Communicative Packaging Systems for Safety of Food Products

The packaging system protects the food content from moisture, oxidation, biological deterioration, and physical damage and facilitates product distribution throughout the supply chain. It is of the utmost importance to select the suitable packaging material, right packaging technique, and distribution system to meet the consumer demand. The traditional packaging system facilitates the distribution system by performing the basic function of containment, protection, preservation, and communication. Nowadays, food industry and consumers are more concerned about the product's freshness and safety apart from containment and protection. This chapter entails that a communication-based packaging system is an important technique that improves or indicates product safety in the supply chain using smart devices in the packaging system. It monitors the changes in the environments and communicates the condition of food products throughout the supply chain. Smart devices may include various indicators, sensors, radio frequency identification tags, bar codes, and other techniques that improve food safety and quality. These devices establish a chain of responsibility throughout the food supply chain and build a more transparent distribution system and transmit information, rectifying the existing challenges and improving food safety.