This issue of The World of Food Science focuses on the role of packaging in food science and technology. Packaging of some description is an indispensable companion to the preservation and marketing of many, if not most foods, whether in developed or developing countries. With spoilage and deterioration of foods still occurring at an unacceptable level today, especially in many developing countries, it is even more important to reduce preventable spoilage by understanding how packaging can assist food processors and distributors to retain quality and prevent or at least reduce chemical and microbial spoilage and quality deterioration. Packaging science and technology is alive and well, and many novel developments are in the pipeline to help reduce spoilage rates and maintain quality and integrity of raw and value-added foods.

Sixteen papers are presented within this theme, from researchers, academics, food processors and packaging suppliers around the globe. They highlight some of the extensive research and development work currently being undertaken in order to provide consumers with foods that are safe and protected from the environment. I gratefully acknowledge the efforts of Dr Gordon Robertson, food packaging consultant and Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland, formerly Vice-President for Environmental and External Affairs at Tetra Pak Asia and Professor of Packaging Technology at Massey University, New Zealand, for his assistance in commissioning, undertaking some editing and forwarding these papers to WoFS.

Also in this volume you will find:

• Food Security Update section:
• an obituary of Dr Norman Borlaug, the father of the green revolution and the founder of the World Food Prize;
• some reflections on Borlaug and the origins of the World Food Prize from Al Clausi, former IFT President;
• a story on the 2009 World Food Prize Laureate, Ethiopian Dr Gibesa Ijeta; and
• the Declaration from the FAO World Food Summit held in October 2009.
• Regional Reports section: Alastair Hicks provides an outline of the ASEAN Food Conference 2009 held in Brunei in October 2009.
• Student Report: the winner of the Charles R Stumbo Student Paper competition, Tara Grauwet of Belgium, and her co-workers provide a comprehensive examination of the use of a microbial enzyme as a pressure-time indicator for high hydrostatic pressure pasteurisation processes.
• International Regulatory Update section: John Lupien reports on a recent meeting of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses.

Stories appearing in previous issues of The World of Food Science are available by accessing Archives.

Your comments, letters to the Editor, or news of food-related matters, people, academic or industry activities around the globe are welcome.

Contact Ken Buckle (k.buckle@unsw.edu.au) or one of the Editorial Advisory Board members (details this page).

Ken Buckle
Chair, Editorial Advisory Board

CSIRO’s Role in Food Packaging
CSIRO’s role in packaging research has enabled consumers to enjoy the benefits of safer, fresher and tastier food. From the earliest days of CSIR the need to fund research into food preservation was recognized.

Edible Films and Coatings from Tropical Fruits
Difficulties have been encountered in disposing of the huge waste volumes generated by food packaging which is mostly non-biodegradable. Biopolymers have been studied as film forming materials to be used as biodegradable and/or edible films in food packaging.

Application of Modified Atmosphere Packaging of Fruit and Vegetables in China
Fruits and vegetables are living, respiring and perishable products with active metabolism even after harvest from the parent plant. The storage life and quality of fruits and vegetables can be extended by modifying the atmosphere surrounding products.

Food Packaging in Croatia
Croatia's economy suffered badly during the 1991-95 war as output collapsed and the country missed the early waves of investment in Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2000, however, Croatia's economic fortunes have begun to improve slowly, with moderate but steady GDP growth between 4% and 6% led by a rebound in tourism and credit-driven consumer spending.

Packaging of Fish and Fishery Products
India is predominantly dependent on its agricultural economy, often leading to severe shortages. One of the important causes of food shortage is high postharvest losses and spoilage, estimated to be around 20%. Packaging of foods becomes all the more important in countries such as India where the climatic conditions vary considerably.

Status of Bionanocomposite Research in Korea
Nanotechnology in Korea has developed through a strong government-driven program and strategic investment in specialized fields. Although the food packaging sector represents a very small fraction of the nanotechnology investment program, bionanocomposites have great potential as a next generation of packaging materials.

