Milk Comparison & Nutritional Value

This assignment involves a comparative analysis of Pauls PhysiCAL no fat skim milk and Bannister Downs fresh milk. Students are tasked with evaluating the health claims made on the products' packaging, referencing clear language and proper sourcing. The nutritional value of each milk is examined in relation to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and specific nutrient content is compared.

0Running head: FOOD PACKAGING
Food Packaging, Labelling and Dietary Guidelines
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s note

1FOOD PACKAGING
Table of Contents
Type and Function of Packaging................................................................................................2
Environmental Consideration of Packaging...............................................................................4
Food Products Labelling Requirement under Australian Legislation........................................5
Nutritional Value of Food Products based on National Dietary Guidelines..............................9
References................................................................................................................................11

2FOOD PACKAGING
Type and Function of Packaging
The function of food packaging is to provide protection to the packaged food against
the mechanical and microbial contamination. (1) Packaging also erects a barrier against
moisture or oxygen attack that increases the half-life of the food. Packaging also provides
protection against light and harmful chemicals. Canned food products or a product packed
inside the microwavable containers bestows stability against temperature variance. (1)
Pauls PhysiCAL no fat skim milk is retailed in 2 litres of plastic PE (polyethylene)
bottle. (2) The strength of the plastic bottle packaging is that it provides protection against
microbial contamination, moisture, oxygen, physical damage and sunlight. The main
advantage of plastic bottle is it is a cost-effective solution for packaging of the food products.
Moreover, plastic like PE is extremely light in weight helping in the process of easy
transportation, lifting or food carriage. The plastic bottles are also easy to store and operate.
(3) The PE plastic used for the packaging of the Pauls PhysiCAL no fat skim milk is
recyclable as evident from the recyclable sign present over the plastic bottle. The main
disadvantage of the plastic is, it is produced form the fossil fuels like natural gas, oil and coal.
These fuels emit dangerous greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals polluting the environment.
Plastic on decomposition produce methane gas, which is 20 times stronger than carbon
dioxide and accounts for about 4% emissions from landfill. Plastic also impose threat to the
marine life. Whales, turtles and other sea birds mistake this plastic rubbish as food. Upon
consumption of this rubbish, plastic gets entangled inside their alimentary canal causing
death or serious injuries. (4)

3FOOD PACKAGING
Figure: Plastic bottle for the Pauls PhysiCAL no fat skim milk
Source: (2)
Bannister Downs fresh milk is retailed in 1 litre pouch. (5) The pouch is fully
recyclable and eco-friendly. It is made up of 60% calcium carbonate (limestone), which share
similar composition to glass and hence capable of maintaining the freshness of the milk. (5) It
also easy to dispose, it gets flattens when empty and is also easy to crush. The pouch can also
be burnt safely with no emission of harmful gasses. Another advantage of this kind of
packaging is, it is microwaveable. (5)

4FOOD PACKAGING
Figure: Packaging for Bannister Downs fresh milk
Source: (5)
Environmental Consideration of Packaging
The principal environmental impact of packaging is use of non-renewable materials
like non-recycled plastics and implementation of polluting energy source. Other impacts
include emission of harmful fluid, suspended solids, hazardous substance that contaminate
land, reactive oxygen species, and ozone layer depleting greenhouse gas. The options for
disposal of plastics are biodegradation, recycling, landfilling and incineration. Landfills
demands space moreover, the energy contained and chemical constituents of plastic are lost
in this disposal route. Incineration returns fractional energy from plastic production but
produce, negative health and environmental impacts. (6)
Here in Pauls PhysiCAL no fat skim milk is made of recycled plastic but recycling is
a plausible superior solution. Moreover, recycling plastic saves twice the amount of energy
that is used for burning incinerator. Moreover, energy saved via recycling one plastic bottle is
suitable for powering a computer for at least 25minutes. Recycling also has certain practical

5FOOD PACKAGING
challenges like accurate sorting, high price of oil and the nature of the recycled plastic.
Nevertheless, since it is recyclable and biodegradable, it prevents the threat of long-term
environmental damage. However, biodegradation process is slow, disrupting current
recycling stream. Disposal of PE plastic bottles in landfills is unsustainable and destroys land
resources which are otherwise fit for farming. Incineration causes release of a greenhouse
gas, carbon dioxide and other air pollutants like dioxins and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs). (6)
Bannister Downs fresh milk is packaged out of unspecified plastic that has a mixture
of Calcium carbonate (CaCO3). CaCO3 is the principal mineral present in limestone, chalk
and marble, and is readily available in all parts of the world. It is also the principal building
block of shellfish, snails and eggshells. Calcium carbonate allows polymers to cool and heat
fast, resulting in energy savings, improved productivity and faster film conversion. High
Density Polyethylene (HDPE) film manufactured via amalgamation with calcium carbonate
reduces petrochemical and energy usage and thus offering significant environmental benefits.
It also minimizes carbon footprint and impact of greenhouse gas on atmosphere. (7)
Food Products Labelling Requirement under Australian Legislation
Food labelling is done to educate the consumers about the nutritional content of the
food. It also ensures that the food is safe and wholesome. Food labelling also prevents fraud
or deception. According to the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), a label is
legal requirement of all packaged food. (8)
Important
Parameters for
Labelling
Pauls PhysiCAL no
fat skim milk
Bannister Downs
fresh milk
Explanation

