New Circular Challenges in the Development of Take-Away Food Packaging in the COVID-19 Period

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has set new challenges for the HoReCa industry. Lockdowns have coincided with and strongly impacted the industrial transformation processes that have been taking place for a decade. Among the most important HoReCa transition processes are those related to the rapid growth of the delivery-food market and ordering meals via internet platforms. The new delivery-food market requires not only the development of specific distribution channels, but also the introduction of appropriate, very specific food packaging. Food packaging and its functionality are defined by the administrative requirements and standards applicable to materials that have contact with food and principally through the prism of the ecological disaster caused by enormous amounts of plastic waste, mainly attributed to the food packaging. To meet environmental and administrative requirements, new technologies to produce food packaging materials are emerging, ensuring product functionality, low environmental impact, biodegradability, and potential for composting of the final product. However, predominantly, the obtained product should keep the nutritional value of food and protect it against changes in color or shape. Current social transformation has a significant impact on the food packaging sector, on one hand creating a new lifestyle for society all over the world, and on the other, a growing awareness of the negative impact of humans on the environment and increasing responsibility for the planet. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to develop a circular economy based on the paradigm of shortening distribution channels, using local raw materials, limiting the consumption of raw materials, energy, water, and above all, minimizing waste production throughout the life cycle of products, all of which are in line with the idea of low-carbon development.

Strategic Environmental Assessment as a Support in a Sustainable National Waste Management Program—European Experience in Serbia

“…In other words, the future of the SEA should be sought in the application of semi-quantitative methods of multicriteria evaluation. When it comes to public participation in the SEA process, attention should be paid to challenges arising in specific circumstances, such as those present during the period and conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic [41].…”

Active Composite Packaging Reinforced with Nisin-Loaded Nano-Vesicles for Extended Shelf Life of Chicken Breast Filets and Cheese Slices

“…This aim would be realized by promoting eco-friendly and bio-based packaging materials with improved shelf life and safety. It is estimated that by 2026, the global market share of bio-based packaging material will increase up to 50% (Kochańska et al, 2021 ).…”

A review of the effects of COVID-19 on food waste

“…Furthermore, the pandemic also resulted in greater food delivery (Chen et al, 2021 ; Filimonau, 2020 ; Li et al, 2020 ), which increased the generation of plastic waste through packaging (Liu et al, 2021 ). This growth in food delivery and online meal ordering underlined the need to rethink traditional modes of production, processing, and distribution, to achieve more sustainable packaging based on principles of circularity (Kochanska et al, 2021 ). In parallel with the changes in consumer behaviour, traditional modes of production were subject to shocks, due to the lockdown measures and the associated economic crisis (Aldaco et al, 2020 ; Nicola et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Scholars have proposed that the pandemic may act as a new divide and a trigger for the adoption of more sustainable practices, thereby contributing to the creation of a more resilient food system (Amicarelli & Bux, 2020 ; Borsellino et al, 2020 ). Indeed, crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic may enhance innovation and resilience throughout the entire food supply chain, including agricultural (Heck et al, 2020 ) and industrial processes (Kochanska et al, 2021 ).…”