Packaging and labelling

A sealed pack of diced pork from Tesco. It shows the cooking time, number of servings, 'display until' date, 'use by' date, weight in kg, price, price to weight ratio in both £/kg and £/lb, freezing and storage instructions. It says 'Less than 3% Fat' and 'No Carbs per serving' and includes a barcode. The Union Flag, British Farm Standard tractor logo, and British Meat Quality Standard logo imply that it is British pork.

Packaging is the enclosing of a physical object, typically a product that requires protection from tampering. Labelling refers to any written or graphic communications on the packaging or on a separate but associated label.

1 The purpose of packaging and labels
2 Packaging types
3 Symbols used in labels
4 Packaging machines
5 Further reading
6 See also
7 External links
8 Categories

The purpose of packaging and labels

Packaging and labeling have seven objectives:

Protection against physical impact on object - The objects enclosed in the package may require protection from, among other things, damage caused by physical force, rain, heat, cold, sunlight, pressure, airborne contamination, automated handling devices, or any combination of one or more of these.
Protection against dust and dirt - In a modern supply chain products are subject to different environments. They start packed in boxes and stacked on a pallet. In about 80% the products end up in a distribution center for commissioning and fine distribution to the store where the product will be sold. During this period the physical protection also applies to dust and dirt that can easily settle on the consumer packaging. Especially products packed in plastic containers like shampoos, detergents and ketchups due to static charging easily attract dust and dirt. As a consumer we don't want to get dirty hands when picking up a product from the shelf. Transportation packaging keeps our products clean and neat till the shelf and so helps cut cleaning costs on the shopfloor.
Agglomeration - Small objects are typically grouped together in one package for reasons of efficiency. For example, a single box of 1000 pencils requires less physical handling than 1000 single pencils. Alternatively, bulk commodities (such as salt) can be divided into packages that are a more suitable size for individual households.
Information transmission - Information on how to use, transport, or dispose of the product is often contained on the package or label. An example is pharmaceutical products, where some types of information are required by governments.
Marketing - The packaging and labels can be used by marketers to encourage potential buyers to purchase the product. Package design has been an important and constantly evolving phenomenon for dozens of years.
Reducing theft - Some packages are made larger than they need to be so as to make theft more difficult. An example is software packages that typically contain only a single disc even though they are large enough to contain dozens of discs. These packages may also be deliberately difficult to open, to hamper thieves from removing their contents without drawing notice. Packages also provide opportunities to include anti-theft devices, such as dye-packs or electronic article surveillance tags, that can be activated or detected by devices at exit points and require specialized tools to deactivate. Using packaging in this way is a common tactic for loss prevention.
Prevention of pilferage and tampering - Products are exposed to many contacts in the supply chain. Persons handling could steal products (pilferage), replace full products with empty ones or add unwanted contaminants to the contents (tampering). Packaging that cannot be re-closed or gets physically damaged (shows signs of opening) is very helpful in the prevention of these acts. The flaps of corrugated and cardboard boxes are therefore glued in such a way that any opening irreversibly damages them. The overpackaging of certain objects has led to a phenomenon known as wrap rage.

Packaging types

The above materials are fashioned into different types of packages and containers such as:

There are also special containers that combine different technologies for maximum durability:

Bags-In-Boxes (used for soft drink syrup and other liquid products)
Wine box (used for wine)

Symbols used in labels

Many symbols for package labelling are internationally standardized, the purpose being to minimize the loss in goods shipping and receiving. Three of them are very common and are recognized almost everywhere in the world.