Food and drink packaging selection guide
A practical brief for selecting bottles, pouches, closures, labels and films for food and beverage products.
Food and drink packaging must be suitable for the intended product and contact conditions, protect quality through the required life, and run hygienically through filling and closing. Material descriptions and previous use with another product do not replace grade-specific documentation and a representative trial.
Define the product and contact conditions
- Product type, ingredients relevant to packaging compatibility and any allergens handled on the line.
- pH, oil or alcohol content where relevant to material review.
- Fill temperature, cooling, hot-fill, cold-fill or ambient process.
- Contact time, shelf-life target and storage temperature.
- Light, oxygen, moisture and aroma sensitivity.
- Opening, dispensing, reclosing and tamper-evidence needs.
The Food Standards Agency’s food-contact materials guidance provides an overview of the applicable framework. Request declarations and supporting documents for the exact material, grade and intended use; a generic statement for a material family may not cover the product or contact conditions.
Choose the format around product protection
| Format | Selection focus | Line or use check |
|---|---|---|
| Bottle | Grade, barrier, neck finish, closure and label | Filling, capping, leakage, handling and opening |
| Stand-up pouch | Layer structure, barrier, sealant and zipper | Opening, filling, seal contamination and display stability |
| Spouted pouch | Fitment, cap, product flow and evacuation | Filling interface, torque, leak and consumer dispensing |
| Shrink or secondary film | Material, gauge, heat exposure and pack configuration | Seal, shrink, product temperature and distribution |
Hygiene and changeover
Packaging storage, handling and presentation to the line should protect cleanliness. Review open-container exposure, contact parts, cleaning method and changeover between products. Where packaging is reused or refilled, the cleaning, inspection and release system becomes part of the packaging specification.
Labels and legal information
Artwork must provide the required food information and remain legible through storage and use. The FSA’s packaging and labelling guidance summarises key obligations. Lancing can review label format and application, but legal artwork approval remains the responsibility of the food business and its competent advisers.
Separate compliance documents from performance evidence
A declaration of compliance or other product-contact document addresses a defined material, use and regulatory scope; it does not prove the finished pack will achieve the required shelf life, resist leakage or run on the intended line. Keep supplier documents, migration or suitability evidence, product shelf-life work, machine-trial results and artwork approval as linked but distinct records. A change in grade, source, additive, colour, closure, barrier or use condition should trigger review by a competent person.
Trial plan
- Review product-contact documents and the exact pack construction.
- Check fill, closure, seal and label performance on representative samples.
- Condition filled packs for the intended storage period or a justified study.
- Assess leakage, migration evidence, barrier, opening and sensory risks as applicable.
- Run production and distribution trials with recorded acceptance criteria.