IFST SC21 - Smart Packaging event highlight

This event highlight covers the third session of our IFST Spring conference 2021 (SC21) food science and technology Thinking Smart, Acting Smart

Today’s session was a live discussion addressing the challenges of food packaging and how we can act smart to provide new packaging solutions for the food and drink sector and encourage consumers to act more sustainably. Leading today’s discussion, Louise Nicholls, Managing Director at Suseco, raised the question to panellists ‘’Do you think plastic packaging has a future?’’. Adam Ellis of Amcor made an important point ‘’The functionality of plastic packaging has changed the way we buy food and has given everybody the freedom to enjoy food’’. Barrington Pamplin of The Pack Hub added ‘’Unfortunately, you can’t change food packaging without changing the way food is retailed. The modern retail system is a result of plastic packaging’’. 

Helen Bird of WRAP commented on the role of regulation in plastic packaging, highlighting that ‘’We don’t need to wait for government legalisation, we have to deal with the problem today’’. The panel also discussed the impact of COVID-19 on packaging use in the UK. Barrington explained ‘’packaging has moved from the hands of retailers to the hands of consumers. We are seeing a trend where more and more packaging will be designed for online use which will probably drive packaging usage up, but it will primarily be made from fibre-based materials’’. 

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @ifstnews for live tweets during the sessions. Also, don't miss your opportunity to attend the rest of the Spring Conference - we have more exciting topics to discuss, Tuesday 4 May, we have a session on Smart innovation followed by a panel discussion on Smart CPD. Book now!

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