6FOOD PACKAGING
Name of product Yes Yes
Lot ID Yes Yes
Name and address of
supplier
Yes Yes
Warnings Yes No There are no
specific warning
signs indication
the adverse effect
of the over
consumption of
the milk or
whether this milk
is suitable for the
consumption for
the infants
Labelling of
ingredients
Yes Yes
Directions for use and
storage
Yes Yes
Nutrition information
panel
Yes Yes
Legibility
requirements
Legible Nutritional
information not
legible
The nutritional
indication since
written in white

7FOOD PACKAGING
font over blue
background, it is
not legible. If the
font size used was
black in colour,
then the legibility
might have
icreaased
Country of origin Present Present
Table: Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Food Labelling Parameters
Source: Created by Author
Figure: Labelling of Pauls PhysiCAL no fat skim milk
Source: (2)

8FOOD PACKAGING
Figure: Labelling of Bannister Downs fresh milk
Source: (5)
Health claim states that there exist a relationship between the constituents of food and
health. Health claims include:
Nutrient function claims: It describes the role of the nutrient in the growth
physiological, development and normal body functions. Example: Food X is high on nutrient.
(9)
Other function claims: These are concerned with the beneficial features of food
consumption in the context of the total diet and normal biological activity of the body. These
type of claims create positive contribution to health. Examples: “Substance A (name) and
how it helps in improving one specific physiological process of the body. (9)
Reduction of disease risk claims: Composition of the food and how the ingredients
provide immunogenic protection against certain disease. The documentation of the risk claim
must be sated in clear language with proper referencing. Examples: A Nutrient A in diet
reduces the risk of disease D. Food X is low in nutrient or substance A. (9)

9FOOD PACKAGING
The labelling requirement in the domain of health claims is met by Pauls PhysiCAL
no fat skim milk. It states that the milk have 40% extra calcium content than regular milk
that promotes the absorption of Vitamin D and also acts as an calcium supplements. (2)
However, there are no such specific health claims in Bannister Downs fresh milk. (5)
Nutritional Value of Food Products based on National Dietary Guidelines
The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) is a food selection guide. It provided
visually representation along with proportion of five different foods, which are recommended
for daily consumption.
Figure: Pictorial Representation of Australian Guide to Healthy Eating
Source: (10)
Pauls PhysiCAL no fat skim milk is ultrafiltered skim milk, which is rich in vitamin
D and scores high on calcium content. This ultrafiltered milk promotes faster calcium
absorption than regular milk. (2) Bannister Downs fresh milk on the other hand is
homogenised pasteurized milk and is rich in sodium (40mg per100 gram) and calcium

10FOOD PACKAGING
(600mg per 100 gram). There are however no specific nutritional benefits described over the
carton. (5)

11FOOD PACKAGING
References
1. Paine FA, Paine HY. A handbook of food packaging. Springer Science & Business
Media; 2012 Dec 6.
2. Pauls - Home [Internet]. Pauls. 2017 [cited 27 September 2017]. Available from:
http://www.pauls.com.au/
3. Ebnesajjad S, editor. Handbook of biopolymers and biodegradable plastics:
properties, processing and applications. William Andrew; 2012 Dec 31.
4. Gewert B, Plassmann MM, MacLeod M. Pathways for degradation of plastic
polymers floating in the marine environment. Environmental Science: Processes &
Impacts. 2015;17(9):1513-21.
5. Bannister Downs | Global Leaders in Ethical Dairy [Internet].
Bannisterdowns.com.au. 2017 [cited 27 September 2017]. Available from:
http://bannisterdowns.com.au/
6. North EJ, Halden RU. Plastics and environmental health: the road ahead. Reviews on
environmental health. 2013 Apr 1;28(1):1-8.
7. Sun S, Mao LB, Lei Z, Yu SH, Cölfen H. Hydrogels from Amorphous Calcium
Carbonate and Polyacrylic Acid: Bio‐Inspired Materials for “Mineral Plastics”.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2016 Sep 19;55(39):11765-9.
8. Food Standards Australia New Zealand [Internet]. Foodstandards.gov.au. 2017 [cited
27 September 2017]. Available from:
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx
9. Nocella G, Kennedy O. Food health claims–What consumers understand. Food
Policy. 2012 Oct 31;37(5):571-80.