Did you know?
Paper packaging plays a crucial role in keeping your food safe. Here are some important facts about this often-overlooked hero of the supermarket.
1. Some of the earliest food packaging was made from paper.
In the 1st or 2nd century CE, long before supermarkets appeared worldwide, people in China began wrapping their food in paper. These early paper food packages were made from processed sheets of mulberry bark. The practice of using paper to protect food spread from China to the Middle East and eventually to Europe.
2. Cereal Doesn’t Come in a Cardboard Box
Your favorite cereals, crackers, and frozen dinners are not packaged in cardboard. The correct term for the packaging is paperboard, which is thicker and sturdier than regular paper. Most of the boxes in your pantry are likely made from this material.
3. The carton, which is a cardboard or paperboard container that can be opened and folded back up, was invented by accident.
In the 1870s, a worker at a paper bag factory in Brooklyn was finishing up an order for seed bags when the tool he used to crease the packages accidentally tore into them. Rather than feeling discouraged by the damaged products, he had a realization: he could create a new type of package by cutting and creasing the paperboard in one motion. This innovation, initially called "semiflexible packaging," is now known as the carton.
4. It took some time for the milk carton to become popular.
A patent for a paperboard milk container with a foldable spout was submitted in 1915. Although it wasn't an instant success, the cardboard carton had a distinct advantage over clear containers: it prevents Vitamin A and riboflavin from being degraded by ultraviolet light. Additionally, it helps ensure that the milk doesn’t develop any off-flavors caused by exposure to fluorescent lighting.
5. Crackers played a significant role in popularizing the use of disposable boxes.
Disposable boxes had been available for much of the 19th century, but it wasn't until the early 20th century that they became widely popular. In 1896, an American snack company ordered 2 million boxes to package its crackers, which had previously been stored in large barrels to protect them from vermin, though with varying degrees of success. The boxed crackers turned out to be a massive success, prompting manufacturers across the food industry to quickly adopt paperboard packaging for their products.
6. The first egg carton was made from newspaper.
If you've never had to transport a dozen loose eggs in a basket, you might take the egg carton for granted. In 1911, a newspaper publisher created the cleverly designed carton after overhearing an argument between a hotel owner and a farmer about broken eggs. Inspired by this conversation, he crafted a carton made of newspaper with individual pockets to hold each egg securely. His invention has saved countless eggs from being accidentally scrambled.
Food packaging has evolved significantly since its inception and continues to improve.