Even before plastic straw bans grew trendy, California was at the forefront of using less plastic and promoting more sustainable living. California pioneered a statewide ban on plastics beginning in 2016, when the state became the first in the U.S. to ban most stores from providing customers with single-use plastic bags, following a successful referendum. [...]

Microwave-assisted thermal sterilization (MAT) was developed initially as an alternative food preparation method for combat zones. Now, demand for this five-year-old technology has expanded beyond the battlefield. All humans must eat. In the 21st century, a huge amount of advanced technology exists with the sole purpose of feeding us. However, it’s unlikely that you will [...]

Most of us do not realize the staggering amount of food we throw away in today’s society -- and much of it, it turns out, doesn’t need to be disposed of at all. From production, to packaging, to store shelves, to the consumer, there are countless ways for us to fortify our food system and [...]

Induction sealing technology is a widespread packaging technique, used in industries from pharmaceuticals to food production. There’s an interesting process behind those little foil seals on the necks of bottles, and some even more interesting history. Let’s take a look. It was 1982 in Chicago, and a string of inexplicable deaths had the city on [...]

When people think of packaging, it’s easy to think that most materials are homogeneous (that is, the same type of material throughout): you have plastic films, metal foils, and paper and cardboard packaging, all straightforward and rather basic on their own. However, this is the 21st century, an era of scientific innovation spurred on by [...]

When it comes to packaging, it's not just about the material you use, but how you dress it up. Since products on display have only a few seconds to win over a potential buyer, presentation is everything. It represents your company, its people, and its values; it establishes expectations for product quality; and most importantly, it [...]

As the old saying goes, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. So too do we find that to be the case with plastic, a revolutionary material that’s shaped industries the world over as well as asserting itself as the standard of food packaging. Of course, this all comes at the cost of [...]

Plastic has been the front-runner in food packaging for decades now. With its hardiness, malleability, and inherent air and moisture resistance, it's been a natural (artificial) choice as a food-safe material. Though it might keep your favorite snacks protected from bacteria or and excess air causing them to go stale, however, our extensive obsession [...]