Flexible packaging to increase shelf life of Nigerian foods, cut 80% of wastage

An adoption of flexible or plastic packaging will increase the shelf life of Nigerian foods, while reducing food wastage in the country estimated at 80 percent.

Globally, 1.3 tons of foods are wasted on back of poor packaging methods and wrong distribution channels. The loss is prevalent in Africa, despite that most people go to bed without foods.

According to experts, the use of plastic or flexible packaging for bananas can extend the shelf life to up to seven days, thereby making it possible for super markets, hyper markets and large retail stores to serve the bunches to the sophisticated middle-class.

This also extends to other foods whose shelf lives can be extended by 10 to 40 days with flexible packaging.

“Flexible packaging can extend the shelf life of foods from three to 14 days,” said Dana Mosora, Dow’s sustainability and advocacy director, Packaging and Specialty Plastics, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Mosora said flexible packaging reduced food spoilage and wastes, stressing the need to correct wrong impressions of this type of packaging in Africa.

Nigeria is blessed with arable land and high population, capable of tilling the land to produce foods for 174 million people.

The Federal Government wants to ensure the country has food security as it plans to create environment for investment in agriculture. But to preserve foods produced in the country, experts advocate the use of plastic packaging, rather than the rigid type consumers are used to.

“We must understand that lifestyles have changed,” said Alessandro Corticelli, market development manager, Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics for Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

“In Africa packaging industry is growing at six percent and is worth $20 million and this can grow. But we need flexible packaging to reduce the abuse in distribution,” Corticelli said.

Most countries and consumers have negative attitudes to plastic packaging on back of ignorance of its advantages.

Javier Constante, Dow’s commercial vice president, Packaging and Specialty Plastics, Europe, Middle East and Africa, said the problem is not often plastics but what we do with them.

Constante said with innovations that have gone into flexible packaging from Dow Chemicals, a food like cucumber can last for up to 14 days, rather than four days.

Experts believe it takes 0.24 seconds to decide products to buy from supermarkets. This, according to them, hinges on consumer perception about the type of packaging used by producers.

“This is why you need to begin to look at lightweight and cost-efficient packaging,” said Marco Amici, marketing manager, Dow Packaging &Specialty Plastics for EMEA.

“At Dow, you have solutions that reduce costs because there is technology that reduces the material used. The products can save up to 100 percent costs as against rigid forms, adnd you have the chance to preserve foods and the resources,” Amici further said.