Smart Packaging: A Game-Changer for India's Food Industry

  Avisha Rana, Sr. Project Associate – Nutrition, WIN Foundation)  

India faces a dual challenge when it comes to food: ensuring food and nutrition security for its large population and tackling the massive food wastage that occurs along the supply chain. The country wastes around 67 million tons of food each year, enough to feed millions. In a country where agricultural production is the backbone of the economy, inefficient storage, spoilage, and supply chain disruptions significantly contribute to food loss. It also means loss of income for the farmers, including the vast numbers of poor and marginal farmers, and other participants in the supply chain. Also, losses in perishables like fruits, vegetables and herbs, lead to serious impact on our nutrition outcomes, and also disincentivises growing of fruit and vegetables, in favour of cash crops or grains.

 Smart packaging technologies are emerging as a promising solution, especially in India’s rapidly modernizing food industry. By integrating advanced materials, sensors, and data analytics, smart packaging can extend shelf life, reduce spoilage, and improve food safety.

India faces significant challenges in food waste and supply chain inefficiencies. Innovative Smart packaging offers solutions by extending shelf life, prevent spoilage, improving food safety, and reducing environmental impact of packaging and food waste.       

Packaging innovations like Active packaging, intelligent packaging, edible and biodegradable packaging, and reusable packaging are set to transform how food is packaged, stored, and consumed in India.

This article explores the potential of smart packaging in revolutionizing India's food industry and addressing the challenges associated with food waste.

Active packaging technologies, designed to enhance shelf life by interacting with the food environment, are proving highly effective in the Indian context, given India’s hot and humid climate, a major reason for food spoilage.

This technology works by extending the freshness of food through packaging that interacts with its environment. For example, oxygen scavengers absorb excess oxygen, which helps keep snacks, bread, and packaged foods from spoiling. Moisture regulators, like desiccants and humidity control pouches, help maintain the right moisture levels in dried goods such as spices, pulses, and snacks, preventing them from going bad.

 

 Antimicrobial packaging is particularly useful for fresh meat, dairy, and ready-to-eat meals, as it slows down the growth of bacteria and fungi, keeping the food fresh for longer and reducing the risk of illness. These smart packaging solutions are becoming increasingly important, especially in India's urban areas, where the demand for processed and packaged food is growing.

Intelligent packaging is also gaining traction, offering real-time monitoring of food quality through time-temperature indicators (TTIs), freshness sensors, and pH indicators. Intelligent 

packaging solutions are increasingly being used in India’s growing retail sector, including supermarkets and e-commerce platforms. As more Indians turn to online food shopping, ensuring food safety and freshness is critical, and intelligent packaging provides the tools for real-time monitoring. This type of packaging equipped with sensors and indicators, provides real-time monitoring of food quality, ensuring that products are stored and transported under optimal conditions.

 

In particular, Time-temperature indicators (TTIs) are especially useful for dairy, seafood, and meat

industries in India. They track if the food has been kept at the right temperature during transport, even when there are power outages or delays. Freshness sensors detect gases released by spoiling fruits and vegetables, which can help reduce waste in India’s agriculture sector. pH indicators in packaging are also being used more in meat and seafood products, giving instant updates on food safety for both shoppers and store owners.

Edible and biodegradable packaging is becoming relevant as India is increasingly focusing on

sustainability, driven by initiatives like the Swachh Bharat Mission and progressive bans on single-use plastics.  They provide eco-friendly packaging solutions, which can significantly reduce plastic pollution in the country’s vast food industry.

Edible packaging, made from natural ingredients like seaweed or rice
starch, can replace plastic wraps for items such as sweets, fruits, and vegetables, which are popular in India.

On the other hand, biodegradable packaging made from plant-based materials, including agricultural waste, offers a sustainable option for Indian manufacturers aiming to lessen their environmental impact. By utilizing materials like bagasse, a byproduct of sugarcane, India can leverage locally sourced biodegradable options to help minimize

landfill waste and promote a healthier environment. These eco-friendly packaging options not only align with India's sustainability goals but also offer practical solutions for reducing plastic pollution and promoting a cleaner, greener future. The usage of agricultural waste also enables greater earning opportunity to farmers, farm waste supply chain and manufacturers of these packaging materials.

Reusable and refillable packaging models reflect another dimension of India’s growing concern about plastic waste. Some Brands in India are embracing these solutions to combat the environmental impact of single-use plastics and promote sustainability.

