Packaging on show
This week I am starting my working week off in Düsseldorf. This is the home of Interpack, the once every three-year packaging colossus that takes over the trade showgrounds in that German city. I expect to visit many stands and look at many machines, ranging from bulk bag filling to packaging for shelf units. It will be a lot to take in but I always find several very useful stories to report on, while wandering around the massive halls.
Packaging is one of those things we very much take for granted in our western European houses and workplaces. It is only when we start looking at how packaging can transform a sector – for example, the growth of UHT milk in Brazil – that we see, for all its issues with disposal and recycling, that packaging has made our lives much easier. It offers us food that is stable and fresh for longer, and free from contamination. In a way, modern society is built on packaging.
We often forget that. So I am looking forward to seeing what new innovations manufacturers have to offer. And hope to catch up with some of you at the show.
In conjunction with Interpack, Save Food, the conference on the fight against hunger, was also being held. The programme focused on India this year, which is a key dairy market, and one where packaging can make a difference in the loss of milk to market.
No matter what days you are there, I would encourage you to visit Innovationparc, where Save Food will be featuring ongoing presentations. These will be featuring representatives from the World Packaging Organisation, and packagers such as Mondi, which will cover how the barrier properties of packaging minimise food waste. That’s just one day. Please visit www.save-food.org for more information.
