaller line of southern cuisine in the new packaging.

By the late 1990s, MTR also had plans to bring out a line of frozen food. The company

proceeded slowly, because a distribution network for frozen food did not exist nationwide.

Nonetheless, the company was thinking ahead, hoping to score big in the export market with

frozen meals. By that time, the company was exporting some of its products to Australia,

Singapore, and other Asian and Pacific countries. MTR saw great potential in exports and

worked assiduously both to become a truly national presence in India and then a leading

brand abroad. In 2002, the company received ISO 9002 certification, meaning it met globally

recognized standards for food safety and hygiene. It also qualified under a similar global food

safety program, the Hazard Analysis Critical Central Point. With these certifications, MTR

had surmounted major barriers to export. It was able to get its foods into the United States

through an arrangement with the grocery chain Kroger and began exporting cooking sauces

to England. The company contemplated European markets as well, with a possible first

venture in France.

MTR Foods had made great strides since 1983, when it set it sights beyond Bangalore to

become a major regional company. By 2001, the company still did 90 percent of its domestic

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business in its stronghold in southern India, yet the company fully expected to have half its

sales earned in northern India within just a few more years. It had distribution in some 500

Indian towns and cities in that year and planned to reach over 800 locales by 2002. The

company was also beginning to set foot in a global market that promised even greater sales.

At the beginning of the 2000s, MTR took steps to ready itself for further growth. In 2000, the

company raised cash by selling a 20 percent stake in itself to an investment group in

Mauritius, Magnus Capital. Magnus was primarily run by Indian immigrants in Singapore.

Chairman Maiya hired a new chief executive for MTR in 2001, bagging the former head of

the beverage division of Hindustan Lever, Jayaraman Suresh. In 2002, Magnus Capital

reduced its stake in MTR to 14 percent, and J.P. Morgan Partners, a division of J.P. Morgan

Chase, paid $4 million for a 28 percent stake in the firm. This new infusion of cash was to

fund MTR's most ambitious plan yet--to open a string of fast-food vegetarian restaurants. The

company opened its first MTR Super Shop in Bangalore in 2002, with ten more planned for

other Indian cities. The Super Shop was a combination restaurant/store that featured MTR

brand ready-to-eat meals customers could buy and take home and a restaurant area where hot

food was served. According to a profile in Business Line (March 22, 2001), the Super Shops

were to be a “vegetarian replica of McDonald's." The company seemed to be completing a

circle, from a modest restaurant to a packaged food manufacturer to a chain of franchised

quick eating joints.

Revenue at MTR rose rapidly as its expansion rolled onwards. Sales stood at just under $9

million in fiscal 2001 and were expected to hit $26 million in fiscal 2002. Maiya and new

CEO Suresh expected revenue to grow even more, passing $100 million by the middle of the

decade if things went as planned. Exports were to account for 20 percent of revenue. This

lavish growth did not seem unrealistic. The company had come far already and was now on

the brink of even greater market penetration both inside India and abroad. MTR contemplated

a public stock offering in 2003.

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Principal Divisions:

MTR Foods Ltd; MTR Enterprises; MTR International; Sudarshan Enterprises.

Principal Competitors:

Hindustan Lever Ltd; Tasty Bite Eatables Ltd; Nestlé S.A.

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Plans to double turnover to Rs. 500 crore by 2012:

MTR Foods announced on Tuesday that the brand, which was acquired by the Norwegian

conglomerate Orkla in 2007, plans to double its turnover to Rs. 500 crore by 2012. Paul

Jordahl, Chairman and CEO, Orkla Brands International, said, “We aim to treble profits in

that timeframe.”

The company also announced a prelaunch of its packaged food brand, reflecting “the brand's

new look but which remains at its core authentically Indian,” Mr. Jordahl said.

Okla., which had revenues of over $9 billion in 2009, plans to make the MTR brand achieve a

compounded annual growth rate of 20 per cent in the next few years. Mr. Jordahl said Orkla

was open to fresh acquisitions “if they are interesting.” Depending on the nature of the

planned acquisitions Okla would decide whether fresh acquisitions would be within the

MTR umbrella or outside it.

Sanjay Sharma, CEO, MTR Foods, said MTR's margins have been adversely affected by the

sharp increase in the price of raw materials in the last couple of years. Raw material prices,

he said, had increased by an average of 9 per cent in 2009 and by about 7 per cent in 2008.

“We were affected by the sudden acceleration in prices,” he said. “Our profitability has been

under pressure, as a result,' he added. The company has a “pricing and efficiency programmer

to deal with this,” Mr. Sharma said.

Mr. Sharma said the company had decided to convert MTR from a regional to a national

brand. In order to provide “better focus”, it has decided to restrict the brand's presence to 150

towns and cities in the Northern, Western and Eastern regions from 500 towns at present. The

company has also decided to double its media spend in the current year.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

Our wide range of products include ready-to-eat curries and rice, ready-to-cook gravies,

frozen foods, ice cream, instant snack and dessert mixes, spices and a variety of

accompaniments like pickles and papads.