Integrated Model-based Design of Horticultural Produce Packaging
Horticultural produce grown in New Zealand is extensively exported, often over long distances, to key markets in Europe, Japan, North America and Australia. Some horticultural produce is stored for long periods where potential quality deterioration is controlled by appropriate grading, storage, packaging and distribution systems.

Reducing Postharvest Losses of Horticultural Commodities in Nigeria through Improved Packaging
Fresh fruits and vegetables are inherently more liable to deterioration under tropical conditions characterized by high ambient temperatures and humidities, and a high incidence of pests and diseases. Consequently, postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables are extremely high in Nigeria (30-50%), exacerbated by poor marketing, distribution and storage facilities.

Food Packaging in Poland
Protection of the product from the moment of packaging through distribution until consumption by the final consumer is a basic function of packaging. Generally protection is considered in three different areas: protection of the product, protection of the environment from harmful effects of the product, and protection of the product user.

A Brief Overview of Food Packaging R&D in Portugal
The food packaging industry in Portugal is represented by all sectors: glass, metals, plastics, paper and board, printing and other converting operations, and cork.

Food Packaging in South Africa: Reducing, Re-using and Recycling
Increased consumption and the lack of a recycling culture in South Africa have resulted in an ever-increasing volume of used packaging reaching landfill sites. This has led in one case to government regulation of an industry, and in other cases to the establishment of voluntary industry recycling initiatives.

Edible Coatings as Carriers of Active Ingredients for Fresh-cut fruits
Minimal processing operations alter the integrity of fruits bringing about negative effects on product quality such as browning, off-flavor development and texture breakdown. The search for methods that aim to retard these negative effects is of great interest to all the sectors involved in production and preservation of fresh-cut fruits.

Migration From Food Packaging
Switzerland plays an active role. Recently it implemented the resolutions of the Council of Europe on silicone and printing inks into its legislation. For printing inks this means that all components used must be listed, with list A for those that have been toxicologically evaluated and list B for those not evaluated. The migration of list B substances must be below 0.01 mg/kg. The list delivered by the European Printing Ink Association (EuPIA) in summer 2009 comprised almost 6000 substances, most of which have not been evaluated. Enforcement of this legislation is expected to become a delicate issue.

Active and Intelligent Packaging: An Emerging Technology in Thailand
In response to the dynamic changes in current consumer demand and market trends, the area of active and intelligent packaging (AIP) is becoming increasingly significant. Principal AP systems include those that involve oxygen scavenging, moisture regulating, ethylene scavenging and inhibiting, carbon dioxide and ethanol generating, antimicrobial packaging, antioxidant packaging, insect repellent packaging and anti-anxiety packaging.

Oxo-biodegradable Plastics in the Production and Distribution of Food
The practical usefulness of degradable polyolefins is now recognized in the growing of foodstuffs by the protection of growing plants by mulching films and tunnels, which both increases yields and conserves irrigation water. The technology is also widely used in the food packaging and retailing industries.

Sustainable Packaging: Does it Really Exist?
It is claimed that ideas, products, messages and behaviors spread in the same way as viruses, and for the packaging industry, sustainable packaging has reached its tipping point. But what does it really mean and will it offer industry the silver bullet that proponents claim?

• WFS Editorial Board

IUFoST Scientific Information Bulletins

• Best Practices in Risk & Crisis Communication
• Biotechnology & Food
• Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)
• Chemical Hazards in Food
• Equivalence in Food Safety Management
• Food Allergy
• Food Defense
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• Safety, Risk & the Precautionary Principle
• Taking the Measure of Water
• Trans Fatty Acids

IFT Scientific Status Summaries

IFT Expert Reports

• Antimicrobial Resistance: Implications for the Food System

FAO Food Safety Risk Analysis: A guide for national food safety authorities

FAO/WHO guidance on the application of HACCP in small food businesses

WHO Food Safety - Five Keys to Safer Food Manual (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic)

IFST Information Statements

• Joint IUFoST/FAO Database Relevant to the Food Needs of Developing Countries
• IFT Healthful Foods Directory
• IFT Services Directory
• IFT Food Technology Buyer's Guide