43-4

New opportunities in barrier films

N. MIRANDA

As the food supply becomes more global and shipment times become longer, there will be an increased need for oxygen barrier films that provide longer shelf life stability and greater resistance to rough handling procedures. As food consumers look for more flavorful, sense-appealing food products, there will be an increased need for flavor barrier films that retain the taste and textures of foods. As consumers order more foods through the Internet, there will be an increased need for thermal barrier films that maintain the warm or cold temperature of the food product. Hence, barrier film users will continue to seek packaging solutions that provide higher quality, longer shelf life stability, and eye-catching attractive designs, all at lower costs. This presentation will go into more details on how barrier film suppliers could possibly meet these desires. Potential solutions include incorporating new resin formulations, increasing the number of functional layers and decreasing the overall film thickness, and implementing improved coating, metallization, and printing techniques.