Types of Packaging for Food and How to Choose the Right One

Choosing between the types of packaging for food looks simple until you’re standing in front of a supplier’s catalogue. Plastic, glass, cardboard, foil, pouches and compostable trays all claim to keep food fresh and safe.

Pick the wrong one and the problems show up fast. Sauces leak, pastries go soft, chocolate scuffs in transit and packaging costs creep up. Some materials also aren’t suitable for hot, oily or acidic foods at all.

This guide breaks food packaging down by material and by level, then shows you how to match each option to what you sell. It also covers Australian food safety rules, recyclability and the mistakes that cost food businesses money.

Since 2002, we’ve made custom cardboard boxes and stocked ready-made food boxes for bakeries, butchers, producers and online food brands. Everything below is grounded in how packaging actually performs from kitchen to customer.

Here’s Everything You Need to Know in Under a Minute

Table of Contents

What Are the Main Types of Packaging for Food?

Food packaging is mainly grouped by the material used and its functional level, such as primary contact packaging versus bulk transport packaging.

Main Packaging Materials

• Plastic packaging: Lightweight, cheap and versatile. Common forms include PET (bottles and clear tubs), HDPE (milk and juice bottles), LDPE (films and wraps) and PP (heat-resistant containers).
• Glass packaging: Fully recyclable, airtight and chemically inert. Ideal for sauces, jams and beverages, though it’s heavy and fragile.
• Metal packaging: Made from aluminium, tin or steel. It resists light, pests and moisture, which makes it ideal for canned foods and drinks.
• Paper and cardboard: Sustainable and recyclable. Used for cereal boxes, folding cartons and corrugated shipping boxes, though it handles moisture poorly unless coated.
• Flexible packaging: Space-efficient pouches, films and flow wraps used for snacks, ready meals and bagged salads.
• Compostable and biodegradable: Plant-based alternatives like bagasse (sugarcane fibre) or PLA, used for short-term and hot or cold food service.

Packaging Levels

• Primary packaging: Touches the food directly, such as a chip bag, milk carton or jam jar.
• Secondary packaging: Groups primary packs together for retail display or shelf handling, such as a carton holding several cereal boxes.
• Tertiary packaging: Used for bulk shipping, storage and transport, such as corrugated shipping boxes, pallets and shrink-wrapped loads.

How Do Food Packaging Materials Compare?

Each material handles heat, cold, moisture and recycling differently. Use this table as a quick filter before you look at formats and suppliers.

Ratings are general. Always confirm temperature limits and food contact suitability with your supplier for the exact product you’re buying.

Which Plastics Are Used in Food Packaging?

Plastic packaging carries a resin identification code from 1 to 7 inside a triangle. The number tells you the polymer type, not whether your local council accepts it.

PP is the safest all-rounder for hot food. PET suits cold display food where clarity sells the product.

Expanded polystyrene foam has largely disappeared from takeaway counters. Most Australian states have now banned foam food containers and cups as part of single-use plastic reforms.

Common Types of Packaging for Food by Format

Material tells you what packaging is made of. Format tells you how it holds and protects the food. Most food products fall into one of three format groups.

Rigid Packaging

Rigid packaging holds its shape whether it’s full or empty. Think glass jars, metal cans, plastic tubs, bottles and corrugated cartons.

It gives the best crush protection and stacks well on shelves. The trade-off is weight, storage space and higher freight costs.

Semi-Rigid Packaging

Semi-rigid packaging keeps its shape but flexes under pressure. Folding cartons, clamshells, paperboard sleeves and cardboard trays all sit in this group.

This is the workhorse of bakeries, cafés and takeaway shops. It’s light, easy to brand and usually flat-packed until use, which saves storage space.

Flexible Packaging

Flexible packaging changes shape with its contents. It includes stand-up pouches, flow wraps, vacuum bags, sachets and wrapping paper packaging like butcher’s paper.

Flexible packs use the least material per product and cut freight weight. Many are multilayer laminates, though, which makes them hard to recycle.

Food Packaging Techniques That Extend Shelf Life

The material is only half the story. How food is sealed inside it often matters more for shelf life and safety.

• Vacuum packaging: Removes air before sealing, which slows spoilage. Common for meat, cheese and coffee.
• Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP): Replaces the air inside with a gas mix, usually carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Used for fresh meat, salads and baked goods.
• Aseptic packaging: Sterilised food is filled into sterilised packs, so products like UHT milk and soups stay shelf stable without refrigeration.
• Retort packaging: Food is sealed in a pouch or can, then heat-treated inside it. Ready meals and tuna pouches use this method.
• Tamper-evident sealing: Induction seals, shrink bands and security labels show customers the pack hasn’t been opened.

Each technique needs a compatible material. MAP and vacuum packs need high-barrier films, while retort packs must handle high processing temperatures.

How to Match Packaging to the Food You Sell

The right packaging depends on what’s inside it. Moisture, fat, temperature and travel distance all narrow your options quickly.

Bakery and Cakes

Baked goods need structure and airflow more than an airtight seal. Paperboard cake boxes protect icing and decorations, while greaseproof liners stop oils marking the board.

For bread rolls, pastries and slices, bakery packing boxes with window panels let customers see the product without handling it.

Meat and Seafood

Raw meat needs a moisture-resistant primary layer, usually vacuum bags, MAP trays or food-grade film. That layer does the food safety work.

Corrugated meat boxes then carry the packed product, often with ice packs or insulated liners for cold chain transport.

Chocolate and Confectionery

Chocolate scuffs, melts and absorbs odours easily. A foil or film wrap protects the product, while rigid outer boxes protect the presentation.