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TOPIC RELATED INFORMATION

MTR:

MTR use the latest technology to preserve the quality and freshness of the food. The use of technology is from the Defence Food Research Laboratory. The company made a major technical innovation. It began packaging its foods in what was called a polyester poly standby pack, the first of its kind in India. This was a high-quality plastic bag with a pyramidal base which enabled it to stand upright. The upright bags greatly increased the brand's visibility on store shelves. The Ready to Eat products of MTR has won them the President's award.

INTRODUCTION TO DFRL:

The Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysore, was established on 28thDecember 1961 under Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to fulfil the needs of varied foods of Indian Army, Navy, Air force and paramilitary forces. Their aim is to design and engineer light weight convenient packed food with longer shelf-life under varying climatic conditions.

Using the self-developed technologies, DRFL has produced many ready-to-eat, quick cooking and instant foods with longer shelf-life. Some of them are, long keeping chapatti’s (shelf-life 6 months), high protein snacks (shelf-life 9 months), spiced potato parothas (6 months), fruit bars (9 months), mutton pickle (6 months), stabilized chikki (1year), Fruit juice powder (mango, pineapple, mosumbi - 1 year), chicken pulav (1 year), precooked dehydrated (PD) dal/curries, PD rice, PD potato peas curry (each 1year); instant pulav mix, instant curries, dal, instant kheer mix, instant khichadi mix, instant basmati rice, instant upama mix (each 1 year), instant carrot halwa mix (9 months). Few of the technologies for Food products/processing and Packaging developed by DFRL are introduced below.

TECHNOLOGY OF PACKAGING: (ADOPTED BY MTR FOOD PRODUCTS)

Instantiation of Cereals and Pulses:

DFRL developed Freeze-Thaw dehydration technology in which cooked and dehydrated pulses, whole legumes and cereals are made. These products are instantly reconstitutable in less than 8 minutes by mere mixing in hot water. In this technology, before dehydration of the cooked cereals or pulses, a cold shock is given to it. Instant cooking pulses like Bengal gram, red gram, lentils and whole legumes (whole green gram, whole kabulichanna and rajma) are developed by this technology. Their shelf-life is 12 to 18 months.

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Self-heating Technology:

DFRL has recently developed self-heating ready-to-eat food packets. It has three compartments - one of food and other two of a special liquid and a chemical powder. By connecting the liquid and the chemical powder compartments, heat is generated due to chemical reaction. This heat is transferred to the compartment of food and makes it ready to eat in few minutes.

Packaging of Dehydrated food:

Beyond certain level, residual moisture content in the food causes its damage. So food is dehydrated by using different technologies like hot air drying, foam-mat drying, freeze drying etc. As the technology differs, the packaging requirement differs. Temperature, moisture and oxygen affect the shelf-life of the dehydrated food. High moisture affect crispness of the food, oxygen causes oxidation thereby affecting rancidity and odour, light causes darkness and enhances oxidation, aroma causes odour picking from packing material and fragile structure of the food causes its mechanical damage. The packaging for such food should have high tensile strength, resistance to shock and vibration, light weight and low price, chemical inertness. It should be pilfer-proof against substitution and adulteration. It should be clean and hygienic. As oxygen and moisture accelerates chemical decomposition of dehydrated food products, proper dehydration technique as well as packing material should be used.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PACKAGING MATERIALS ARE :

(1) Rigid containers like metal cans and plastic containers, which are air-tight and light proof and check the entry of moisture and oxygen. They are easy to handle during transportation.

(2) Semi-rigid packs, like line carton and bag-in-box, maintains the freshness of the food product till it is opened. An ideal laminate is made up of layers of paper/low density polythelene (LDPE)/Al-foil/ which ensures the shelf life required.

(3) Flexible pouches can be handled and opened easily. They keep the food inside fresh and hygienic. It is moisture-proof and barrier for oxygen and light.

Packaging of Hot AIR Dried products:

The food products like dried vegetables, cereals and some ready mixes have very low moisture content. So they don't need high barrier packaging materials. A single structure polypropylene (PP) of thickness more than 75 microns, laminate of metallised polyester (PET) of thickness more than 12 microns and a heat sealable layer of low density polyethylene (LDPE) of thickness 75 microns are suitable for a shelf-life of at least 6 months. Triple layer laminate of paper/12 micron aluminium foil/ LDPE offers better quality, but its cost is higher.

