The Place of Packaging System in Advancing Food Preservation for Promoting Food Products’ Market Share

Abstract

The place of packaging system in advancing food preservation for promoting food products’ market share was studied. It was observed that packaging system is a version of food preservation, used to prepare food products for transportation, distribution, storage, marketing, luring consumers and usage. It makes freshly/processed food products last beyond natural shelf-life while maintaining an acceptable quality, nutritional and sensory characteristics by shielding them from interacting with natural environmental atmosphere. Consumers’ increasing demand for fresh-like/mildly food with valuable quality, nutritional, safety and sensorial properties instigated emergence of novel packaging system having better preservative potentials that guarantee meeting their expectations. By advancing food preservation, packaging elongates products’ marketability and enlivens organizational marketing strategies for increasing products’ sales/their associated market shares. It achieves this through the functions it performs which include; containment, protection/preservation, communication, convenience, tamper indication, and traceability. It is recognized as a salesman, an advertising agent and a sales promoter; and a beacon of relaunching of products to revive/heighten consumers’ interests in the products. It is part of marketing strategies, often used to add values to products and for brand promotion. Packaging system advances food preservation and creates opportunities for products’ sales and the associated gain in market share.

1. Introduction

Packaging mediates between food industry and the market and, determines the stake of food products in the market and hence, the rewards of efforts put in by producers in food processing. Processing of foods is as important as ensuring that the processed foods get to the consumers in good condition, hence, the indispensable role of packaging in food processing operations. Marsh and Bugusu [1] considered packaging as instrument of maintaining the benefits of food processing by facilitating safe movement of processed food products from the point of production through channels of distribution to the point of consumption. Food packaging, by maintaining the wholesomeness of products, undoubtedly, creates preservative environment for enhancing food quality and safety as well as reducing postharvest wastes which constitute the key objectives of sustainable food system [2]. Food packaging configures atmosphere surrounding food products and shields the products from interacting with natural environmental atmosphere by either reducing the presence of oxygen and increasing carbon dioxide or vice versa depending on one adjudged to favor keeping quality of the given product(s). The preservative potential of packaging was highlighted by Himanshu and Bindu [3] in their report that acknowledged packaging as an essential system for preserving food quality, minimizing food wastage as well as reducing the use of chemical food preservatives and their associated effects. The foregoing, indicates that food packaging is a version of food preservation system, an instrument that could be used in advancing food preservation for efficient and effective distribution, marketing and making the products get to the consumers in an acceptable condition. The packaging system purveys the advancement of preservation of food products, enables increased consumers to increasingly patronize the products which usually translate to more sales for the organization with its attendant more market share. The efforts of food industry to provide sufficient food for people could only be successful by packaging system which, according to Himanshu and Bindu [3] serves several purposes which include; protecting products from the point of production through distribution channels to the consumers, or after purchase for the consumer, increasing ease of utilization of the products, improving consumers’ interest or acceptability of the products, supporting what they further recognized as self-service, consumer affluence, company and brand recognition, and innovation opportunity. Although, the primary target of packaging is to advance the preservation of foods; it has been observed to have indirectly become a major factor in gaining customers. The report of Draskovic [4] attested to the link between food packaging and gaining consumers’ attention and, stated that it is a key to motivating consumer to purchase products. The forgoing, not only, determines preferences of consumers with respect to packaging designs but their behaviors toward purchasing of food products. The logistical and functional roles packaging play in the food system makes it outstanding in every activity associated with the system such as preservation/containment, enhancing longevity of shelf-life, distribution or movement of products from point of production to the table of the consumers. The importance of food preservation in promoting marketability and market share of products/organizations in food industry cannot be over emphasized. As one of the key drivers of marketing, it pushes the food industry to flow with dynamic changing consumption habits of consumers occasioned by busier life styles, small household unit and general insufficient time. Packaging system as a version or integral part of preservation system, undoubtedly elongates keeping quality, nutritional and sensory values of fresh and processed food products to assure their availability, at right conditions, both for the increased sales of products by producers/marketers cum gain in the products’ market shares. There is insufficient information on the importance of packaging system on preservation or elongation of shelf-life of fresh/processed food products which enables selling more of the products and gaining market shares. Hence, the objective of this paper was to discuss the place of packaging system in advancing food preservation for promoting food products’ market shares.

1.1 Definition of concepts

1.1.1 Food packaging

This is defined as an enclosure of fresh or processed foods in a container called a package with an intention to hold and keep the foods for a later use. This definition explains the containment, protection or preservation functions of food packaging indicated in the literature. Coles [5] alluded to its marketing orientation to define it as ‘a coordinated system of preparing food for transport, distribution, storage, retailing, and end-use to satisfy the ultimate consumer with optimal cost’. It can be equally defined as a post-processing operation, which although not part of raw materials, is designed to improve or further the values of fresh or processed food products to food industry. Shin and Selke [6], aligned with that above definition by stating that it is a follow-up to the completion of food processing operations for maintaining the benefits of processing efforts, carried out to enable food products travel safely for long distances from their point of origin to the table of consumers at a wholesome condition. They averred that food packaging emanated from the demands of modern or advancement in food system that revolves around ensuring that food products move through distribution channels to the consumer in safe and acceptable quality conditions. Also, food packaging, may be considered as enclosure of fresh or processed food products for passing the relevant information to expected consumers to encourage their patronage. This definition is in tandem with the report of Marsh and Bugusu [1] that stated that packaging is the face of food products designed to expose the products to consumers and or induce/influence the expected consumers’ patronage. Similarly, food packaging is defined as preparing or arranging or configuring processed or fresh food products for easier or convenient utilization of the products. Packaging role in making food products easier for consumers to consume is reflected in designing some packages to have dispensing and resealing features, ability-to-cook and eat-the-product within its specific packaging features, easier handling features etc. [4].

The definitions of Food packaging indicate that it is a conglomerate of activities designed to ensure that food products are handled to maximally benefit those that have interest in the products such as the producers, the marketers and the consumers. Hence, the definition spans through enclosure to protecting/preserving the product, containing for safe distribution of the products, easing difficulties in the utilization of the products and; to communicating to draw attentions of the potential consumers in order to encourage the marketability of the products. It mediates between the producers of fresh or processed food products and the consumers, ensuring movement of the product through distribution channels with untampered values.

