When most people purchase an item at their local grocery store, they’re more concerned with what’s wrapped up inside the packaging than the packaging itself. But packaging, the technology employed to protect and enclose items for sale, storage, and use, is one of the most critical aspects of the distribution process. There are many reasons for using packaging on a given product, and they include: convenience, for handling, display, stacking, sale, etc; security concerns, such as tamper resistance measures, tamper-evident features, authentication seals, RFID tags, dye-packs, and other anti-theft and anti- counterfeit measures; barrier protection, especially in regards to the permeation of water vapor or oxygen; physical protection, from compression, vibration, electrostatic discharge, etc; information transmission for pharmaceuticals and chemical products; agglomeration or containment, for granular materials, liquids, or powders; marketing that makes use of exterior graphic design exhibited during point of sale displays; and, finally, portion control, when a precise or single serving is necessitated by the nature of the product.
Transport packages and distribution packages include shipping containers used to move the inner packages from place to place. A consumer package is the package that will be seen and used directly in a consumer’s household. Packaging is also divided up into “layers.” The primary packaging is the first that surrounds the product, and is often in direct contact with that product. Secondary packaging binds primary package groups together. Finally, tertiary packaging is used for warehouse storage, bulk handling, and transport shipping such as palletized unit loads.
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