FDA Food Packaging Requirements: What You Need to Know

What Are FDA Food Packaging Requirements?

The FDA regulates many aspects of the food supply chain, including how food products are packaged, labeled, and prepared. The FDA’s food packaging requirements ensure that food does not become contaminated by its cardboard or plastic packaging, is safe for consumers to eat, and doesn’t pose a health risk. This impacts packaging suppliers directly since this requirement regulates direct food additives and contact substances and ensures that food labels and packaging doesn’t change the food’s smell, taste, or composition. 

Although the FDA does not require testing for all of its requirements, typically testing or vendor assurances are permitted for its packaging regulations for food products. In order to be FDA compliant, the FDA requires tests to ensure that the packaging material is safe for use in contact with food.

Considerations when selling food products in the Global Market

As you might imagine the FDA is not the only regulator of food products in the world. While the FDA has stringent standards there are other regulatory bodies that you should be aware of that also will regulate your food, its labeling, and container packaging. 

• European Union No 10/2011 and amendments
• Brazil RDC n. 91/2001
• MERCOSUR GMC n. 3/92

Key FDA Regulations for Food Packaging Materials

There are several specific regulations the FDA requires food packaging providers to comply with, these regulations are found in the CFR Code of Federal Regulations. There are various regulations from food contact material requirements, to nutrition facts label requirements, and the requirements for other information panel contents.

Understanding FDA’s CFR Parts 170-199

The FDA’s Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 170-199 are a set of rules and regulations that govern food products and drugs intended for human consumption. These parts focus on direct and indirect food additives, food additive petitions, and irradiation of food. These regulations are generally recognized as the holy grail of FDA regulations for food packaging suppliers.

The CFRs worth noting for food contact are found in Title 21 and include: 

• 172.480, 174.5
• 175.105, 175.300
• 175.320, 177.1330(a)
• 177.1360(a)(3)
• 177.1350
• 177.1500(a)(6)
• 177.1500 (b)(6.1)
• 177.1520 (c) 2.1, 2.2, 3.2a
• 178.2010
• 178.3860
• 179.45
• 181.28

Food Contact Substances and Indirect Food Contact Materials

Food contact substances are exactly what they sound like: materials that come into direct contact with food during processing, packaging, transport, or storage. These substances are generally recognized as coatings, adhesives, and the packaging materials themselves. Indirect food contact materials are substances that do not directly touch food, but may still transfer to the food through migration. Examples of indirect food additives include inks, adhesives, and processing equipment coatings.

Notifications and FDA Approval Process

Food packaging manufacturers that want FDA approval for a new food contact materials must comply with the complicated food contact notification process outlined by the FCN program. This process means manufacturers need to notify the FDA of their intent to use a new substance in food packaging. The steps of this notification process are as follows: safety assessment and testing, submission of notification, an FDA review period, and final authorization.

How FDA Regulations Impact Packaging Design and Manufacturing

In this section, we’ll discuss how the FDA’s regulations impact the design and manufacturing of your product packaging and how manufacturers and suppliers can ensure your packaging is FDA compliant.

Packaging Materials Approved by the FDA

There are several materials that are approved by the FDA for food contact applications, including plastics, metals, glass, and paper and paperboard. Flexible barrier packaging, which combines several layers of these materials, is a great option: not only does it meet the FDA’s requirements but it offers superior protection against moisture, oxygen, the elements, and other contaminants.

CarePac is committed to providing safe, compliant, and quality flexible barrier packaging solutions for your food packaging needs. We utilize FDA-approved materials that adhere to regulatory standards and are free from chemical or food additives.

Why Meeting FDA Food Packaging Requirements is Critical for Consumers

Meeting FDA food packaging requirements is critical for consumers because, at its core, it protects them from harm. Since these regulations prevent harmful substances from contaminated food, this means that the food consumers consume won’t pose a health risk. By complying to these regulations, not only are you avoiding litigation due to non-compliance, but you’re helping to build trust with your customers. This can help re-enforce your brand reputation.

Steps to Ensure FDA Compliance for Your Packaging

Ensuring that food packaging meets FDA food packaging requirements is essential for consumer safety and the compliance of your company. Here’s a quick checklist that can help you navigate the regulatory process effectively: 

• Identify applicable FDA regulations
• Select safe and approved materials and substances
• Conduct in-house safety and migration testing
• Submit documentation for FDA review
• Maintain ongoing compliance by establishing an internal audit process

By following these steps, you can ensure that your packaging materials meet the requirements outlined by the FDA. Additionally, the food itself should be free from harmful additives and the packaging may need to include a nutrition facts label that outlines things like saturated fat, the net quantity that’s inside the bag, and total fat.