1.1.2 Organizational market share

Organizational market share is the portion of market sales accruable to a given organization by the sales of its product(s) measured within a given period of time. Some school of thought considers market share as that percentage of total customers’ purchases of a given product that goes to a given individual, organization or nation. It is also defined as the measure of the relative size of a business with respect to other participants in the same market, but is not a measure of a relative size elsewhere in the value chain [7]. Table 1 shows the contribution of packaging to the values of market share gained by products due to the types of packaging materials used.

Materials	Market share (%)		Compound annual
	2011	2016	Growth rate (%)
Flexible packaging	20.4	21.6	4.8
Flexible plastic	13.6	14.9	5.4
Flexible foil	1.7	1.7	3.3
Flexible paper	5.1	5.0	3.4
Rigid plastic packaging	22.1	24.4	5.7
Board packaging	30.6	29.4	2.9
Metal packaging	15.6	14.3	1.9
Glass packaging	6.7	6.4	2.7
Other packaging	4.7	3.9	−0.4

Table 1.

Packaging market trends.

Source: Su et al. [8].

Market share is a measure of consumers’ preference for product over other similar products or consumers’ preference for product from a given organization over other products from other organizations, indicating that higher market share emanate from making greater sales, having less efforts to sell more and having strong barrier to entry for competitors [9]. The types of market shares mentioned by the literature are value market share and volume market share. The value market share is based on the total share of a company out of the total segment sales. Volumes refers to the actual numbers of units that a company sells out of a total units sold in the market. In marketing literature, market share is considered as a demonstration of the effort of an organization to compete in product-market place. This view is in agreement with the report of Farris et al. [9] that considered market share as a reflection of successful efforts an organization unleashed in selling its product by advertising and promotion, product/service offering quality and price, channel and customer relationships, and selling activities.

1.1.3 Advancing food preservation

The concept of advancing food preservation is all about taking, the elongation of wholesomeness (quality and edibility) of fresh and processed food products, to greater levels by applying scientific knowledge using available technologies and procedures to discourage the activities of agents of food deterioration/spoilage and foodborne diseases. Preservation attempts at elongating the quality or usefulness of the products by elimination or slowing down microorganisms, oxidation of available fats that instigate rancidity or activities of enzymes responsible for chemical deteriorations [10]. The literature indicates that the elimination of the spoilage/deterioration agents is usually, taken care of, during processing (conversion of raw food materials to desired products), as the heat energy applied for processing eliminates or reduces the microbial loads and or inactivate enzymes. Advancing food preservation goes beyond ensuring maintenance of food shelf-life and safety to seeing that mildly processed food products have an elongated shelf-life with the right quality, nutritional values, and safety, sensory attributes (taste, appearance, color etc.). Ayoub [11], associated advancing preservation with the emergence of novel preservation process which shifted from the use of conventional methods of processing like thermization, pasteurization, and in-container sterilization; to novel food processing technologies. His report showed that these technologies are grouped into non-thermal processes which uses physical means as inactivation factors like pressure, electromagnetic field, sounds etc. and they include high pressure processing (HPP), pulse electric fields, irradiation, ultrasound, cold plasma, ozone, supercritical; and thermal which mainly uses energy generated by microwave and radio frequency and they include microwave, radio frequency, ohmic heating and inductive heating. Advancing preservation by preventing recontamination entails creating barriers that circumvent interactions between food products and outside environmental atmosphere using packaging system that encloses the product with different atmospheric conditions unfavorable to the activities of deteriorating/spoilage agents. Also, advancing food preservation may, also, be considered as increasingly prolonging keeping quality and enhancing the economic orientation of food products with an insignificant or no effect on the physiochemical conditions of food. Hassan et al. [12] adduced that advancing food preservation is, also, achieved through application of advanced techniques involving the use of natural ingredients, example is the use of natural antioxidants in preservation of foods. Hence, advancing food preservation is keeping or maintaining the quality of food products, from the point of production through the channels of distribution, with all the conditions that coincide with the expectations of the consumers. The same reasons that instigated the evolvement of novel food processing technologies like production of safer, long shelf-life, higher quality, good nutritional valuable, and healthy promoting food products with acceptable sensorial parameters [13] caused the emergence of novel packaging technologies, as mildly processed food products, which for instance, are increasingly desired by consumers are to be ensured to be in acceptable condition from the point of production through to the time of consumption [14]. Packaging systems are facilitators of unitization of advancement in food preservation. The novel packaging technologies outlined by [13] to include; active packaging, intelligent packaging, eco-friendly packaging, bioactive packaging, nanotechnology, modified atmosphere packaging, controlled atmosphere packaging and others, are advancing food preservation technology.

2. Developments in the food packaging

The development of the packaging started with the traditional packaging systems. The accounts of archeologists and historians, according to the literature, tied the inception of food packaging with people becoming more nomadic and the need for them to protect, store and transport food and other goods. At that time, they made use of untreated natural resources they could lay hand on, such as animal skins, gourds, fashioned leaves and other plant materials. The advancement in people’s ways of life translated to the enhancing the use of these resources in new fashioned way by making clay pots, weaving baskets using plant fibers and making bags from animal skins, which enabled storage and transportation of food materials between settlements. As people grew in population and advanced in lifestyles, innovation and creativity; sophisticated packaging system evolved to cater for their prevalent expectations. The packaging industry, thus, developed from the use of locally available natural resources in the traditional setting through to the use of sophisticated materials concerned with achieving four major functions of containment, protection, convenience and communication.

