What you need to know about Contamination Risks

Posted on 11 juni 2020

The road from food production to distribution is a long one. Each step of the process poses a different risk in terms of food contamination. In this blog, we explain what these risks are and how Masterpack battles them.

What is considered contamination?

Anything that shouldn't be in the packaging is in essence contamination. There are three general groups in which we can categorize the types of contamination.

1. Physical contamination

Each year, millions of food products are recalled due to foreign contaminants discovered by consumers. Physical contamination occurs when actual objects contaminate the food.

2. Chemical contamination

This can be either the presence of unwanted chemicals or an amount that is higher than is attributed as safe. This can be highly dangerous: a high concentration of chemicals in edible products can possess serious health risks for consumers.

3. Microbiological contamination

Bacteria, yeast, mold, fungi, and viruses: they can occur and enter the packaging in any stage of the production if proper precautions aren’t taken.

 

Want to know more about these risks? We elaborate on the three most common contamination risks in this blog!

What are the consequences of contamination?

Especially the first two forms of contamination often make it to the headlines. First and foremost, contamination poses a big risk to the health of consumers.

Apart from that, it will inevitably lead to recalls. This doesn't just cause direct financial losses. It could also seriously harm a brand or business in the long run, having a damaged reputation and less trust from consumers, other producers, and sellers.

How does Masterpack help?

Modified Atmosphere

As for microbiological contamination, Modified Atmosphere prevents this by creating an atmosphere in which bacteria, mold, fungi and more cannot grow. This also protects products from insects and other pests.

Cleanrooms

Working in state-of-the-art Cleanrooms, we minimize the chance of any form of contamination. We can ensure that the product is filled in a contamination-free, dustproof, and hygienic environment.

Sensor Spot

During the transport and storage of products we want to be able to monitor the Modified Atmosphere within the packaging. Thanks to Sensor Spot, we are able to do this without making any holes inside the packaging, thanks to the innovative sensor spot technology. This takes away any risks of physical contamination.

Want to decrease risks and increase shelf life?

With smart packaging solutions we improve your supply chain by making it safer and more sustainable. Want to take control of contamination risks in a non-chemical way? Get in touch with our team to find out more.

 

 

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Want to work towards sustainable supply chain management?

At Masterpack, we are continuously working towards better ways to pack and protect products. We proudly present our newest solution: Modified Atmosphere for FIBC’s. Download our latest whitepapers:

Testing and improving your packaging (1,6MB)
Modified Atmosphere in FIBC's (6,4MB)
Pest prevention and control in bulk packaging (2,8MB)
The Modified Atmosphere Packaging Process Whitepaper

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