A good example is Loop (LOOP Mission is a circular economy company fighting food waste by repurposing the outcasts of the food industry), a company that offers products in strong containers made of stainless steel or glass. These containers can be returned to the store for refilling, which helps cut down on single-use plastics. This idea is becoming popular, especially in big cities, where more people are aware of how harmful plastic waste can be.

As a result, consumers in urban areas are looking for packaging that is better for the environment. This change is an important step towards a more sustainable future, where materials are reused instead of throwing away.

The Future of Smart Packaging in India

Smart packaging technologies holds immense potential to transform India’s food supply chain by addressing inefficiencies, extending product shelf life, and improving food safety. With the government’s (National Mission on Food Processing) increasing investment in food processing and cold chain infrastructure, smart packaging technologies will play an essential role in reducing food waste and creating more sustainable supply chains. As India’s food processing industry grows — projected to reach USD 535 billion by 2025 — the need for smarter, more sustainable packaging solutions will continue to rise. As sustainability becomes a key concern, the push for biodegradable, edible, and reusable packaging solutions will reshape India’s packaging industry, reducing its reliance on harmful plastics.

The food industry in India is not homogenous, and has national, regional and very small players. The vast food diversity across India means that all players, in addition to food made at home play their role in building India’s nutrition security and maximize farmers’ incomes. So appropriate solutions using such smart technologies have to be developed also for smaller producers including food micro-entrepreneurs. Some of the technologies may also have impact in storage at home for fresh and cooked food to retain nutrition and freshness and reduce waste. This will also provide opportunities for Indian startups to develop technologies for various players in food industry.

Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of food safety and sustainability, driving demand for smart packaging solutions. Technological advancements in materials science, sensor technology, and data analytics are enabling the development of innovative smart packaging solutions.

In conclusion, smart packaging technologies offer a pathway to a more sustainable and efficient future for India’s food industry. By reducing spoilage, extending shelf life, and offering eco-friendly solutions, smart packaging is not just a trend but an essential innovation for addressing India’s food waste and environmental challenges. As India continues to modernize its food sector, the adoption of these technologies will be vital for ensuring food security, minimizing waste, and building a more sustainable future for the country.

 

References:

  National Mission on Food Processing: https://www.mofpi.gov.in/

  Swachh Bharat Mission: https://sbmurban.org/

  National Food Security Act: https://nfsa.gov.in/portal/nfsa-act

  Indian Council of Agricultural Research:

https://www.icar.org.in/

  Food Safety and Standards Authority of India: https://fssai.gov.in/

https://fastercapital.com/content/Sustainable-Solutions-on-the-Menu--Eco-Friendly-Foodtech-Startups-You-Should-Know.html

The Twin Challenges for Maternal and Child Health in India: Iron & Proteins, and Technology driven Local Solutions

Author – Dr.Bhaskar Datta, Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India.

India accounts for the highest number of undernourished people in the world totalling close to 200 million. Steady improvements have been made between 2004-06 and 2018-20 with India recording one of the highest reductions in total number of undernourished in Southern Asia. Malnourishment is a multi-factorial challenge and the steady reduction in total number of malnourished individuals points to overall improvements in health practices and access to clean water and nutritious food. Nevertheless, the most profound effects of malnourishment are observed in children below 5 years and women of reproductive age. Nearly 30% children in the 0-5 year age-group are stunted while 53% women are affected by varying degree of anaemia.

The distribution of undernourishment is heterogeneous across the country. Interestingly, while the prevalence of stunting and underweight in children has decreased over the past 5 years, the total number of anaemic individuals has increased. These trends could be attributed to macro- and micronutrient intake with fewer than 1/3rd of all women consuming adequate amounts of both. Consumption of macronutrients in the form of carbohydrates and proteins is consistently below the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) levels prescribed by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). The household consumption of micronutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals such as iron ranges from inadequate to severely deficient. Iron deficiency is associated with the majority of anaemia prevalent in India. A mind-boggling 67% of children in 2019-21 had varying degrees of anaemia, an increase of 8% from 2015-16.

 

Advances in industrial food processing with an emphasis on “food safety”, but not nutrition, has produced an ecosystem of inexpensive processed foods. The World Health Organization (WHO) has qualified undernourishment as protein energy malnutrition, to better explain the imbalance in supply of protein and energy with the body’s demands. The consumption of disproportionately high levels of processed sugars and saturated fats has resulted in a sharp increase in obesity in children and young adults especially in urban centres. The sub-optimal levels of macro- and micronutrients in diet is ultimately associated with chronic non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes.