How CarePac Helps Packaging Manufacturers Meet FDA Requirements

If meeting these regulations seems complex, it certainly can be. Fortunately, we can help. Our family-owned flexible packaging company specializes in custom printed barrier packaging for a variety of industries, including the food and beverage industry. By utilizing FDA-approved materials and adhering to regulatory standards, we can help ensure that your packaging is safe for direct food contact. This enables you to maintain compliance while delivering your high-quality product to consumers.

Learn more about our flexible barrier packaging compliance and custom FDA food packaging. Ready to get started? Get a quick quote today!

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How to Master the Packaging Design Process: A Complete Guide for Businesses

Introduction to the Packaging Design Process

The packaging design process is critical for businesses, since the outer packaging of your product is often the first thing your target market sees. Whether they’re walking past your product at retail stores or opening their Amazon package, more and more customers seek out attractive visual elements in product packaging. Fortunately, your design production team can make a huge impact on the final version of your retail packaging with these design packaging tips.

In this blog, you’ll discover a complete guide to the packaging design process for businesses of all sizes and in all industries. Learn how to create an impactful packaging design strategy that attracts customers and elevates your brand. From graphic design tips and the package printing process to the structural integrity of your packaging, here’s everything you need to know about the packaging design process.

Why Packaging Design Matters

There are several key cold chain challenges, including maintaining temperature integrity, preventing condensation and moisture damage, and ensuring compliance with industry standards. We’ll cover each of these cold supply chain challenges more in-depth below.

The design of your product packaging can make or break the success of your product. As mentioned, your packaging design is often the first thing your target audience sees as they walk through their local store, and over 70% of customers agree that the packaging design (i.e., font style and other elements of the finished art) influences their purchasing decision. 

Whether you’re just barely starting market research for your packaging design or have been crafting outer and inner packaging for decades, there are a few key things and creative ideas to keep in mind before you sign off on the final packaging for your product.

Step-by-Step Packaging Design Process

When it comes to the packaging design process, there are quite a few things any packaging design project will need to focus on. Below, we’ll discuss the step-by-step packaging process in depth so your packaging designer can make sure the final design will protect your product and “wow” your target customer.

Define Your Goals

Your packaging design should align with your business objectives. The print ready files should stick to your brand guidelines, and if things like being eco-friendly are important to your organization then you should seek out sustainable packaging options. Remember: your product packaging is an extension of your brand, so your packaging should tell your brand story.

Research Your Competitors

This is one area where your marketing team can really help you out. They have probably already analyzed your competitors to identify opportunities for differentiation with your positioning details and graphic imagery. Yes, your overall design strategy and concept development should discuss your brand story in depth, but it needs to do so in a way that will help you stand apart from the competition, regardless of your core sales channels.

Create the Dieline

Once you’ve finalized your packaging design ideas, it’s time to create your dieline. A dieline is a template, often times in Adobe Illustrator, that allows you to be as creative as you’d like with your product packaging design while still falling within the appropriate dimensions of the final packaging. A dieline outlines the cut lines and other fold and glue lines of your packaging boxes, so there’s no surprises when you receive the final packaging or test print.

Prototype and Test Your Packaging Design

Prototyping is an often overlooked part of the packaging design process. By getting real feedback from your target audience, you can further refine your project objectives and shipping features to align with what you learned during your in-depth client research. Every good packaging company or design team will encourage prototyping and testing so your product packaging incorporates real life feedback. It starts with getting the usage contact information from your customers and using that post packaging feedback to refine your product.

Understand Your Audience

If your project manager hasn’t already done style research or market research to truly understand what your finished package should look like, now is the time to incorporate that into your package designing process. Tailor your packaging design to appeal to your target customers, and talk about key messaging instructions for each industry. (Ex: if you’re a cosmetic company, make sure your visually appealing packaging discusses things important to your brand identity, like animal testing and product lifespan.)

Choose the Right Packaging Material

Regardless of what you’re packaging, your packaging project manager can help you choose the right packaging material. This is actually one of the most important parts of the packaging design process, as the wrong material could cause your product to break or spoil, completely ruining the creative magic of your packaging design. We offer several different packaging materials, including foil barrier films and compostable options. We also offer several options for FDA-approved food packaging, so let your packaging designer know if this is a non-negotiable.

Finalize Your Packaging Design

Once you have the dieline that clearly outlines the cut lines and offset printing instructions, it’s time to create mockups for your design team to review. During this design phase, you’ll be making sure your packaging design aligns with branding. CarePac can support custom designs with low MOQs, so you can test new package printing ideas without having to worry about budget. Regardless of your desired price range, we can try to ensure our design concepts will fall within the range.