Traditional packaging materials, most of the times, target at providing containment, some protections and convenience with little or no regard to the communication aspect of packaging function [15]. Thus materials could be said to be readily available to meet up the supply needs of the industry, but fall short of some important ones. For example, plant materials like leaves used for packaging either as a direct wrapping or weaving/forming them into containers and baskets provided good packaging for containment with an insignificant contribution to preservation at long term and communication [16]. The shortcomings of the traditional packaging systems and man’s quest for better packaging materials evolved the use of plant materials to produce paper and paper boards, which almost provided all the packaging functions of containment, protection, communication and convenience. Sarkar and Aparna [17] reported the changes packaging system passed through to attain the present status today in which materials such as paper and paperboard, metals, glasses, plastics and other materials designed by the blends of two or more of these aforementioned items for better packaging functions. According to literature, it took over 150 years for food packaging to undergo changes and finally emerge in its current form [18].

However, it is worthy to mention that the pattern of involvement of the materials in food packaging indicated that paper which took over from traditional materials had shortcomings of low strength, being opaque and high permeability to moisture, gases and vapors and hence, are unsuitable for adequate protection and preservation of food products. The glass developed to address these lapses, though provided the advantages of transparency, imperviousness, and inertness; but their fragility and heavy weight to strength ratio became limiting factors [1]. The first evidence of pottery and glass being made was about 7000 B.C., yet industrialization of the process by the Egyptians was not seen until about 1500 B.C. [19]. It is interesting to note that the primary materials used to make glass at that time, limestone, soda, sand, and silica, are the same materials that are used today, although many additives have been developed to color glass and give it varying properties [17].

The metal containers came into use in the 1700s for food packaging, and have excellent strength but their shape limitation was their main disadvantage [18]. Metal cans were initially manufactured for snuff, for which they provided an excellent barrier to products either from losing moisture, flavor, odors or absorbing same from their external environment [17]. The metal containers were later used in the canning operation that was discovered by Nicholas Appert when he answered a challenge from French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte to develop a method to preserve food for his army [20]. The use of metal in packaging materials are still ongoing as they provide the expectations of man with regard to having ideal containment, protection, convenience and communication.

The involvement of plastics in food packaging was as a result exploration for better packaging materials. The ability of plastics to be made into thin films and containers is one of the most important advantages of involvement of plastics in packaging industry [2]. The benefits of involving plastics as packaging materials outweigh their demerits. Their use reduces packaging weight, volume, costs and ease of transportation of packaged food products. The involvement of plastics as packaging materials, facilitated evolution of technologically advanced packaging systems such as modified atmosphere or controlled atmosphere packaging, active packaging, intelligent packaging and others [11]. Also recent developments in food packaging have shown the involvement of ecofriendly materials like biodegradable or edible materials in food packaging system, in an effort to minimize problems of increasing environmental wastes occasioned by packaging materials. The development of food packaging from traditional through the conventional packaging to novel packaging systems showed a progressive improvement in the advancement in the contributions of packaging to food industry as indicated in the Table 2 below. Buckow and Bull [21], Pal et al. [14] and Hameed et al. [13] mentioned areas of improvement in the maintenance of quality, nutritional values, sensorial parameters and shelf-life, with longer storage period, as the packaging systems developed from traditional through the conventional to novel packaging, especially for the fresh-like or mildly processed food products being increasingly demanded by consumers.

Parameter	Traditional packaging	Conventional packaging	Novel packaging
Food quality	Slightly maintained	maintained	Maintained
Shelf-life	Slightly maintained	maintained	Maintained
Sensorial properties	Not maintained	Slightly maintained	Maintained
Nutritional value	Lost at long term	Good	better nutritional values
Safety	Not assured	Good	Good
Fresh-like food	Not available	Not available	Available

Table 2.

Traditional, conventional, and novel packaging materials and their impacts on food parameters.

Sources: Buckow and Bull [21]; Hameed et al. [13]; and Pal et al. [14]

2.1 Some of the pictures of the packaging materials

The pictures showing examples of the various types of conventional packaging materials afore-mentioned in Figures 1–7 below.

Figure 1.

Flexible paper packaging.

Figure 2.

Rigid paper packaging.

Figure 3.

Rigid plastic packaging.

Figure 4.

Flexible plastic packaging.

Figure 5.

Flexible Aluminums foil food packaging.

Figure 6.

Metal food packaging.

Figure 7.

Glass packaging.

3. The contributions of packaging in the development of food industry

Food industry is a conglomerate of activities involved in handling agricultural products, which runs, possibly from the farm gate through to the utilization or consumption of the products at an expected condition of consumers’ adjudged food value. Food packaging is a process of making fresh or processed food product to be utilized beyond the point of production, which facilitate the link between the producers and the consumers, by ensuring that the products are transported through the distribution channels to the consumers, with unchanged quality, nutritional status and physical/sensory parameters. The literature recognized food packaging as the champion of identification, anticipation and satisfaction of customers and increasing patronage of food products for productive marketing and gaining of market share. The support of food packaging to the enterprising of food industry is founded on the forgoing as well as in ensuring diversifying patronage of the products through their unitization process. The contributions of food packaging to the development or success of food industry can be considered in terms of primary and secondary roles [22]. The literature mentioned four principal or primary and other ways food packaging promote food industry to include containment, protection/preservation, communication and convenience constituting primary functions and others like temper indication, traceability, portion control/unitization. Some of these functions are discussed below.

3.1 Containment

This role entails holding or containing food products to prevent them from throwing away or scattering during logistic or handling operations. For instance, containment makes movement of the products from the point of production to the point of storage/usage possible or convenient. This indicates that containment is the key factor in either the handling or the usage of the products. According to Shin and Selke [6], containment is the key factor for food packaging functions because products must be contained in a container to get to the consumers. Also, containment facilitates handling of the products in discrete units as an added value to the products. By unitizing the products, containment eases the marketability or distribution of the products and hence, improves revenues realizable from the products. Containment can equally be considered as a fundamental basis for protecting or preserving the products from unnecessary interactions between the products and the outside environmental constituents during handling operations.

