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In general, the following principles apply to the selection of food packaging materials.

1.Principle of correspondence

Because food has high, medium and low grades depending on the range and location of use, different grades of materials or designs should be chosen according to different grades of food.

2.principle of application

Because of the variety and characteristics of foods, they require different protective functions. Packaging materials must be selected to suit the different characteristics of different foods and the different circulation conditions. For example, packaging materials for puffed food require high airtight performance, while packaging for eggs needs to be shock-absorbent for transport. High temperature sterilized food should be made of high temperature resistant materials, and low temperature refrigerated food should be made of low temperature resistant packaging materials.That is to say, we must take into account the characteristics of the food, climatic (environmental) conditions, transfer methods and links (including circulation) in the selection of packaging materials. The properties of food require moisture, pressure, light, odor, mold, etc. Climatic and environmental conditions include temperature, humidity, temperature difference, humidity difference, air pressure, gas composition in the air, etc. Cyclic factors include transport distance, mode of transport (people, cars, ships, planes, etc.) and road conditions. In addition, it is necessary to consider the different requirements of different countries, nationalities and regions for packaging to adapt to the acceptance of the market and customers.

3.Principle of Economy

Packaging materials should also consider their own economics. After taking into account the characteristics, quality and grade of the food to be packaged, design, production and advertising factors will be considered to achieve the lowest cost. The cost of packaging material is not only related to its market purchase cost, but also related to processing cost and circulation cost. Therefore, various factors should be considered to choose the most suitable material in the selection of packaging design.

4.principle of co-ordination

Packaging materials have different roles and meanings in different positions of packing the same food. According to its location, product packaging can be divided into inner packaging, intermediate packaging and outer packaging. The outer packaging mainly represents the image of the product to be sold and the overall packaging on the shelf. The inner packaging is the package that comes in direct contact with the food. The packaging between the inner packaging and the outer packaging is the intermediate packaging. The inner packaging uses flexible packaging materials, such as plastic soft material, paper, aluminum foil and composite packaging materials; Buffer materials with buffering properties are used for intermediate packaging； Outer packaging are chosen according to the food properties, mainly cardboard or cartons. It requires comprehensive analysis to achieve functional requirements and economic costs to match and coordinate the roles of food packaging materials and packaging.

5.Principle of Esthetic

When choosing a packaging material, we need to consider whether the food packaging designed with this material can sell well. This is an aesthetic principle, actually a combination of art and packaging appearance. The color, texture, transparency, stiffness, smoothness and surface decoration of packaging materials are the artistic content of packaging materials. The packaging materials that express the power of art are paper, plastic, glass, metal and ceramics, etc.

6.principle of science

It is necessary to extract materials according to market, function and consumption factors in order to choose packaging materials scientifically. The selection of food packaging materials should be based on processing requirements and processing equipment conditions, and starts from science and practice. Many factors should be considered, including the characteristics of consumer psychology and market demand, environmental protection requirements, price and satisfaction function,new technology and market dynamics, etc.

7.Principles of integration with packaging techniques and methods

For a given food, the most appropriate packaging technique should be used after selecting the appropriate packaging materials and containers. The choice of packaging technology is closely related to packaging materials and the market positioning of packaged food. The same food can usually use different packaging technologies to achieve similar packaging functions and effects, but the packaging costs will vary. Therefore, sometimes , it is necessary to combine packaging materials and packaging technology in order to achieve packaging requirements and design results.

In addition, the design and selection of food packaging materials can be made with reference to existing or already used food materials with the same characteristics or similar foods.