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Food packaging security is vital for ensuring that food products are fresh and safe to eat. It covers everything from consumer tampering to bioterrorism to product counterfeiting. To tamper with a food product the person responsible may have altered packaging information, the product itself, the packaging or a system. 

Most food products have some sort of barrier or indicator on their packaging that is able to identify whether or not a product has been tampered with. Some examples of these include safety buttons which are often found on the lids of mason jars, jam jars, pickle jars and much more. The idea behind the button is that when the jars are unopened the button remains flat. If however the jar has been opened the button will pop up and make a popping noise.  This can then be pushed in and out with the finger. If the safety button of a jar is popped before you buy a product it is a good indication that the jar has been tampered with. 

Other forms of packaging security include plastic wrap around the outside of the jars lid. Like the safety button if the lids plastic wrapping is broken or not present on the jar it too could have been tampered with. Meat products and deli products tend to have scale labels on them that will tear if they are tried to be removed. These not only protect the consumers but the stores that supply the products. 

Some food products and medicine containers use the likes of induction sealing. This is a method used to heat seal a metal disk to the top of a container without making contact with it. A lid is then usually placed over the top. There are also break away components on some packaging that once tampered with cannot be reattached. This leaves an evident space on the product showing that it has been messed around with. Some company’s even go as far as adding custom made seals that cannot be easily replicated. 

There have been cases in the past where food has been tampered with in the store or even where manufactured.  Cases include the insertion of glass in jars of food or the insertion of foreign objects. Always be careful when doing your shopping and be sure to check for any indication that the seals put in place have been broken. If they have do not buy it and report it to a member of staff.  

Image source - http://www.sks-bottle.com/340c/fin86i.html

Food packaging security is vital for ensuring that food products are fresh and safe to eat. It covers everything from consumer tampering to bioterrorism to product counterfeiting. To tamper with a food product the person responsible may have altered packaging information, the product itself, the packaging or a system. 

Most food products have some sort of barrier or indicator on their packaging that is able to identify whether or not a product has been tampered with. Some examples of these include safety buttons which are often found on the lids of mason jars, jam jars, pickle jars and much more. The idea behind the button is that when the jars are unopened the button remains flat. If however the jar has been opened the button will pop up and make a popping noise.  This can then be pushed in and out with the finger. If the safety button of a jar is popped before you buy a product it is a good indication that the jar has been tampered with. 

Other forms of packaging security include plastic wrap around the outside of the jars lid. Like the safety button if the lids plastic wrapping is broken or not present on the jar it too could have been tampered with. Meat products and deli products tend to have scale labels on them that will tear if they are tried to be removed. These not only protect the consumers but the stores that supply the products. 

Some food products and medicine containers use the likes of induction sealing. This is a method used to heat seal a metal disk to the top of a container without making contact with it. A lid is then usually placed over the top. There are also break away components on some packaging that once tampered with cannot be reattached. This leaves an evident space on the product showing that it has been messed around with. Some company’s even go as far as adding custom made seals that cannot be easily replicated. 

There have been cases in the past where food has been tampered with in the store or even where manufactured.  Cases include the insertion of glass in jars of food or the insertion of foreign objects. Always be careful when doing your shopping and be sure to check for any indication that the seals put in place have been broken. If they have do not buy it and report it to a member of staff.