Aluminium is a popular choice for food packaging due to its superior recyclability. It’s infinitely recyclable compared to plastic and paper while being studier and lighter than glass. This one of the world’s versatile and flexible elements is a good conductor of heat and electricity, stable and resistant to organic acids and is easy to shape. Aluminium is also the most common metal in the Earth’s crust, so it’s widely available.
In this piece, we’ll discuss the reasons why aluminium is one of the best takeaway packaging supplies. Keep reading.
1. The raw materials are safe in quality and non-toxic
Aluminium foil, also sometimes known as tin foil, is made from aluminium alloy that is more than 92% pure aluminium with additional elements like silica, titanium and zinc. It has no harmful substances like heavy metals, which means it won’t help or hold the growth of bacteria and can be safely contacted with food. And in most cases, tin foil won’t react with food.
A good number of food boxes out there are manufactured from waste and fake plastics or even unknown materials, making it hard to guarantee reliability and quality.
2. Convenient for heating
Tin foil has high conductivity and can minimise the energy and time related to food processing, secondary heating and refrigeration. Tin foil has good thermal stability and during processing and packaging, foil containers or aluminium containers can withstand temperature changes.
Aluminium foil trays and aluminium containers are perfect for heat sealing and high-temperature sterilisation. A foil container can be heated in various ways, including microwave ovens, steamers, ovens, steam boxes, pressure cookers and anaerobic heating cabinets.
Related enterprises have developed catering trays with lids, foil containers with lids and foil dish packaging equipment and reheating equipment, which can significantly boost the distribution of catering businesses or culinary companies and ensure the quality of any meal.
Plastic meal containers and boxes, on the other hand, are less resistant to high temperatures that can release harmful substances that can affect your health when exposed to heat, hot food or water.
3. Easy to shape and seal to ensure food hygiene
Tin foil in food packaging has great formability. Foil containers and foil trays can be sealed with the same material as tin foil and other materials like paper. With its characteristics of easy wrinkle and deformation, it can achieve strong heat preservation, good sealing and fresh-keeping ability.
All this can help avoid contamination and scattering in the process of transportation and storage, reducing food wastage. Those running large-scale food delivery companies should consider auto-sealing equipment to improve the distribution efficiency.
4. Extend the shelf life of food
Although tin foil is very thin, it has a strong barrier. Aluminium foil can completely block light and other substances like gas, protect moisture, improve freshness and prevent the mixing or leakage of flavour. It can effectively maintain the characteristics and original flavour of the product.
Pre-packaged food and food packaged in foil trays with lids or foil pie dishes can achieve:
• Cold and hot chain distribution
• Facilitate the storage of catering businesses, supermarkets and restaurants
• Facilitate marketing and production
• Reduce food waste
• Extend shelf life
• Avoid deterioration of products
So, it indirectly saves energy related to the production process of products.
5. Protect the environment
Tin foil has high recyclability and recovery and can be recycled unlimited times. Recycled aluminium can help produce a number of finished products. The energy needed for the regeneration of tin foil is less than 5% of the energy required for primary aluminium production. The greenhouse gas emission is also approximately 95% less than that of primary aluminium.
Tin foil trays or even large foil trays with lids can be easily compressed after use, reducing waste generated. You should also know that when buried, the aluminium foil doesn’t contaminate water or soil.
Tin foil is very light and thin, with few materials. So using large foil trays or containers can improve environmental quality and resource efficiency. It can also save a lot of wood resources and oil compared to paper and plastic.
The final verdict
The above reasons and many other properties of tin foil have led to the massive supply of aluminium foil for both commercial and domestic usage. And as a result, many tin foil manufacturers are thinking out of the box to design aluminium pouches in various sizes and shapes. For more information about foil containers and lids, take a look at AA Catering Disposables.