3.2 Protection/preservation

Packaging is the beacon of protection or preservation of food products from physical damage arising from shock, vibration, compressive forces, poor handling (abrasion) etc. during distribution and transportation of the products. It also safeguards the products from other environmental damages that occur due to the influence of water, air, light, environmental odors, microorganisms [6]. The protective function of packaging equally involves shielding products from unacceptable interactions or destructive tendencies of environmental factors such microorganisms, insects/rodents and others. Packaging process creates conducive micro-climate or environment that enhance shelf-life around food products by putting in place a different formation of oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor etc. other than that obtained in natural atmospheric environment. Marsh and Bugusu [1] stated the protection/preservation function of food packaging can be considered to be in three dimensions, physical, chemical and biological with the chemical minimizing compositional changes instigated by environmental influences like exposure to gases, moisture and, light (visible, infrared, and ultraviolet); biological, preventing interactions of microorganisms(pathogenic and spoilage agents), insects, rodents and other animals to circumvent spoilage and incidence of diseases.; physical aspects catering for shock, vibration, compressive forces, poor handling (abrasion) etc. during distribution and transportation of the products.

The choice of containers for food packaging, according to the literature, depend on many factors which include the physical condition (liquid, semi-solid and solid), chemical composition of food, physical strength of the material, material’ resistance to permeability of liquid, vapor, environmental odor etc. usually, the packaging literature is replete with information on various containers applied in food system as packaging materials. The report indicated the use of natural resources like leaves and other plant materials, animal skins, cement paper bags, jute bags, basket, bamboo, cane basket, and pottery, discarded bottles and jars, old stock of paper prints, broad leaves, empty fluted gourds, fruit shell, coconut shells, maize-sheath, glass-sided boxes, jute sacks, poly sacks, polyethylene bags grouped as traditional packaging materials [15, 22, 23]; that are still used amongst Igbos, Yorubas, Hausas and other tribes of Nigeria in their localities. These material are being used not necessarily for their protective/preservative potential but for their availability at a very low cost, as according to Evivie et al. [15] they are unsuitable for protecting agricultural products or for efficient logistical roles and transportation and thus are inapplicable in industrial settings. The attempt to improve on the functions of traditional packaging evolved modern packaging materials which include paper and paperboard, glass, metals, and plastics in conventional packaging system. Paper and paperboards are used in wide range of forms in food packaging for dried food products like powdered foods, flours, cereals, cereals etc. as well as in production of corrugated boxes, milk cartons, sacks, and paper plates [2]. The protective/preservative properties of plain paper are poor because of its low strength and high permeability to moisture, gases and water vapors [1]. Also, glass containers, which according to Grayhurst and Girling [24], attributed to being chemically inert and odorless, are used to package wide range of food products like food beverages such as beers, wines, spirits, liqueurs, soft drinks and mineral water and others, whether in solid or liquid form. Another aspect of containers used in food packaging are metals. The report of Page et al. [25] indicates that metal containers are strong and impervious to water/liquid, gas, food vapors, environmental odors and are used to package wide variety of foods. The two metals mostly involved in food packaging are aluminum and steel [1]. While steel is used in making three-piece cans for packaging liquid milk, drinks and processed foods such as beans and peas, aluminum is used to produce two-piece cans (for carbonated drink and seafood), foils and laminated paper [2]. Furthermore, plastic containers appear to dominate other ones afore-mentioned in food packaging because they are valuable in terms of being moldable, heat sealable, inclusive to production processes by having the nature of being produced, filled and sealed as part of production operation [1]. The use of plastic in packaging has facilitated advancement in food packaging that guarantees better maintenance of nutritional and sensorial properties of food products [2]. The emergence of modified atmosphere packaging, active packaging, intelligent and other recently developed novel packaging systems which target at meeting the consumer’ desires for fresh-like food products, with unchanging valuable nutrients and sensorial attributes, health promoting potential; was facilitated by packaging containers constituted of plastic and or biodegradable materials.

3.3 Communication role

Packaging passes information about the products, providing what the consumers need to know in terms of the chemical constituents, nutritional characteristics, mode of utilization, shelf-life etc. This information is necessary to draw attentions of consumers or guide them in the choice of products [6]. The communication function of packaging not only includes the information provided by the written texts, but the elements of the packaging designs such as package shape, color, recognized symbols or brands. In this status, packaging performs a role of salesmen employing all its characteristics to entice expected consumers who may instantly recognize the products through appetizing pictures or distinctive brands on the package. The packaging, if transparent, expresses the same nature to lure consumers by giving them opportunity to see the products contained inside the package. Invariably, packaging by its characteristics, passes information to consumers, helps in the marketing and, may be considered a purveyor of food products’ retail marketing mix that influence conventional marketing variables such as products, price, promotion, and place.

The communication aspect of the functions also encompasses how food packaging facilitates marketing of specific or well-known or branded food products. It distinguishes products from different organizations to enable the consumers choose amongst similar products present in the market. For instance, it provides information on cocoa food drinks from different companies like Cadbury and Nestle Foods, in Nigeria to enable consumers choose according their interest or appeal. Thus, food producers that introduce food products enclosed with an innovative and exquisite packages that are alluring to consumers will always outsell their competitors in product marketing. This is because the ability to present an outstanding packaging, for products, gives organizations an edge in brand competition. It promotes sales of products by providing prerequisite information consumers need every place and on the shelf, thereby acting as an advertising instrument [1]. For example, such promotional information like free extra products, uniqueness of the products, gifts, reduction in price with bulk purchases are provided to draw attention or command interests of consumers.

3.4 Convenience

The desire of to avoid burdens or inconveniences in life is equally translated to application of packaging as part of food processing operation. The use of packaging to reduce burden associated with the handling and utilization of processed food products provided element of convenience in food packaging which seem to influence the interests of the users of the products. Packaging makes the use of food products easier and simple for middlemen and consumers. Promoting convenience in the use of food products through packaging relies significantly on the physical characteristics of packaging, which can unavoidably be linked with the concept of communicative dimension of packaging (e.g. shape, size, color, material, graphic applications. Marsh and Bugusu [1] mentioned elements of food packaging that promote convenience to include ease of access, handling, and disposal; product visibility; resealability and microwavability. According to them the forgoing elements unburdens preparation and serving of food, add value and competitive advantages to food products, though may influence the amount and types of package waste requiring disposal.

