Food waste poses a global economic, social and ecological loss. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that the economic impact of food waste is about US$1 trillion a year and costs the environment US$700 billion a year.   

The good news is food waste can be prevented with the right packaging design. Latest packaging innovations are providing more solutions to food and material safety. 

Food-safe thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are now widely used in the food packaging industry. They protect the contents from biological and chemical contaminants, as well as prolong shelf-life of food products, and making them safe for consumption.

KRAIBURG TPE, a global TPE manufacturer offers TPE compounds with properties suited for food packaging application. The TPEs comply with international standards such as the EU Directive No. 10/2011, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 21, and the China GuoBiao (GB 4806: 2016). 
 
TPEs up to par with packaging standards  
KRAIBURG TPE’s THERMOLAST® K FC/CM1 and FC/CS series offers a wide hardness range to meet varying requirements for food packaging and food container applications. The TPE series is ideal for rigid and flexible packaging to cater to the different hardness requirements of packaging.
Both series are available in a translucent color with various precoloration options for manufacturers and designers to create visually appealing packaging. 

Most importantly, the KRAIBURG TPE compounds are halogen-free (according to the IEC 61249-2-21 standard) and adaptable for in-process recycling, enabling manufacturers to maintain a cost-effective production.   

Low migration potential with FC/CM1 series
The THERMOLAST® K FC/CM1 series, with its low migration potential, is the material of choice for fatty and oily food contact applications. 

This TPE compound has an excellent organoleptic property that helps in maintaining the taste of food and beverages, even when in contact with the containers. With excellent adhesion to PP and soft-touch features, the THERMOLAST® K FC/CM1 series is suitable for squeeze bottles, closures, seals, valves and other food packaging solutions. 

Soft-touch with FC/CS series 
The THERMOLAST® K FC/CS series’ soft touch features also promote safety as well as comfort in handling in food containers. They are applicable for surfaces, closures, valves and seals for sport bottles and portable mugs. The compounds also offer an optimized compression set with excellent adhesion to PP and PE. The FC/CS series has excellent compression set at higher temperatures, which is suitable to be applied on microwavable containers and packaging as well as dishwasher-safe containers.