Applying Principles of Food Packaging: Coca-Cola Packaging Analysis

This report delves into the application of food packaging principles, using The Coca-Cola Company as a case study. It begins with an introduction to the company and its iconic product, followed by an in-depth analysis of the packaging materials, primarily focusing on aluminum cans. The report details the manufacturing process of these cans, from the initial aluminum sheet to the finished product ready for filling. It then explores the various tests required to ensure packaging quality, including structural rigidity, burst testing, and seal integrity. The legal requirements for food packaging, such as food additives and labeling regulations according to FSSAI, are also discussed. Finally, the report addresses common non-conformances in packaging, such as issues with label information, packaging safety, environmental concerns, and packaging graphics, offering potential solutions for each. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of packaging in consumer perception and product marketing.

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Apply principles of food packaging
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Apply principles of food packaging
Contents
Apply principles of food packaging..............................................................................................................1
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................................3
Packaging material and process of packaging:........................................................................................3
Tests required for packaging:..................................................................................................................4
Legal requirements for packaging:..........................................................................................................4
Non-conformances and their solutions:..................................................................................................5
Conclusion:..................................................................................................................................................6
References:..................................................................................................................................................7
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Introduction:
The Coca-Cola Company, which is situated in Georgia, Atlanta, is
an American Cosmopolitan Drink Company, and producer, merchant, and dealer of non-
alcoholic drink focus and syrups. The business is recognized for its flagship creation Coca-Cola,
devised by pharmacist John Smith in 1886 in Georgia. The Coca-Cola recipe and product were
acquired by Asa Griggs Candler in 1889, who integrated the company in 1892. The corporation
has managed a licensed distribution structure since 1889, where The Coca-Cola Company just
manufactures syrup contemplate, which is retailed to a range of bottlers all over the world who
seize restricted territories.
Packaging material and process of packaging:
Apart from bottles, Coca-Cola uses aluminum cans for their packaging. 90% of the soft drink
companies are using aluminum cans for their beverage packaging (Yuvaraju, Subramanyam and
Rao, 2014). Aluminum is made from an ore recognized as bauxite. The raw materials of the
beverage cans are 95% aluminum, 0.4% iron, 1% magnesium, 0.2% silicon, 1% manganese and
0.15% copper. The process of making the can begins with a 76cm thick aluminum bar rolled into
a thin sheet. Then the sheets are cut in the form of a circle to make the sides and base of the can.
These blanks are 14cm in diameter. Now an 8.9cm cup is made and moved into a different
machine. A folder grasps the cup just in place, and a blow lowered quickly into the cup remakes
it to a length of about 6.6cm. The stature of the cup rises concurrently from 3.3 to 5.7 cm. The
blow then shoves the cup next to three ironing rings, which widen and slender the cup walls.
Then a further punch pushes up against the bottom of the cup, rooting the bottom to swell
inward. The cap is made of a little dissimilar alloy than the aluminum for the bottom and walls of
the can. The cap is incised to a thickness of 5.3cm and the middle of the cap is stretched slightly
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Apply principles of food packaging
and pinched by a machine to give the shape of a rivet. The pull tag, a separate section of metal, is
included below the rivet and protected by it (Kirwan, 2011). Then the cover is notched up so that
when the label is pulled by the customer, the metal will remove easily and abscond the official
opening. After the whole process, now the can is prepared to be filled with Coca-Cola. The can is
alleged firmly against the place of a filling machine, and the drink is transferred in. Then after
adding the lid, the can is ready for marketing. Coca-Cola mainly uses aluminum cans because
they are recyclable, very light-weighted and inexpensive. Therefore, it helps to reduce processing
costs and shipping costs (Burke, Pietruszynski, and Baer, 2011).
Tests required for packaging:
There are a few tests required to know the quality of packaging of a beverage. These tests are:-
 Testing of cans: Structural rigidity of the cans is tested so that the cans won't break when
packed with the beverage. The cans also go through burst testing. Dimensional capacity
and structural reliability are also checked through these tests.
