INDUSTRY SPEAKS
ALUMINIUM IN FOOD PACKAGING:
RECYCLING NEEDS A FRONT SEAT
As a manufacturer of food
packaging, Confoil has been well
aware of the features and benefits
of aluminium packaging since 1966
when we first started manufacturing.
Aluminium foil as a packaging
material was first mass-produced
in the early 1900s. It is now
widely-used as a flexible and
semi-rigid packaging for food
and pharmaceutical applications.
Aluminium cans came into widespread
use in the 1960s. The
principal advantages of aluminium
packaging are its lightness, durability,
strength, and high level of corrosion
resistance. Aluminium is the lightest
packaging material that provides
a complete barrier. It provides an
impermeable barrier to light, ultraviolet
rays, water vapour, oils and
fats, oxygen, odour and microorganisms.
Hence the product is
used not just for cans but long shelf
life retort/pasteurised/MAP products
such as aluminium-lined beverage
cartons, sachets, preserved foods
in pouches and cartons, yoghurt
pot lids and wrappers for butter
or cheese, confectionery wraps,
pharmaceutical blister and strip
packs, foil containers for baked
products, ready meals, pet foods,
etc.
Aluminium foil is only 0.006 mm
thick, commonly used in packaging
laminates, can keep sensitive
foodstuffs fresh for months without
refrigeration. It offers many packaged
goods absolute barrier properties.
It guarantees quality and the best
protection against deterioration for
sensitive and valuable products.
Aluminium, the third most abundant
element on the earth’s crust after
oxygen and silicon, is extracted
from an ore called Bauxite. The
ore is refined to make ‘alumina’,
a pure aluminium oxide. The
aluminium metal is then produced
from alumina by passing an electric
current through it in a process called
‘electrolytic reduction’. The energyintensive
nature of the process
results in the relatively high cost of
aluminium. This then leads to the
current hot topic of recycling.
With today’s current focus on
recyclability, aluminium seems to
take a back seat to plastics and
paper/board at the forefront. There
are many types of plastic, some
more desirable for recycling than
others. The recycling of plastics
degrades the mechanical strength
properties and still needs to be
supplemented by virgin plastic
granules to maintain its integrity.
Paper fibres shorten when turned
into pulp and have limited life.
Aluminium, on the other hand,
is infinitely recyclable because
aluminium is pure in composition
and highly durable, nearly 75% of
all aluminium ever produced is still
in use today. Aluminium is 100%
recyclable and retains its properties
indefinitely, hence can go back into
structural, aeronautical, housing,
furniture etc. applications. Aluminium
is one of the only materials in the
consumer disposal stream that more
than pays for the cost of its own
collection.
Recycling aluminium saves around
95% of the energy needed to make
the metal from raw materials. Along
with the energy savings, recycling
aluminium also saves around 95%
of the greenhouse gas emissions
compared to the primary production
process. Our foil products can
usually be included as a part of
normal recycling processes offered
by standard waste collection
facilities.
Even now, major international
companies are considering changing
some of their packaging away from
plastic to aluminium. Apple is using
recycled aluminium for their products
and Pepsi and Coca Cola are looking
James Romhany, NZ sales
manager for Confoil NZ Ltd
at putting their water into Aluminium
cans (www.tinyurl.com/aluminumrecycling
water).
Lastly, aluminium foil trays can be
microwaved in most microwaves
manufactured after 1990.
The aluminium foil must not touch
other metal, such as a metal turntable,
the oven sides, or another container.
Remove board lids lined with alufoil
and, where appropriate, use a suitable
cover such as microwave film or a
plate. Microwave energy only enters
food from the top, so use shallow
trays only, and ensure they are at least
two thirds full. Heat food for slightly
longer than usual, and ensure that it is
piping hot before serving. Many foods
heat more evenly in foil containers, but
where appropriate foods should be
stirred as usual.
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