Approve and Produce the Product Packaging Design

Now that your graphic designer has designed packaging that aligns with your brand identity, the next step of the packaging design process is to send your design concepts to the printing press! The printing process is a relatively quick part of design packaging, but the timeline does depend on the printing technique selected. For example, using printing plates might take a little longer than digital printing. To explore the pros and cons of your different package printing options, click here.

CarePac Can Help with Packaging Design

Regardless of your current sales channels or where you’re at in the design process, we can help you finalize and perfect your packaging design. We specialize in providing custom packaging design solutions that spans the entire packaging lifecycle, from design and development to manufacturing. Our graphic designer will work with you to ensure that your packaging design is aesthetically pleasing, and our packaging experts will make sure it’s functional, protective, and cost-effective. 

Our deep knowledge of material selection, design optimization, and production capabilities enables us to deliver packaging design solutions that will enhance product presentation, reduce costs, and ensure sustainability. Ready to get started with your packaging design?

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DPI vs. PPI: What Packaging Designers Need to Know

An Introduction to PPI and DPI

PPI and DPI are both measurements of resolution, which is an incredibly important aspect of working with digital images. Image resolution, or display resolution, is important because it determines how clear an image will look in its intended size once it is physically printed onto a piece of paper or postcard, or when it’s viewed on a computer screen. An image’s resolution that’s high will show more detail and definition on a printed picture than digital images with a lower print resolution.

In this blog, we’ll discuss what DPI stands for, what PPI stands for, and how the different resolutions (especially a higher resolution) impact packaging design. Read on to learn more about how the number of pixels matters so much.

What is DPI?

DPI stands for dots per inch, and it refers to the number of ink droplets inkjet printers will produce per inch when printing a digital image. The higher the dots per inch, the more closely together the ink droplets are packed, and the more detail the image will have when printed. 300 DPI, or dots per inch, is a standard for high quality prints, and it means that there are 300 individual dots per inch. This is because the human eye can’t usually differentiate detail beyond 300 DPI, so whether it’s 300 tiny dots per inch or 5,000 dots per inch, the overall image quality will look the same to the naked eye.

While DPI most commonly refers to the printer resolution so you know what to expect during the printing process, it also is used for scanning and a mouse’s sensitivity setting. In this case, though, we’re referring strictly to printing a digital image.

What is PPI?

PPI stands for pixels per inch and, like DPI, PPI resolution affects how a digital image looks on a web page. A higher PPI (pixels per inch) means better image quality, with smaller pixels that create both clarity and depth. Low resolution images contain larger pixels in fewer numbers (resulting in a more pixelated image), while high resolution images have a greater number of smaller pixels, resulting in a crisp and smooth digital image. This is why selecting the correct PPI setting is so important.

Roughly speaking, web images are standardized at 72 pixels per inch, which allows for a faster load time and a clear and eye-catching image appearance.

DPI vs. PPI: Key Differences

The main difference between PPI and DPI is that PPI (pixels per inch) refers to the image resolution of digital images and those viewed on computer monitors while PPI refers to the print resolution of a printed image. Think of it this way: if you can hold a picture in your hand, you should be concerned about DPI (dots per inch). If you’re a graphic designer who works only with digital images, you should be looking at PPI, or the pixel count of the image.

Why Understanding DPI and PPI Matters in Packaging Design

There are several key reasons why understanding dots per inch and pixels per inch is so important in packaging design. The most important is that it directly affects the print quality of your packaging. If you want high quality images that accurately represent your brand, you’ll want to avoid a low DPI (dots per inch.). You wouldn’t think that how many dots line one inch of a package matters, but they really do!

Practical DPI and PPI Tips for Packaging Designers

Here are a few quick tips for packaging designers who are preparing an image file for print or for viewing online:

• Use 3000 PPI as the baseline for print images. This higher DPI will ensure your image will be of the highest quality.
• When saving images, use a lossless file format like TIFF.
• Don’t compress or reduce the size of your image using image editing software, like Adobe Acrobat Pro.
• Before saving the image, check the image’s properties (file size, number of pixels, screen resolution) to ensure they’re still correct.
• If you’re preparing a digital image for print, consider the material you’ll be printing on. You may need to make the image larger or the image size window smaller depending on the material.
• Photographs, barcodes, and some graphics may require a higher DPI.

It’s clear that if you’re seeking a clear image there are a lot of things to consider. Fortunately, CarePac can help. Contact us today to get started on your project. We’re well versed in the different resolutions and will work with you to ensure your packaging is of the highest quality.

PPI and DPI: FAQs

What is the relationship between PPI and DPI?

Although DPI (dots per inch) and PPI (pixels per inch) are used interchangeably, they refer to two very different things. PPI refers to display resolution, while DPI refers to the resolution of a printed image once it completes the printing process.