 Testing of seals: The seals are carefully tested to certify their capability of giving the
essential service. The integrity of the seals is a vital part of the packaging. If the seals are
stronger than the can, then the can will break apart (Gomes et al., 2014).
 Peel test: The strength of the seal is tested by peel test. Peel tests maintain the strength
balance between the seal and the can. After all the tests, the beverage can get the approval
of marketing.
Legal requirements for packaging:
 Food additives: According to FSSAI the additives which are allowed in beverages are:-
acidifying agents (lactic acid), antioxidants (ascorbic acid), preservatives (sorbic acid),
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artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose), colours (titanium oxide), thickening agents,
flavour enhancer, antifoaming agents (dimethyl polysiloxane) etc (Bolzon et al., 2015).
 Labelling: Under the law of FSSAI, the label should carry- name of the beverage; list of
ingredients; name and full address of the retailer; nutritional data; net content by volume
or weight; manufacturing date; batch no; best before date; specification of flavours;
veg/non-veg logo etc (Ramos et al., 2015).
Non-conformances and their solutions:
The packaging of a beverage is very important, and it can face many problems. The most
common issues that arise in packaging are:-
 Issues with Label information: Sometimes manufacturers give false information in the
label so that they can attract the customers. For example, low fat, low calories, 100%
pure juice, etc. To solve this problem, some special steps are needed to be taken. The
marketers have to be more honest about their products. In the present time, some
legislation is formed to prevent this kind of misleading information (Natural and organic
food and beverage trends in the U.S., 2011).
 Problems with packing safety: Customers always show their concerns for the safety of
the packaging. Sometimes marketer uses packaging full of chemicals, which are not safe
for customers. To rectify this issue, retailers must avoid this type of packaging which
requires an excess amount of chemical and are not tamper proof.
 Environmental issues: Some retailers promote their products as eco-friendly products.
But in reality, the products and their packaging harm the environment. To solve this
problem, Coca-Cola uses aluminum cans which are totally recyclable. It does not affect
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Apply principles of food packaging
the environment in a bad way. The recycling power of aluminum also helps to reduce the
expenditure of the company (Arnold, Beauchamp and Bowie, 2013).
 Issues with packaging graphics: It is identified that many brands use pictures on their
labels which do not signify the original product. They use fake pictures to attract
customers, but the product ultimately disappoints the customer. That is why, to avoid
confusion, Coca-Cola uses original pictures of their products. When the products are
testified in the lab, they take pictures of the beverage and then print it and add to the
label.
Conclusion:
Thus the Coca-Cola Company do the packaging of their product. All these processes are
extremely necessary for any food or beverage packaging because the packaging is the only thing
that consumers see before buying a sealed product.
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References:
Arnold, D., Beauchamp, T. and Bowie, N. (2013). Ethical issues. 1st ed. Boston: Pearson Education.
Bolzon, G., Cornaggia, G., Shahmardani, M., Giampieri, A. and Mameli, A. (2015). Aluminum Laminates in
Beverage Packaging: Models and Experiences. Beverages, 1(3), pp.183-193.
Burke, W., Pietruszynski, J. and Baer, L. (2011). The big book of packaging. 1st ed. New York, NY: Harper
Design.
Gomes, T., Hurley, R., Duchowski, A., Darby, D., and Ouzts, A. (2014). The Effect of Full Body Versus
Partial Body Graphic Labelling on Beverage Packaging. Packaging Technology and Science, 27(12),
pp.933-943.
Kirwan, M. (2011). Food and beverage packaging technology. 1st ed. Ames, Iowa: Wiley.
Natural and organic food and beverage trends in the U.S. (2011). 1st ed. Rockville, Md.: Packaged Facts.
Ramos, M., Valdés, A., Mellinas, A., and Garrigós, M. (2015). New Trends in Beverage Packaging Systems:
A Review. Beverages, 1(4), pp.248-272.
Yuvaraju, D., Subramanyam, D. and Rao, P. (2014). Advertising Strategy of Coca-Cola at Coca-Cola
Beverages Pvt.Ltd. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 16(6), pp.122-131.
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