Frozen Food must be kept in such packaging, which is safe and food-grade. In addition to that, the materials used to manufacture Frozen Food Packaging must be durable enough to withstand the extremely low freezing temperatures. Frozen Food Packaging requires special attention depending upon your requirements and budget. The materials that are often sued for manufacturing Frozen food packaging include cardboard, metal cans, wax-coated paper, paperboard, etc. The most famous and commonly used packaging material worldwide is shrink film of Polyethylene (PE). Polyethylene can withstand temperatures as low as -40 Degrees.
A Frozen Food Packaging material must be easy to fill, seal and store. In addition to that, it should have moisture resistance and is made of Food-grade and safety-approved material. The packaging must be strong enough to hold the weight and not tear apart after getting a little damp. At low temperatures, the packaging must not become hard and brittle. An ideal Frozen food packaging must be able to resist Grease, water, and oil. Keeping all these things in mind, let us discuss some of the different and important kinds of Frozen Food Packaging which are best suitable for Frozen Foods and fulfill all of the above requirements.
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Cardboard Packaging
Cardboard or Chipboard SBS packaging is trending packaging for frozen food. Cardboard Frozen Food packaging is used to pack different frozen food items, including pies, pizzas, fruits, etc. Cardboard boxes are easily shrinkable, durable, and strong. The main feature of cardboard boxes is that they can be printed with vivid and vibrant colors with branding, graphic designs, and texts.
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Shrink Film
This material is the most used in the manufacturing of Frozen Food Packaging. Shrink Films are used in millions of packaging brands, including some of the most famous ones. Shrink film is a plastic sheet that is commonly made out of three different types of materials. These materials include Polyethylene (PE), Polyolefin (POF), and Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC). Polyolefin is given priority compared to other materials. the reason behind that is the POF is food grade and safety approved. It is widely used in packing different frozen food items, including Pizzas, Cakes, Vegetables, Pies, Chicken, etc. The packaging is wrapped in the shrink film and, after that, is passed from a heat tunnel or heating from 360 degrees, making the wrapping shrink and tightly fit with the box. Shrink Films play an important role in preventing freezer burns.
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Wax Coated Packaging
Wax coating is also popular amongst frozen food industries. This material can withstand both high temperatures as well as low temperatures. It is used where the frozen food is heated along with the packaging. For example, the most common example is ready-to-eat food, which is heated in the same container in the oven. Wax coating is resistible to heat and can be directly placed inside the oven until the food inside it is cooked. A daily life example of wax coating is the utensils like Dinners trays. While consuming the food, the Wax coated tray is removed from the boxes, and holes are poked inside it and put inside microwaves. The common features of wax-coated packaging are strength and heat resistance.
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Thermoforming Film
A High Barrier Thermoforming film is used for versatile purposes in frozen food packaging. This material is made from special plastic resins. It has thick corners and has an excellent film memory. The strength of this type of packaging is exceptional. The main features of such type of packaging include its glossy texture, amazing scent, and UV protection.
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Aluminum Packaging
Aluminum is getting more common with time. This type of packaging is standard frozen food packaging. Aluminum foil pans are commonly used for packing Steaks and lasagna. Aluminum foils are used for covering frozen food to provide an extra layer of protection. Sometimes it is even used as a tray which is put inside cardboard boxes. When the box is opened, at first, the cardboard box and the topper are removed, and after that, the aluminum tray or pan is taken out and put directly in the oven for heating or cooking purpose. Even though aluminum is recyclable, when used to eat greasy or oily food items, it becomes difficult to recycle.
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IQF Polyethylene
IQF Packaging is Individual Quick Frozen packaging. This type of packaging is used where sudden freezing phenomena are required. IQF Polyethylene wrapped food items are sent to a freezer which blasts them at -40 degrees' temperature and freezes them suddenly. IQF prevents the cell structure of frozen food from being altered, and this material can also retain such low sudden temperature variations.
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Lidding Films
It is a plastic material that is widely used for the manufacturing of different frozen food packaging. These films are often left without printing so that they can have clear visibility.