Does PPI matter more than image resolution?

PPI doesn’t matter “more” than image resolution since PPI is, in fact, a measurement of resolution.

Does PPI matter in a printed image?

No, PPI doesn’t matter as much as DPI in a printed image. If you’re printing an image and want the picture represented accurately (including all the picture elements), you’ll need to worry about the DPI (not the PPI resolution.)

Is DPI just for digital images?

No, DPI is primarily used to measure the resolution of images for print (not digital images.) A higher DPI indicates more ink dots contained within a one inch area, ultimately resulting in a clear image.

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What is a Zip of Weed Bag? Measurements & Packaging Solutions for the Cannabis Industry

Whether you work in the cannabis sector or consider yourself a casual user, you likely come across a lot of cannabis jargon and slang in your day-to-day life. Cannabis terms like “couchy” (indica-heavy cannabis strains that make you tired), “burn one” (smoking a small amount of cannabis, like a joint), and “chiefing” (hogging cannabis in a group setting), are all equally confusing. In this blog we’ll discuss one cannabis phrase in particular- a zip of weed.

If you’re curious about what a zip of weed is and how to choose the right packaging, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll walk you through what you need to know about this cannabis term.

What is a Zip of Weed?

A zip of weed is a slang term that refers to a unit of measurement that’s equal to one ounce (28 grams) of cannabis. This is an incredibly common unit of measurement in the marijuana industry, particularly in states where it’s legal for medical or recreational marijuana consumption.

Currently, cannabis is legal or decriminalized in almost 40 states, including all along the West Coast (Oregon, Washington, and California). If you’re located in one of these states or in any of the other states where cannabis is legal, we can help take your brand to the next level with fully customized packaging items for your cannabis.

A zip of weed is considered personal use, and anything more than one ounces can lead to felony or misdemeanor charges, even in states where it’s decriminalized. If your brand sells cannabis in any size, you’ve come to the right place.

Custom Packaging Solutions for CBD/THC Companies

Here are a few of the custom packaging solutions we offer for our customers and brands in the marijuana sector:

• Tamper resistant bags- Tamper resistant bags are critical to assuring that your customer knows if a bag or their vaporizer cartridges or vaporizer batteries have been opened prior to their first use. Since it shows clear signs of tampering, it prevents unauthorized tampering with a bag’s contents during transport or storage in dispensaries.
• Stand up pouches- Stand up pouches are manufactured with a bottom gusset which, when deployed, allows the pouch to stand up on the shelf in a store, instead of laying down like flat pouches. This can help provide the best experience in a store or dispensary.
• Smell proof mylar bags- Our smell proof mylar bags are perfect for cannabis companies of all shapes and sizes. Our packaging offers the highest level of odor containment, ensuring that no air will escape from your product and into a users car or home.

Choosing the Right Packaging for a Zip of Weed

When it comes to choose the right packaging for one ounce of weed, here are a few features to consider:

• Proper labeling- To comply with the legal requirements in your state, your cannabis bags will need to have clear labeling. Check with your company legal counsel for a full list of what needs to be included (often the product name, dosage, potency, origin, and lab testing.)
• Exit bags- Many states require that customers use exit bags to package their products in the store. Again, check with your state’s requirements for more information.
• Child resistant packaging- Child resistant packaging is of utmost importance in the cannabis sector. In fact, it’s essential!

Conclusion

We’re your one stop shop for cannabis packaging, and are well versed in the ins and outs of packaging for the marijuana industry. Not only will we work with you to design the perfect packaging for your edibles and tinctures, but we can design and manufacture packaging for a zip of weed, too. Our packaging is durable, tamper evident, and will portray a feeling of luxury to your consumers.

Contact us today to experience the CarePac difference for yourself.

FAQs: Packaging for the Marijuana Industry

How much weed is in a zip?

A zip of weed is equal to 28 grams, or one ounce, of marijuana or weed.

What’s the best packaging for a zip of weed?

Mylar bags are incredibly popular in the marijuana sector. Not only are they fully customizable, but they’re odor resistant, opaque, sturdy, and cheaper than many other options. They’ll ensure your weed lasts longer and maintains its freshness over time.

Why are child-resistant plastic containers important for cannabis products?

Child resistant containers are a top priority for cannabis companies because they’re required to be child resistant by law. This is for the protection of children and other under age individuals who may come into contact with the container.

Can I customize packaging for different weed measurements?

Yes, our designers will work with your business to design high quality bags that will help your product stand out on the shelves, regardless of its pricing or size. We’re ready to help your business break into the highly competitive market with bags that’ll stand out.

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