Disposable food packaging
Single-use foodservice packaging (also known as foodservice disposables) plays an important role in our ever-changing daily lives. With less time for at-home meal preparation, more people are relying on the foodservice industry. In fact, according to the National Restaurant Association[1], Americans spend nearly 50 percent of their food budget in restaurants.
Single-use packaging allows foodservice establishments to package meals in a cost-effective and sanitary fashion, while providing customers with a safe and convenient way to transport meals.[2]
Sanitation
The use of single-use foodservice packaging is a major step toward preventing foodborne disease. Used only once, these products significantly reduce food contamination and the spread of diseases.[3]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code authoritatively spells out the sanitary and health advantages of single-use foodservice packaging: "A food establishment without facilities...for cleaning and sanitizing kitchenware and tableware shall provide only single-use kitchenware, single-service articles, and single-use articles for use by food employees and single-service articles for use by consumers." The Food Code further states "in situations in which the reuse of multiuse items could result in foodborne illness to consumers, single-service and single-use articles must be used to ensure safety." [4]
According to a study conducted in 2003 by Silliker, Inc., "reusable foodservice items had higher microbiological levels than disposable items." [5] And single-use foodservice packaging isn’t the only part of a sanitary dining experience. According to a study conducted in 2006 by the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, single-use placemats were shown, on average, to have over seven times fewer bacteria than uncovered tables in restaurants.
Cost
By reducing the need for expensive equipment and additional labor, single-use foodservice packaging is an economical alternative to multiuse items and can eliminates the need for dishwashers and other support equipment (racks, carts, dollies, shelving, bins, etc.) Plus, it can save money on water and energy used by dishwashers and can eliminates the need to replace reusables that are broken, damaged, stolen or accidentally discarded. [6]
Safety
Single-use foodservice packaging contributes to safety in foodservice operations. Single-use packaging is lightweight, reducing potential accidents and back injuries. They help eliminate possible cuts and scratches caused by chipped or broken crockery and glassware.
Convenience
Changes in American lifestyles have fueled an increase in the consumption of food prepared away from home. [7] The growing number of convenient meal solutions from the foodservice industry would not be possible without single-use foodservice packaging.
Single-use packaging offers excellent insulation, thereby keeping food at the desired temperature longer (also protecting it from foodborne disease).In addition to being able to safely transport and store leftovers, some single-use packaging is microwaveable, so food can be warmed without using additional dishes. Single-use packaging can be customized for merchandising and advertising. [8]
Environmental Concerns
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, paper and plastic foodservice packaging discarded in the country’s municipal solid waste stream accounted 1.3 percent in 2007 (by weight) of municiple solid waste. [9] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also says that an often-cited waste prevention measure is the use of washable plates, cups, napkins … instead of the disposables variety. (This will reduce solid waste but will have other environmental effects, such as increased water and energy use.)
Technological advances and packaging redesigns allow manufacturers to produce lighter, stronger, and more compact foodservice packaging, using less raw materials than their original design.
Litter
Litter is a pervasive problem in the United States today. While single-use foodservice packaging may be part of the problem, reducing its use is not the solution. The solution lies in changing people’s willingness to litter – the real source of the problem. [10]
Single-use foodservice packaging has been mistakenly perceived as the major component of litter. In fact, litter composition studies conducted in many states across the country have found that foodservice packaging items make up 20 to 22 percent of our nation’s litter stream. [11]
Recently, there has been increased concern about litter found on America’s beaches. Surveys by the Foodservice Packaging Institute have cited three sources for this litter: deliberately littered items left on the beach for some one else to pick up; accidentally littered items that are properly disposed of in trash cans but are blown out of the cans or pulled out of the cans by birds; and, items that were littered miles from the beach and washed through the urban storm water system and onto the beaches.
Recycling
Most foodservice packaging can be recycled, but isn’t for a variety of reasons. According to the Foodservice Packaging Institute the biggest barriers to recycling foodservice packaging items are public health and economics.
One of the benefits of single-use packaging is that they ensure sanitary foodservice containers for those on the go. Unfortunately, once people have used foodservice packaging it is contaminated, and thus much of it is unfit for recycling, unless it is cleaned and sorted. Some places have successfully found ways to recycle such packaging including, but they've met with limited success [12].
Collection costs, the value of scrap material, and increased energy expenditures create an additional economic barrier to recycling foodservice packaging. While recycling foodservice packaging is difficult, recycled materials are being used in some foodservice packaging.
Waste-to-Energy
One way to lessen the amount of single-use foodservice packaging sent to landfills is to reap a benefit from it – generate energy.
According to a joint U.S. Conference of Mayors and American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ study, [13] the energy produced during this process has about the same environmental impact as energy produced from natural gas, and less impact on the environment than energy generated from oil and coal. The energy contained within foodservice packaging can be almost fully recovered in waste-to-energy plants. Burning polystyrene, for example, generates 17,800 BTUs per pound of energy, double the BTU value of coal.
Sustainable Materials and Packaging
Recently a number of new, exciting materials have been developed for use with foodservice packaging products. These products are often touted as environmentally-friendly, renewable or sustainable.
One characteristic these materials have in common is that they are biodegradable. This quality makes them especially fit for disposal to a composting facility after they have been used. Unfortunately, there are not many composting facilities in place around the country. And, with a lack of composting facilities, these products will be sent to a municipal solid waste facility, i.e., a landfill, where its biodegradable characteristic is basically lost. However, as the interest in these materials grow, hopefully so will the number of composting facilities, possibly making these materials a viable option to “traditional” materials in the future.[14]
All foodservice packaging materials have an environmental footprint. They have upstream environmental footprints when the base material is extracted, harvested, produced and distributed into commerce. And, they have a downstream environmental footprint when they are disposed into municipal systems or the environment.
- ^ http://www.restaurant.org/research/
- ^ http://fpi.org/
- ^ http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/foodcode.html
- ^ http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/foodcode.html
- ^ http://www.silliker.com/silliker/html/index.php
- ^ http://fpi.org/dms/Main.asp
- ^ http://www.restaurant.org/research/
- ^ Insert footnote text here
- ^ http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm
- ^ http://fpi.org/dms/dm_browse.asp?pid=5
- ^ http://fpi.org/dms/dm_browse.asp?pid=5
- ^ http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/sec_pfpg.asp?CID=1436&DID=5228
- ^ Binder, J., Minott, D., October 1994, "Air Quality Compliance Requirements for Waste-to-Energy and Landfills." Presented at Resource Ohio '94, Akron, Ohio.
- ^ http://fpi.org/dms/dm_browse.asp?pid=5