Food Contamination from Packaging Material

Abstract

The term food contamination refers to a state of presence of some undesirable materials in the food in more quantities than is considered safe. Food contamination occurs in foods from farm to fork, causing health hazards. These contaminants in food can be incorporated from various sources, such as pesticides sprayed on crops, food processing equipment, leaching of chemicals from packaging material to food products. Packaging materials give a way to safeguard, secure, product, showcase appropriate food varieties. They perform a very important role in ensuring the quality of the products while they reach the customer in a healthy and protected system. Packaging materials can be made using several layers of different materials, adhesives, and metallic layers. Over time, with the effect of pH, temperature, and other environmental and nutritional factors, these materials can move into the food in unacceptable quantities. It is hence significant that few variables are viewed while picking the correct packaging material for a specific food item. This movement of substances or leaching of chemicals from packaging into food is called migration. This chapter focuses on the study of migration or leaching of components of the packaging material into food and the various methods of protection from spoilage, which can, in itself, be a factor contributing to ill-effects caused to the consumer. © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Sneh Punia Bangar and Anil Kumar Siroha; individual chapters, the contributors.