Printed chocolate packing boxes suit gifting, corporate orders and premium retail ranges where unboxing matters.

Fresh Produce

Fruit and vegetables keep breathing after harvest, so they need ventilation. Vented cartons, PET punnets and perforated films let moisture and gases escape.

Sealing produce too tightly speeds up condensation and rot, so airflow is usually the priority.

Takeaway and Ready Meals

Hot, saucy meals need leak-proof, heat-tolerant containers. PP tubs, aluminium trays and bagasse clamshells are the most common choices.

Cold items like salads and sushi suit clear PET or kraft board containers that show off the food.

Wine and Beverages

Glass bottles are heavy and fragile, so the outer packaging does most of the protective work. Divided wine shipping boxes stop bottles knocking together in transit.

Cans and cartons are lighter alternatives that cut freight costs for high-volume drinks.

Food Sold Online

Food shipped to customers faces more drops, heat and handling than food on a shelf. Sealed primary packs go inside sturdy outer cartons with void fill.

Branded self-locking mailing boxes work well for snack boxes, coffee subscriptions and gift hampers. Our ecommerce packaging guide covers mailer options in more detail.

What Food Safety Rules Apply to Packaging in Australia?

In Australia, food packaging rules sit in the Food Standards Code, managed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Food businesses must meet three core requirements.

1. Use packaging that is fit for its intended purpose.
2. Use materials that aren’t likely to contaminate food.
3. Make sure food can’t become contaminated during the packing process.

Chemical migration is the main risk to manage. It depends on whether the packaging touches the food, the food type, storage time and temperature, heating in the pack, reuse and recycled content.

Oily and acidic foods are the most demanding. Tomato sauces, citrus and fatty foods can draw chemicals out of unsuitable plastics and coatings faster than dry foods do.

PFAS chemicals are the other issue to watch. They were once used to make paper and board grease resistant, and Australia’s packaging industry has worked to phase out PFAS from fibre-based food packaging.

The practical step is simple. Ask suppliers to confirm in writing that packaging is food grade, PFAS free and suitable for your food type and temperature.

How Sustainable Is Each Type of Packaging for Food?

Australia’s packaging system is improving, but the results vary widely by material. According to APCO’s latest packaging data, 86% of packaging placed on the market in 2023-24 was reusable, recyclable or compostable.

Recovery rates tell a different story:

• Paper and paperboard: 66% recovered
• Wood (pallets and crates): 58% recovered
• Metal: 55% recovered
• Plastics: 20% recycled or composted

Paper and cardboard are the easiest win for most food businesses. They’re widely accepted in kerbside recycling, as long as they’re clean and free of food residue.

Compostable packaging needs more care. Look for certification to AS 4736 for industrial composting or AS 5810 for home composting, and check whether your customers can actually access a composting service.

The Australasian Recycling Label helps customers dispose of each part correctly. It tells them which components go in recycling, which need preparation and which go in general waste.

Where Corrugated Cardboard Fits in Food Packaging

Corrugated cardboard rarely touches the food itself. Its job is protecting primary packs through storage, transport and delivery.

That role covers outer cartons for jars and bottles, cases for fresh produce, insulated meat deliveries and pallet-ready shipping cartons. Most food businesses use far more corrugated board than they realise.

Board grade matters. Single wall board suits light retail cartons, while double wall handles heavy, stacked or long-haul loads. Our guide to E flute vs B flute explains how thickness affects strength and print.

Standard packing boxes cover everyday storage and dispatch. When products are oddly shaped, made-to-measure board does the work, the same way we build TV boxes and art boxes around fragile items.

If cardboard will touch food directly, use a food-grade liner or greaseproof paper between them. Recycled board is great for transport but isn’t automatically approved for direct food contact.

How to Choose the Right Food Packaging

Work through these questions in order. Each one narrows your options before cost and branding come into it.

1. Does it touch the food? Primary packaging must be food grade and suited to your food type.
2. What temperature will it face? Check freezer, fridge, microwave and oven limits.
3. How long must it last? Shelf life needs determine barrier level and sealing method.
4. How will it travel? Shelf display, courier and pallet freight all need different protection.
5. Does it need to sell? Retail packs need print, windows or a premium finish.
6. What volume do you need? Order size affects unit price and supply options.
7. How will customers dispose of it? Choose materials that work with Australian kerbside or composting systems.

If shipping is part of the journey, our tips on how to pack products for shipping help reduce damage and returns.

Common Food Packaging Mistakes to Avoid

• Choosing on looks alone. A beautiful box that lets grease soak through costs more in complaints than it earns in sales.
• Ignoring temperature limits. PET warps with hot food, and some coated boards soften in the freezer.
• Using recycled board for direct contact. Add a food-grade liner unless the supplier confirms it’s suitable.
• Skipping void fill. Empty space inside a carton lets jars and bottles move, chip and break. Use packing wrap and fill to lock products in place.
• Overpackaging. Extra layers add cost, weight and waste without adding protection.
• Forgetting labelling space. Leave room for ingredients, allergens, best before dates and recycling labels.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions people ask most often about food packaging, answered directly.

Package Your Food With Confidence

The types of packaging for food come down to two questions. What material suits your food, and what level of protection does it need from the kitchen to the customer?

Start with a food-grade primary pack that handles your product’s moisture, fat and temperature. Then choose secondary and outer packaging that survives transport and stays recyclable.

Need boxes sized to your products? Get an instant packaging quote in under 60 seconds, or talk to our team about custom food packaging made to measure.