What role does shelf-life play in the Indian kitchen?
Packaged food and ingredients are a common part of every Indian kitchen today. Aseptic cartons are playing a key role in offering longer shelf-life for the country’s packaged food sector.
Food preservation is a key component of the entire distribution chain today, thanks in large part to food packaging. Without the right kind of packaging, food processing may be jeopardized, if the product comes in contact with physical, chemical, or biological pollutants. The creation of new food packaging technology in recent years, such as modified environment and active packaging, has improved customer convenience by extending the shelf life of goods while simultaneously ensuring their safety and quality. The idea of shelf life refers to the amount of time that foods, drinks, cooking ingredients, and many other perishable products are given before they are deemed unfit for sale, usage, or consumption.
As such, the shelf life of a product is closely tied to and interconnected with the notion of food packaging. Whenever we buy any kind of food products from the market, we will find labels stating the packaging date (PKD) and expiry date (EXP) on the packaging itself. This period between the packaging date and the expiry date is what is commonly referred to as a product’s shelf life. In other words, the shelf life of a food product directly affects how long a product can be viable for in the market.
India’s packaged food segment and Government initiatives
In most middle-class homes in India, packaged food items and ingredients are now a standard feature of the kitchen. These items range from tomato purée and coconut milk to soup, milk, and more. In the next five to ten years, the packaged food industry in India is predicted to double and reach USD 70 billion, driven by factors such as economic expansion, demographic dividends, and expanding e-commerce. The Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) of the Indian Government is anticipated to strengthen the industry even further. With an investment of INR 10,900 crores, it seeks to encourage the development of world-class food manufacturers commensurate with India's natural resource endowment and advance Indian food product brands in foreign markets.
Manufacturing businesses in all market categories, from small to big, are a part of India's food processing industry. India enjoys a competitive edge due to its abundance of resources, sizable domestic market, and potential for promoting value-added goods. Achieving this sector's full potential would need Indian businesses to become more competitive with their international counterparts in terms of production volume, productivity, value addition, and connections to the global value chain. PLISFPI was developed in accordance with the NITI Aayog's "AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan for Enhancing India's Manufacturing Capabilities and Enhancing Exports" Production Linked Incentive Scheme.
The scheme's first part focuses on encouraging the production of four key food product categories, including ready-to-eat (RTE) meals made from millets, processed fruits and vegetables, mozzarella cheese, and marine items. The programme, which is slated for nationwide implementation, will enable increased processing capacity to produce processed food worth Rs 33,494 crore and provide almost 2.5 lakh new jobs by the years 2026–27.
Aseptic cartons driving the sector
As a result, the packaged food industry in India, especially the aseptic packaging industry, will be crucial to achieving this goal. Aseptic packaging offers a number of advantages, including as sterility, transportability, and a longer shelf life, that are increasingly being recognized by producers and customers. The differences in production and purchasing prices compared to conventional packaging will therefore be the key differentiator. Brands will have to reallocate their business operations to align with the increased cost in order to include the same into the product life cycle because the long-term advantages outweigh the costs by a significant margin.
Key role of sustainability in packaging
Today's consumer market has also prioritized sustainability and recycling due to the pressing need for environmental protection. As a result, several of the nation's top manufacturers are increasingly using materials from sustainably derived sources to make aseptic cartons. For instance, to ensure that high standards are preserved throughout the supply chain and that preset parameters for mass balance are observed, SIG's SIGNATURE 100 packaging material employs forest-based polymers that have been certified by respected sustainability certifications like ISCC PLUS.
A lifecycle study performed by independent experts utilizing the ISO 14040 international standard and rigorously evaluated by an independent panel has been used to establish the environmental benefits of SIG's SIGNATURE packaging material. With the aid of SIG, a company may integrate its packaging requirements and environmental goals. Along with SIGNATURE 100, which has received several honors, SIG's full line of packaging solutions in a variety of shapes and sizes also offers significant flexibility, enabling companies to offer their products in a range of volumes and price categories. The company also uses only renewable energy to fully manufacture all of their cartons.
In the years to come, packaging solutions such as these will play a key role in the proliferation of longer shelf-life products in India, while also reducing the impact on the environment, for a greener tomorrow.