The convenience aspect of packaging may be using lighter weighted materials as packaging to reduce the burdens of transportation during distribution. Such materials, though are light, must withstand physical pressures, vibrations or shock that may be occasioned by handling, especially the transportation process. The use of PET instead of glass in packaging soft drinks, recently introduced in the beverage industry in Nigeria, typifies packaging for convenience in transportation of food products. The use of lightweight materials as food package which guarantees provision of protective/preservative critical functions reduces weight eases the burden and cost of transportation of food products. Hence, considering convenience, food product’s type vis-a vis the potential of the material to resist breakage and permeation of gases, water vapor, environmental odors etc. are mandatory.

3.5 Tamper indication

Food packaging could also be designed to be tamper resistant to be able to pass information of whether the product enclosed is fondled with or not in the course of movement of the products through distribution channels, marketing to the consumers. According to the literature, this role is registered in food system as tamper evidence or tamper indicator and defined as the characteristic that disclose every unauthorized attempt made by people to access or fiddle with the products. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration [26] defined “tamper- evidence or indication package as one having one or more indicators or barriers to entry which, if breached or missing, can reasonably provide visible evidence to consumers that tampering has occurred” Marsh and Bugusu [1] reported that tamper indication is majorly designed to prevent or reduce adulteration/tampering with the following features such as banding, special membranes, breakaway closures, and special printing on bottle liners or composite cans such as graphics or text that irreversibly change upon opening. The information passed by tamper-indication packaging, not only, assures consumers of the genuineness of the products and hence, contribute immensely in influencing the consumers’ decision to choose amongst available similar products and in marketing of the products; but assist to keep organizational brands from being faked. Tamper-indication, thus, is a sure way of discouraging adulteration of products and ensuring that products in the market originated from the organizations that produced them. It is therefore necessary to educate consumers on identification of tamper alert by the manufacturers. This is tandem with the report of Rosette [27] that suggested that consumers should be knowledgeable of the characteristics of tamper-packaging and its indications for the products concerned. Tamper-evidence, is designed to provide, what Kumbhar et al. [28] called visual indication of package integrity of good or reasonable logistic attention given to products from manufacturing through distribution to retailing activities.

3.6 Traceability

Traceability is a characteristic of food packaging applicable in monitoring and assuring unchangeable quality of food products from processing operation through distribution channels to when the products are on the consumers’ table. The literature defines food traceability as the system that trace the flow of food products through supply chain whose activity covers production, processing and distribution [29]. It facilitates the tracking of products at any stage of the supply chain. The tracking enables producers to detect defective and unsafe products for easier withdrawal from the market. In addition to tracking products, Golan et al. [30] mentioned other objectives of traceability to include improvement in supply management and differentiating and marketing of food products with subtle or undetectable quality attributes. The tracking is through technology that inscribes unique readable codes on package labels of products. Some of these technologies according to the report of Daoud and Trigui [31] include Barcodes, Radio Frequency Identification, Wireless sensor networks, Quick Response; who further cited the use of quick response code, in particular, a traceability label to access information of food products using smart phone. Traceability provides up-to-date information or histories of all batches products from starting materials to complete final products. Hence, while to the producers it enables the monitoring, identifying and withdrawal of defective and unsafe food products, it assists consumers to ascertain the originality and nature of the products. Amongst consumers that are acquainted with traceability functions, it determines their choices and disposition toward information to purchase products [32]. It indeed aids consumers in making decision on the products to purchase through provision of accurate documentation, and hence, heightens the marketability and possible economic benefits [33]. Its contributions to the advancement of food packaging system are attested to by the literature. Daoud and Trigui [31] mentioned its status in the recently developed innovative packaging like smart packaging and intelligent packaging; designed, according to the literature to maintain, improve and monitor food quality and safety [34].

4. Food packaging as unit of food preservation technique

Food packaging is undoubtedly, the engine of food industry instigating innovations in food preservation in an attempt to maintain the quality, nutritional values and sensory parameters of fresh or processed food products from the point of production to through the distribution channels to the dining tables of consumers. Although packaging of food started with containment of food to facilitate its safe distribution, it progressed with creating environment that discourage deteriorative and spoilage agents, hence the literature classified it as part of food preservation process. Food packaging is indeed a food preservation process since it contributes in the preservation of food products’ quality and, guarantees food safety within the shelf-life [35]. Hence, the literature includes food preservation as one of the four major functions of food packaging [36]. Consideration of food packaging system as a preservative technique is based on the fact that packages function to protect products from spoilage and damage occasioned by environmental factors such as microbes, insects, light, heat, oxygen, water vapor, odors, dirt, dusts, etc. [37]. Ganguly [38] convincingly aligned food packaging with food preservation process by stating that it delays deterioration/spoilage of the products, retains the beneficial effects of processing, extends shelf-life, and maintains or increases the quality and safety of food. To accomplish the forgoing, packaging shields food products from uncontrolled interaction with three major external elements which include; chemical, biological and physical environment. Chemical protection targets preventing or reducing compositional changes caused by environmental influences like exposure to gases (typically oxygen), moisture (gain or loss), or light (visible, IR or UV); physical protection ensures logistical efficiency as distortion of food products due to vibration, shock, compressive forces, poor handling (abrasion) etc. during distribution and transportation of the products. Also biological protection not only shields the products from incursion of microorganisms (pathogens and spoiling agents), insects, rodents, and other animals, thereby preventing disease and spoilage; it in addition create condition that regulate senescence (ripening and aging).

The potential of food packaging to preserve fresh or processed foods is explicable with the fact that the process creates different atmospheric environment around the products that discourage activities of agents of deterioration or spoilage. Food packaging as part of food preservation functions by preventing occurrences of undesirable changes in the wholesomeness, nutritive values or sensory quality of food products by shielding the food products from the undesirable activities of biological, chemical and physical agents of food deterioration/spoilage.

Food packaging facilitates storage or preservation of food products in small units and hence, increases the number of potential consumers that can patronize the products. Other instruments of preservation like the use of high or low temperature, for instance, are applicable through the packaging system/medium, as the direct contact of the products and the temperature’s source may adversely affect the quality of the products.

