Food packaging and the new coronavirus: challenges and opportunities for the packaging industry post-Covid-19

Embalagens para alimentos e o novo coronavírus: desafios e oportunidades para a indústria de embalagens pós-Covid-19

Abstract

Health authorities such as the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that while SARS-CoV-2 contamination from surfaces such as food or its packaging is possible, it is not seen as the primary way of contagion. In studies addressing virus survival on surfaces, the virus is no longer detected on porous objects such as corrugated cardboard and fabric after 2 and 5 days, respectively, and also on non-porous surfaces such as plastic and stainless steel for periods longer than 7 days. It was also observed that this persistence depends on environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation incidence. The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (Covid-19) pandemic also had an impact on food industries, whereby digitalization trends increased, as well as the packaging industry with the expansion of e-commerce, consumer demand for packaging that is easy to disinfect and the development of more environmentally responsible packaging. On the other hand, taking into account the fear of contamination by the virus, consumers felt safer handling disposable products or single-use packaging instead of reusable packaging, which goes against the progressive ban on disposable packaging in regions, such as the European Union (EU). In the post-pandemic, concerns regarding the usage of plastics will be resumed, and in the long term, a reduction in the use of single-use packaging and a growth in recyclable waste generation rates similar to those predicted before Covid-19 is expected.

Keywords:
Covid-19; Food packaging; SARS-CoV-2; Recycling; Pandemics; Virus survival

Highlights

• The SARS-CoV-2 virus showed lower persistence on porous surfaces

• The development of more sustainable packaging will have to be balanced with the sense of safety

• Throughout pandemics, disposable plastics were preferred over reusable ones