Package design for refrigerated food: The need for multidisciplinary project teams

Consumer demands for fresh food are increasing; combined refrigeration and packaging systems are an effective means of achieving the required product shelf life for transportation over significant distances. Optimization of packaging systems for refrigerated food requires a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on a wide variety of skill areas. Examples of refrigerated packaging system designs are discussed in this article, to show how trends in societal organization and expectations may be having a negative effect on the formation of appropriate multidisciplinary teams for package design. Failure to form suitable teams may slow the uptake of new research results, and thus lead to less than optimal package designs.