Also, innovations in food preservations required to satisfy the dynamic change in the demands of consumers are achievable majorly through food packaging. Preservation of freshly harvested foods to take care of consumers desiring fresh foods, especially fruits and vegetables is being achieved by use of intelligent and active packaging technologies. This assertion is in agreement with the report of Tanja et al. [39] that considered food packaging as a way of improving food preservation system through elongation shelf-life of food. Major studies of improving food preservation are centred on developing new packaging technologies. Abdullahi [40] mentioned the development of smart packaging for optimization of shelf-life using nanotechnologies to prove predominating position of food packaging in efforts to improve food preservation. These new packaging technologies involving the use of biodegradable materials in the packaging system has enabled improvement in preservation of foods, especially, fruits and vegetables for sustainable environment [39]. Sarkar and Aparna [17] also allied advancement in food packaging; which threw up active packaging, aseptic packaging, smart packaging, bioactive packaging, edible packaging; with improvement in food preservation. They further stated that, by maintaining food standard at the highest possible degree, which may help in satisfying the needs of consumers throughout the food supply chain, food packaging incidentally prevents food spoilage/wastage.

5. Food packaging as a salesman

Food packaging through its communication function serve as marketing strategy, passing necessary information all potential consumers desired to know about the product. The information is designed to provide the state of chemical constituents, nutritional and sensory characteristics, mode of utilization, shelf-life and other aspect of logistics required for the consumers’ utilization of the product. Such information is necessary to stir up interest of consumers or influence their choice for the product. In this way, food packaging performs a role of salesmen, employing all its characteristics to entice expected consumers who may instantly recognize the products through appetizing pictures or distinctive brands on the package. Also, the increasing change in lifestyle and introduction of self-service retail system, has invariably substituted food packaging as a communicator and mediator between producers and final consumers, by having information designed for consumers printed on the package [4]. Other nature of packaging like transparency which enables consumers to see and ascertain the conditions of the product while in the package, also influences patronage of consumers’ choices for products. The forgoing positions packaging as a purveyor of food product retail marketing mix that influences conventional marketing variables such as products, price, promotion, and place. The forgoing may have instigated Wells et al. [41] to associate packaging with marketing mix; even as Smith and Taylor [42] cited by Draskovic [4] regarded packaging as a silent salesperson that helping to inform consumers of a given brand, highlighting unique selling propositions/unique benefits (USPs), and providing friendly tips on usage. This function guides consumers to choose alright amidst increasing availability of similar brands of products in the market.

The power of branding in the marketing of food products, is seemingly the workings of food packaging designed to distinguish products from different organizations in the food industry. Fill [43], stated that packaging is a means through which buyers, especially in consumers’ market, can make brand choice decision, while Draskovic [4] considered food packaging as a brand communicator. It distinguishes products according to different industries producing foods products for the patronage of consumers, though the products are the similar. For instance, it provides information on cocoa food drinks from different companies like Cadbury and Nestle Foods to enable consumers choose according their interest or appeal. Thus, any competitor having more innovative packaging that is increasingly appealing to consumers will control or determine the swing of the market. The ability to present an outstanding packaging gives organization an edge in brand competition. This assertion agrees with the reports of Löfgren [44] and Löfgren et al. [45] that stated that the tendency of a consumer to choose one brand over the other at the point of purchase significantly rely on packaging and its ability to persuade the consumers. It promotes sales of products by providing prerequisite information consumers need about the products, every place and on the shelf, thereby acting as an advertising instrument. For example, such promotional information like free extra products, uniqueness of the products, gifts, reduction in price with bulk purchases are provided through food packaging to persuade consumers to patronize the products.

6. Market share: the kernel of organizational growth

Market share which determines the take of organization from its efforts exerted in selling products in given market is a key to organizational profitability. It not only depicts the size of the company, but stand as a metric in demonstrating competitiveness and dominance of the organization in a given field. The reports of the literature indicate that market share constitute the percentage or portions of total purchases of product or service by customers that goes to a given organization. In other word, market share can be considered as portion of sales of a product of an organization from the sales of this and all similar products of other organizations brought into the market. The reports of Chaudhuri and Holbrook [46] and Varadarajan [47] showed that it is an indicator of the success of a firm’s efforts to compete in a product-marketplace. It is thus connected with sales of products and all benefits associated with organizational sales such as increased profit, revenue, returns on investment, research and development and other mix of activities targeted at improving organizational productivity and hence, growth. Hence, it is boosted by organizational marketing effort, which Farris et al. [8] mentioned to includes efforts toward advertising and promotion, the quality and price of food product being offered to the consumers, channel and customer relationships, and selling activities. Marketing strategies deployed by organizations to improve competitiveness and sales for organizational growth, are incidentally purveyors of market share. The report of Akinseye et al. [48] x-rayed virtues of marketing strategy and linked it with every effort designed to boost sales, organizational competitiveness, return on investment, revenues and consequential organizational growth and development. The consideration of market share by the literature as a measure of the consumers’ preference for a food product over other similar products proves its link with organizational sales, the major source or kernel of organizational growth. And gaining the attentions of consumers or achieving their preference for organizational products is by provision and maintenance of quality products at affordable price, adding values to the product through a package designs and other distinguishing characteristics that give an edge of organizational product over other similar products from competing organizations. This assures increasing market share that is associated with improved profitability. Pursuing market share through productivity improvement effort, which minimizes wastes encourage steady improved profitability and other parameters of organizational growth and development.

7. Enhancing organizational market shares through food packaging

As afore-mentioned, market share is an important consideration in promoting growth and development of organization. The desire of organizations to remain in business is tied to processes that instigate market share and, food packaging is one of the most important operations that influence organizational market share. The position of packaging system in promoting market share of food products was elucidated in the report of Sarka and Aparna [17] which stated that packaging is not only a means of presenting a product but a way of inducing customers and influencing their decision to patronize the products. The manner in which packaging induces and or attract customers to patronize products, according to Selke [49] include the design of appetizing pictures on the package, use of distinctive brands and the transparency of packaging materials which allow them view the product inside.

The use containers usable by customers for other purposes after utilization of the product, is recognized in the literature as one of the ways packaging convinces consumers to buy food products. The review of the roles of food packaging in promoting productivity of food industry indicated that it promotes sales of food products and the volume of market shares that incidentally follows the sales.

In protecting the products, the package assists both producers and the middlemen in making sales associated with distributing the product to consumers in many locations; thereby promoting products/organizational market share. The report of Himanshu and Bindu [3] agreed with the forgoing by stating that packaging performs many function like protecting the product from the point production through to the point of consumption. The protective function also enhances sales of the products and the market share by increasing the product’s shelf-life to give producers and middlemen more time to sell the products as well as to market more of the product. By enhancing longevity of the products’ shelf-life, packaging system encourages more sales which favors increase in the market share of the products.

Similarly, packaging not only reflect organizational ingenuity/creativity and innovative potentials but creates a new image to differentiate/distinguish the products from similar products in the market. This referred to in the literature as branding influences inclination of consumers toward products from already known sources, which possibly results in increasing sales of the products and the attendant market shares. The report of Himanshu and Bindu [3] indicated the potential of food packaging in promoting sales through many ways including self-supporting service, consumer affluence, company and brand recognition and innovation opportunity. Products that characterize new package design and new innovation tend to flow or align with dynamic change in the demands of consumers.

Also, the contribution of food packaging in increasing sales of food products and market share is indicated in the literature of how packaging entices consumers to purchase product. Hence, it is regarded as the ‘silent salesman’ by Judd et al. [50]. According to Himanshu and Bindu [3], the understanding that packaging as silent salesman, has led to its use as a marketing tool deployed to create convenience for consumers and promotional values for the producers and the middlemen. Its increasing significance in marketing, is the reason for its adoption as a major factor in gaining customers to boost sales and hence, market shares. The expectations of consumers could be met through well designed package and this boost their increasing interest in a product and the marketing of such product. Fill [43] alluded to the forgoing by reporting that packaging is an instrument through which buyers makes significant brand choice decisions.

Furthermore, packaging remains a major avenue to communicate important messages to consumers or potential customers at the point of purchase of a given product. It provides potential customers information on their expectations from the product. Underwood [51] reported that the marketing messages are made through structural and visual elements, including a combination of brand logo, colors, fonts, package materials, pictures, product descriptions, shapes and other elements that provide brand associations. The marketing messages are well designed to encourage sales and its aligned market share in a given marketing environment. Draskovic [4] mentioned some of the ways packaging passes marketing message to include packaging shape or design; packaging size; packaging color; packaging material; carried information; graphic applications (brand logo, fonts, images. Through this ways, packaging increases market shares for organizations through increased sales of products.

The attempt to ease the burden of utilization of food products for the consumers through packaging, has indirectly increasingly determined their interests in the products. This act considered as convenience function of packaging system by the literature, is enhancing sales of products and possibly assisting organizations to compete for market share using creative innovative package designs. Design architecture, material constituents, the communication of information potentials and other features that entice consumers, are according to Draskovic [4] ways packaging contribute to sales and hence, gaining of market shares. He further mentioned few of the packaging feature that allure consumers for increased sales to include resealing feature which enables consumers to use the product as and when needed and, good closure systems that simplifies utilization of products. According to the literature, convenience or the ease with which a product, is removed from the package and utilized, is one of the variables that dictates consumer behavior toward making purchasing choices, and hence, enhances marketing or sales of products [4]. A well designed package that makes it easier for more segment of population, the elderly, youth and children, to utilize the products also boost sales and guarantees the organizations increasing portions of market shares from the food products. The example of ‘easier opening packaging system’ is the ‘tear strip’ at the end of biscuit pack. While Bota and Petkovic [52] mentioned typical packaging system that has ‘tear strip’ opening system designed to enable people with limited motion and strength to utilize products with ease; Fain [53] reported similar packaging system that makes opening easier for people with arthritis. The literature alluded to the potential of convenience packaging to facilitate increasing interests of all segment of population, on products especially when such packaging system guarantees tamper proof. Usually, the more the segments of population are inclined to a given product, the more they purchase the products thereby giving opportunity to the manufacturer to have an edge over the competitors, not only on the sales but also in gaining market share. The report of the literature indicated that the strip should be durable enough to resist tendency to collapse during transportation and logistic runs, and to ensure a 100% opening success rate.

Similarly, the efforts of food producers to communicate with the consumers through packaging system have been observed to help in increasing sales of food products and the market share accruable to the products. This communication disposition of packaging system encompasses marketing strategies of organizations. The role of packaging in marketing is referred to as marketing function of packaging by Dascovik [4] while Fill [43] in referring to it as marketing communication; mentioned color, shape, package size and the inscribed information; as dimensions or elements that communicate to consumer. The communication dimension of packaging passes information of all packaging characteristics or features designed to draw the attentions of consumers. The successful passage of these information promotes sales and incidentally helps organizations in gaining market share. Food packages with alluring features designed into them, distinguish product on a crowded shelf, pass instant information to consumers to decide on their choice in few minutes, connect consumers emotionally; to boost sales and enable organizations have edges over their competitors. Hence, the overall efforts to design packages to perform communication function, are seemingly attempts to increase sales, enhance marketing and promote the organizational market share in the prevailing market. The use of features such as brand logo, colors, fonts, package materials, pictures, product descriptions, shapes and other elements that provide brand associations as communicators; distinguishes organizational products and boosts their sales to enable the organization gain market share.

Furthermore, food packaging can be considered as culmination of organizational creative and innovative efforts toward making products available to potential consumers or a purveyor of organizational efforts to gain market share.

The nature or design of packages for food products is, most of times, prodded by instinct to market the products. This is the reason the package is designed according to the expectations of the potential consumers or as a reflection of organizational marketing strategy. This assertion is agreement with definition of food packaging, by Coles [5], as ‘a means of safely and cost effectively delivering products to the consumer in accordance with the marketing strategy of the organization’. The forging indicates that food packaging is an instrument of marketing of freshly or processed food products and a constituent of organizational strategies to outdo competitors to gain more in the market share. Thus packaging system, according to the literature, aligns with clearly defined marketing and manufacturing strategies that are consistent with the corporate strategy or mission of the business [5].

Also, it is unarguable that packaging system is an instrument of improving sales and heightening products cum organizational market share. The designing of packaging to cover multi-dimensional roles is an attempt to meet the dynamic demands of consumers and, a marketing strategy to increasingly gain market share. This assertion aligns with the report of Coles [5] indicating packaging as an important instrument the manufacturers of food products and or the retailers use to pursue competitive advantage. The relaunching of food products, most of the times, is carried out by redesigning of existing package in an attempt to meet the dynamic demands of potential consumers. Coles [5] also mentioned the forgoing as one of the essence of packaging and proceeded to add the idea of its use as instrument of adding value to the existing products to woo consumers. The marketing orientation of packaging is buttressed by the report of the literature that it stands as the face of product, exposing product and convincing consumers to purchase. Hence, distinctively and innovatively designed package according to Marsh and Bugusu [1], enhances and differentiate product from competing with similar products in the market to boost sales in competitive environment; and possibly increase organizational market share. Usually, designing packages to cater for the need and wants of the consumer, opening up new distribution channels, providing a better quality of presentation, enabling lower costs, increasing margins, enhancing product/brand differentiation, and improving the logistics service to customers, fulfill marketing demands of packaging for products [5]; which incidentally enhance the take of organizations from market share.

8. Novel packaging materials and their environmental consequences

Novel packaging system evolved to cater for food consumers’ dynamic change in tastes of food products occasioned by change in life styles that increasingly inclined them to demand for mildly processed and convenience food products with enhanced shelf-life. Such packaging designed with innovation or application of new ideas and knowledge in packaging process/methods; according to Majid et al. [54]; ‘act by prolonging the shelf life, enhancing or maintaining the quality, providing indication and to regulate freshness of food product’. The literature mentioned the types novel packaging and materials in involved to include active packaging, intelligent packaging, bioactive packaging, eco-friendly packaging, and others [40]. Apart from the reasons already adduced for evolution of novel packaging system, the literature mentioned solving the problems of environmental pollution/destructions associated with the traditional and conventional packaging systems as part of the reasons. For instance, Salgado et al. [55] reported the enormous environmental problems caused by increasing use of plastics in place of other materials in the conventional food packaging systems; because the plastics being mostly products of petroleum, are non-degradable. The need to protect the environment and promote economic values of food packaging resulted into researches and subsequent discovery of materials that are biodegradable and renewable and hence, are eco-friendly. This statement is in agreement with the observation of Cazon et al. [56] that ‘biodegradable and renewable materials represent a great alternative to protect the environment and give economic values to underutilized products and industrial waste materials’. The use of bioplastics, defined as ‘plastic materials that are either biobased (partly or entirely) or biodegradable or feature both properties’ [55], predominates in novel packaging system. Whereas biobased indicates that the materials sourced from biomass, biodegradable shows that it can be biologically degraded to the constituent substances such as water, carbon dioxide, methane, basic elements, and biomass by living organisms that are available in the environment [57]. Salgado et al. [55] further elucidated on the classes bioplastics and mentioned three types which includes; (i) ‘biobased but non-biodegradable plastics such as bio-polyethylene (Bio-PE), bio-polyamide (Bio-PA), bio-polyethylene terephthalate (Bio-PET), bio-polytrimethylene terephthalate (Bio-PTT), biopolyurethanes (Bio-PU), biopolypropylene (Bio-PP); (ii) plastics that are biodegradable and based on fossil resources, such as poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), polycaprolactone (PCL); and (iii) plastics that are both biobased and biodegradable’. Petersen et al., [57] further stated that the ‘last group include: polymers directly extracted from biomass such as polysaccharides (e.g., starch, cellulose, chitin, etc.) and proteins (e.g., collagen, gelatin, casein, whey, soy protein, zein, wheat gluten, etc.); whose further modification can produce additional valuable biobased materials such as cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose nitrate, regenerated cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, lignocellulosic products, chitosan, etc.); polymers produced by chemical synthesis using renewable biobased monomers, such as polylactic acid (PLA), a bio-polyester polymerized from lactic acid monomers produced by fermentation of carbohydrate feedstock; and polymers produced by microorganisms or genetically modified bacteria such as polyhydroxyalkonoates (PHA) like polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV) and bacterial cellulose’. Khoo et al. [58] compared environmental impacts of bioplastic packaging materials with those of the conventional plastics and stated that bioplastics are eco-friendlier. And Salgado et al. [55] threw more light on the forgoing by reporting that ‘biobased plastics, which are generally drop-in products for their petroleum-based counterparts, are adequate for material recycling and/or energy recovery, whereas biodegradable plastics are intended for organic recycling’. Also, the report of European Bioplastics Organization cited by Salgado [55] indicated that bioplastics minimizes their impacts on environment through proper bio-wastes’ management, separation and collection which eventually produces valuable compost manures usable in growing crops that initiate the life cycle.

9. Conclusion

Food packaging, an aspect of post-processing operation is aversion of food preservation system. It enhances the elongation of shelf-life of freshly harvested or processed food products, and ensures that the food products get to the consumers in right quality, in an acceptable nutritive value and sensory parameters. The nature of the preservative potential of food packaging system, which assist in meeting the dynamic change in demands of consumers, in the terms of having convenient foods with guaranteed safety standard, has made food packaging an influencer of consumer decision in the choice of food products. The forgoing is the reason organizations consider food packaging as a marketing strategic factor for presenting food products to the consumers in a manner that attracts their patronage, with a view to boosting the sales of the products. The developments in food packaging systems that have resulted in the emergence of active packaging, intelligent packaging, eco-friendly packaging and others have increasingly advanced food preservation. The elongation of shelf-life, nutritive values, sensory and safety/hygienic attributes of food products, by packaging system, creates marketing opportunities for producers and middlemen in trading the products, increasing retail business activities, which unarguably translates into more sales of food products and the gain in the products’ market shares.