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Packaging of Freeze Dried Products and Vacuum / Inert Gas Packaging:

The food products like pre-cooked mutton chunks have fragile structure with very low moisture content. Moreover they are prone to lipid oxidation causing off-flavour and rancidity. So it should be protected against moisture absorption, oxygen and mechanical damage. As with the decrease in foil thickness, the number of pin-holes increases, the Al foil of thickness more than 30 microns is suitable for lamination of these foods. In case of inert gas packaging, multi-layer plastic film materials having better barrier against diffusion of inert gas are needed. Nitrogen or carbon-dioxide is used to flush the inside of packing material to control the internal atmosphere. Polyester with low density polyethylene (PET/LDPE) is used to retain the inert gas inside the package. This maintains the quality of the food throughout its shelf-life. Aluminium foil laminates or tinplate containers are also used for high fat content foods like milk powder and egg powder.

Packaging of Retort (thermal) processed food:

Retort processing is the most acceptable form of food preservation. These are ready to eat food products. It requires just warming in a microwave oven or water bath before eating. Packaging of this food should withstand thermal processing. Retort pouch is the flexible laminated food package having light weight. It maintains the shelf-life, texture and nutritive value of frozen food. During war, soldiers can easily carry these packages. So they are very popular. The selection of packing material of retort pouches is very important. It should have high melting point, physical strength, protect against light degradation, moisture changes, microbial invasion and oxygen ingress. It should resist penetration of fats, oils and other food components. Packing material should not contaminate the food inside. Japan and European countries use multilayer polyester with 7-20 microns thickness aluminium foil and 75 microns thickness polypropylene for retort pouches. But they are very expensive for our country.

DFRL by its research tried polypropylene (PP) and co-extruded material of polypropylene-nylon-polypropylene (PP-Nylon-PP). This packaging structure is now successfully used in the packaging of meat, vegetable curries, rice with meat and vegetables, sweet halwa, beans in sauce, etc.

Packaging of Cereals, Grains, Pulses/Milled Products:

The food products like rice, pulses, atta and maida etc. may contain high moisture. They are prone to attack by insects and fungus. To avoid this, they are packed in jute bags or high density polythylene (HDPE) woven sacks.

Packaging of Shelf-stable High Moisture Products:

Besides fresh fruits, the shelf-stable high moisture products like mango bar, intermediate moisture fruits and fruits processed by hurdle technology are also supplied to the defence. Oxygen contact enhances enzymatic browning in the high moisture products. So the packaging material should be an excellent barrier to oxygen. The hurdle technology preserved fruits are pasteurized in polypropylene films and covered in aluminium foil

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lamination. This protects the product against oxygen. Metallised polyester film with high density-low density polyethylene (PET/HD-LDPE) as inner sealant layer is also useful here. Flexible packaging materials like low density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low density polyethylene when impregnated with potassium permanganate and cinnamic acid respectively, become ethylene scavengers. Fresh fruit and vegetables like mango, tomato, banana and papaya get more shelf-life of two-three weeks with such packaging. The additions of ethylene scavengers improve the strength of the packaging material. The technology is perfected in the laboratory and the large scale production of this packaging material is now in progress.

Packaging of Fats, Oils and Fatty Food:

Free flowing oil may contaminate sealing surface and so sealing surface is kept free from traces of oil or it should be coated with an ionomer for proper sealing. For packing of fats and fatty foods, packaging material should have proper seal strength and barrier against oxygen. For Dried products having very high fat content, packing material which is a good oxygen barrier (like PVDC or nylon) is required. Multilayer materials like cellophane/low density LDPE with PVDC/LDPE/Nylon/EAA (Ethylene acrylic acid copolymer) are also proved to be good.

Packaging of few Other Products:

Peanut Candy is the product rich in proteins and carbohydrates and also provides energy. But it absorbs moisture readily and is attacked by insects. It is also susceptible to rancidity. To overcome these problems, it is packed in paper/12 micron aluminium foil/low density polyethylene. Shelf-life of this packaged product is 6 months. Bread has very short shelf-life as mould attacks it. Its shelf-life is increased to 20 days by packing it in a fungi static wrapper. Grease proof paper is coated with an emulsion containing Sorbic Acid (SA) and Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC). This emulsion provides proper sorbic acid level. Hot bread removed from oven is immediately wrapped with this emulsion. Sorbic acid is volatile and due to heat in the bread, it is dispersed uniformly in the bread. DFRL has also developed a biodegradable package material for the packaged food as its products were often used in high altitude areas like Himalayas and the packing material may cause environmental pollution.

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CONCLUSION

Overall it can be concluded that product packaging represents the talents of the various specialists’ viz. research, designer, engineer and others.

Packaging companies today not just take research and development activities for improving the product quality but also try to add value to their products means of via innovative packaging.

Protect against all adverse external influences that can alter the properties of the product.

Protect against biological contamination.

Protect against physical damage.

Carry the correct information and identification of the product.

Tamper evident

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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www.Google.com www.mtrfoods.com Green and Srinivasan, 1978, 1990

Rettie and Brewer, 2000

Enneking et al., 2007

Silayoi and Speece, 2004

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