Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Sustainability and Security of Food Packaging

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Food".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (24 March 2023) | Viewed by 15733

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sebastiano Vasi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department MIFT, Università degli Studi di Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: condensed matter physics; optics and photonics; spectroscopy; food science; biophysics; environmental physics; big data; artificial intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainability and security of food packaging (SSFP) have assumed a very high importance in recent years due to both the increased knowledge and attention to climate change and to ensure freshness and quality of food without the risk of spreading the pandemic virus of COVID-19. In this frame, this Special Issue on SSFP aim to focus on research and development of new innovative products, processes, and technologie. For example, following the trend started with Horizon 2020, papers could address new smart eco-friendly material, refillable parent packaging and/or edible packaging options to improve food packaging sustainability and secure its circularity, while minimizing food waste. As a consequence, furthermore, we aim to bring in new important consideration on food and environment regarding their health, preservation and security, which could contribute to making the already high resources committed by numerous brands in research even more productive.

Dr. Sebastiano Vasi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

food
packaging
sustainability
food security
food health
environmental security
food environment
food waste
food loss
food consumption

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

20 pages, 9783 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Changes in Packaging Properties of Refrigerated Food Products

by Igor Iljin, Rimantas Stonkus and Raimondas Jasevičius

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6669; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086669 - 14 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1206

Abstract

This study presents the experimental investigations of the thermal conductivity properties of refrigerated packages in an autonomous commercial open refrigerated display cabinet. The study aimed to determine whether the type of packaging can reduce the impact of a malfunctioning refrigeration unit on the product. The characteristics of refrigerated packages are studied during the freezing process on the level of loading and the arrangement of the packages in the display case. For the research, four types of packaging were used: combined, composite, plastic, and pulp. Based on the results obtained, the compliance of the packages with the established/existing requirements was determined during each test. It was found that during the refrigeration process, the permissible temperature norms in the case of individual packages complied with the most commonly used. None of the test packages met the norms during refrigeration by filling the products to the intended limit. As a result, simplified labeling of the respective cooling zones is proposed, and the issue of ensuring the uniformity of the cooling itself remains open. Given the cost of production, it is also proposed to take into account this issue (marking the corresponding cooling zones) when designing similar refrigeration equipment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Security of Food Packaging)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2262 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment: Polystyrene or Polypropylene Packaging Crates to Reduce Citrus Loss and Waste in Transportation?

by Emad Alzubi, Ahmed Kassem and Bernd Noche

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12644; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912644 - 5 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3381

Abstract

Packaging plays a key role in preserving food products during transportation. Therefore, selecting proper packaging crates to transport fruits from farms to the market can dramatically reduce loss and waste. This study aims to evaluate the environmental impact of two packaging alternatives when transporting citrus products in Jordan using the loss ratio, as an indicator to select the best packaging, based on the traveled distances. The research team tracked transportation trucks from several farms to the market. In addition, data were collected from the department of statistics in Jordan to build the model using OpenLCA Software with defined system boundaries. However, the results revealed that polypropylene crates performed better than polystyrene crates. Citrus loss during transportation was cut by at least 60% when using polypropylene crates. The use of polypropylene crates reduced product damages by handling better the vibration and load stress, especially with increased transport distances to the “Central Market of fruits and vegetables”. Different impact categories were evaluated. We selected 3 categories based on the hotspot analysis performed: climate change, resource depletion, and water resource depletion. Farm waste has the highest impact with ranges of 58–69%, 77–85%, and 77–81%, respectively. Other impactful waste is waste from packaging and inedible parts; they influence the impact categories up to 23%, 11%, and 17%, in the same order. In terms of environmental impact, the polypropylene crates have fewer impacts since they are reusable and recyclable at the end of the product life cycle. Therefore, we recommend adopting polypropylene crates when transporting citrus products to the market. As a future research direction, the study suggests performing a similar analysis to evaluate the effect of packaging crates on other agricultural products in Jordan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Security of Food Packaging)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 861 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anthropomorphism as a Differentiation Strategy for Standardized Reusable Glass Containers

by Marion Garaus, Christian Garaus, Elisabeth Wolfsteiner and Charlotte Jermendy

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9473; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159473 - 2 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2430

Abstract

The steadily increasing amount of waste requires new strategies for package waste reduction. One strategy is to switch from single-use plastic packaging to glass packaging; however, this strategy is only beneficial from an environmental perspective when complemented with a multi-use deposit refund system with standardized glass containers. This implies the loss of package shape as a differentiation criterion, which has been considered a highly relevant marketing instrument in the fast-moving consumer goods markets. Against this background, the current research investigates in an online experiment the suitability of anthropomorphized label designs on prompting purchase intentions in the context of reusable glass jars. The study further investigates the mediating roles of brand attitude and brand interest. Contrary to the postulated hypotheses, anthropomorphized labels negatively impact brand attitude, and the sequential mediation of anthropomorphism on brand interest and brand attitude on purchase intention was significant. Our findings reveal that anthropomorphized labels stimulate brand interest, which in turn positively affects purchase intention. The results emphasize the relevance of brand interest in package design and guides manufacturers, brand managers, and policymakers to effective differentiation strategies for standardized multi-use packages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Security of Food Packaging)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 1329 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Sustainable Food Packaging: An Integrative Framework

by Romina Santi, Paola Garrone, Mattia Iannantuoni and Barbara Del Curto

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 8045; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14138045 - 30 Jun 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5598

Abstract

The paper proposes a comprehensive and operational definition of Sustainable Food Packaging (SFP). Sustainability is a multifaceted concept, yet most SFP conversations decline it as a mere material substitution issue. The efforts of regulators, packaging producers, food companies, and consumers towards the design and adoption of SFP products are likely to fail without a common understanding of the multiple means by which food packaging contributes to sustainability. Based on an extensive literature review and the contributions of SFP innovation experts, the paper builds a Food Packaging Sustainability Framework (FPSF) that encompasses the three main dimensions of SFP, namely environmental conservation, food safety, and social value, and operationalizes them in terms of objectives and activable levers. The framework can be used as a tool to search and evaluate food packaging products, a conceptual guide for SFP design, and a narrative platform for coordinating supply chain actors, including consumers. The experimental activities applying FPSF gathered the different actors in the supply chain to jointly adopt the integrated model that distributes environmental, social, and economic benefits along the entire production chain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Security of Food Packaging)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

7 pages, 5164 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study of Wettability of Polyethylene Membranes for Food Packaging

by Sebastiano Vasi, Giovanni Ceccio, Antonino Cannavò, Pavel Pleskunov and Jiří Vacík

Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 5863; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14105863 - 12 May 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1711

Abstract

In this study, the wettability of PET membranes (prepared with different pore sizes) treated by UV irradiation, thermal annealing or doping with metal nanoparticles was investigated. The wettability was studied using the contact angle method based on the optical microscopy. The membranes were analyzed before and after pore etching, and after each applied treatment. It turned out that membranes with different pore sizes exhibit different wetting behavior. Of particular interest are membranes with 0.53

μ

m pores. When pristine, they show high hydrophobicity (a high contact angle), but after treatment (some of which can be considered as an accelerated aging), their wetting characteristics swap between a hydrophobic and hydrophilic state. Interactions between packaging material and food and the external environment through fine control of wettability could have a major impact on maintaining product quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Security of Food Packaging)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Sustainability and Security of Food Packaging

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI