Originally published on FoodEngineeringMag.com (May 11, 2022)
If food processors—particularly those of alternative proteins—view packaging as an afterthought, they may find it difficult to succeed in today’s market.
Take Footprint, for instance. This material science company was co-founded seven years ago by Troy Swope, an Intel engineer who was responsible for transporting silicon wafers from one part of the world to another. When the chips were damaged during shipment due to outgassing of the plastic packaging, Swope, who is a father of four, thought, “If this plastic outgassing is damaging one of the most sophisticated materials in the world, what’s it actually doing to our food?”
According to Heather Knox, executive head of communications at Footprint, the testing indicated that plastic from the packaging was leaching into every food product tested. “The evidence and research shows that plastic from packaging does in fact leach into food—especially if you put it in the microwave or it sits for a long period of time,” Knox explains.
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