How Effective Packaging Can Help Keep Your Food from Spoiling

Have you ever made the mistake of leaving leftovers out on the stove? Most of us have been there. You want to wait until your food cools enough to refrigerate, but then time escapes you, and you end up with a science experiment in your kitchen.

Under the right circumstances, bacteria will grow quickly on food. Warm temperatures (or even room temperature), air exposure, and moist conditions offer a breeding ground for bad bugs that can make you sick.

This is exactly why we package and store our leftover foods. And the truth is that the quality of packaging you use matters quite a bit.

In this post, we explore three benefits to using effective packaging for your food:

Helps solve food waste problems

So what happens to those leftovers that were left out overnight? The more adventurous among us may give it a go, but most people agree that it’s a risk not worth taking. This means that any leftovers that weren’t put away go straight into the trash.

For this reason, effective packaging can help avoid food spoilage and solve food waste problems. Just imagine if every household stored and ate all their leftovers. Food waste wouldn’t be as large an issue as it is today.

Keeps food from oxidizing

If you’ve ever left a full trash can in the kitchen for a few days or strolled past a full dumpster, you well know that rotting food is stinky.

But do you know what causes that rotten smell? If you guessed oxidation, you’re right.

Oxidation is what deteriorates food and causes it to have an off-putting odor. Some foods oxidize faster than others (we’re looking at you, avocado), but they all get there eventually. And the right packaging can help the food stay fresh longer.

Keeps the freezer burn away

Freezer burn is more than an unsightly inconvenience. It can actually ruin the taste of the food you so thoughtfully stored in the freezer to increase its longevity. So it’s no wonder you’re so bummed when you’re finally ready for that prime rib and see that it’s covered in tiny little ice crystals. And worse, the meat beneath the crystals seems to have a tougher appearance.

Freezer burn happens when frozen food loses its moisture. This is something that happens eventually over time, but it will happen much faster when you don’t have the right packaging. Ideally, when you’re storing food in the freezer long-term, you’ll want air-tight packaging to seal in the moisture and keep air out. The cold air from the freezer steals moisture away from food faster than it would in the fridge.

When you’re setting out to make a nutritious and delicious meal for your family, the packaging is probably the last thing on your mind, but if you want to enjoy that meal beyond the day it was made, it’s important.

Look for packaging that creates an air-tight seal, and try to avoid using packaging that’s too large for your food.