Notably, while the country has witnessed a systematic strengthening of policies governing food safety, nutritional security is yet to experience as much vibrancy. Considering the massive number of women and children in India who face severe macro- and micronutrient deficiencies, a case is to be made for looking beyond the simple prescription of healthy diet plans and eating habits. Innovations that allow “health foods” to be accessible for all economic segments of India are likely to address the challenges in nutrition while aligning with current global market forces. To begin with, protein and iron would be ideal core ingredients in such innovations.

 

It took a global pandemic to energize discussions surrounding nutritious food. People’s engagement in culinary activities and food entrepreneurship was visible throughout the pandemic-related disruptions. For some, this was a hobby that could be affordably pursued in one’s home. For many others, this emerged as a vital source of income and employment.

 

While food entrepreneurship during the pandemic relied heavily on innovations in logistics, an emphasis on healthy products was widely evident. The buzz around health foods during covid-19 was a reminder that ‘unhealthy foods’ are all around us, enjoying huge market share among consumers from across all geographic, demographic and economic classifications.

 

Over the past two decades, codification of food safety norms in the country and alignment with global standards such as in labelling of packaged foods have gradually improved consumer confidence. One example of enlightened food manufacturing is the fortification of packaged grains, cereals and oils with micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Further, the Indian government has announced that all rice distributed under public food security schemes will be fortified with iron and folic acid by 2024. In spite of these positive developments, two key aspects of food entrepreneurship and manufacturing need to be rejuvenated.

 

First, entrepreneurial efforts emerging from economically weaker sections need access to scientific and technological inputs to develop knowledge-driven products. Ventures that are commercializing cultural legacy food products may have a straightforward and assured revenue generation model but are unlikely to be competitive in nutritional value and market reach. For example, women microentrepreneurs in a low-income community preparing packaged farsan are unlikely to face challenges in product placement in their neighbourhoods. If the same group could develop a protein-rich and iron-containing farsan, they could also address the nutritional requirements of their primary consumers. In doing so, it is possible that their manufacturing and processing techniques need to be revised for  enhanced nutritional value of ingredients and avoid unsafe handling practices in their complete supply chain.

Large numbers of women in such socio-cultural contexts manage the food habits of their entire family. Training women microentrepreneurs in the art of assimilating scientific inputs is likely to amplify good health practices in their immediate families. Second, entrepreneurial efforts emerging from economically affluent sections need to be inclusive of customers from across all economic backgrounds. It is not uncommon to see a child of migrant labourers living significantly below poverty line eating a bag of purchased branded potato chips. If this kid can be happier, eating a similarly purchased bag of ‘health food’ with suitable amounts of protein and iron, it would signal a successful convergence of food safety and nutrition. Both of the above aspects require deep and pro-active engagement of food scientists and professionals. These could be further facilitated by academic and research institutions that identify challenges faced by the entrepreneurs as possibilities for collaborative problem-solving.

 

Food products that combine cultural culinary practices with scientific and technological inputs are likely to fulfil grassroots efforts to address prominent health challenges in the country, including the deficiency of iron and proteins among women and children. This will also generate local enterprises and a local circular economy, ensuring longterm sustainability and replicability.

 

 

Dr. Bhaskar Datta is an Associate Professor, Chemistry (jointly with Biological Engineering) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India. His group is working on developing protein and micronutrient-rich foods, in addition to other research projects in food. He can be contacted by clicking here

A Technological Solution for Sanitation – Solinas Integrity Private Limited

 Founders: Mr. Divanshu Kumar – CEO, Innovator of HomoSEP, Bhavesh Narayani – Product Head

Hearing in the news about the deaths of sanitary workers, now and then, has become a common affair today; Most often, the death due to suffocation or intoxication inside the sewers/septic tanks while cleaning it is seen as a workplace hazard and probably thought to be acceptable as well, but is that the case?

 

What is the reason behind these deaths? Is this because there is no better technological solution available, or is it social discrimination/social hierarchy or maybe just sheer negligence from our side who don’t care enough to protect our own people? Let’s understand this deeper with an example. Ramesh needs to clean his house’s septic tank. He calls for a local sucker lorries that are the possible solutions but still, his problem was not solved as the sludge has been deposited and has become quite hard. Now, what will Ramesh do? Ask someone to clean it manually. Who will he call? And what will they do?

 

For all these questions, let’s take a look at where it all started. (i) Manual scavenging is practised mainly in India for “manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of, or otherwise handling, human excreta in an insanitary latrine or an open drain or sewer or a septic tank or a pit”.

 

During British rule, they started installing public toilets, and they hired people to clean those toilets. Earlier, it was an act of discrimination against the so-called low caste people, it turned out to be their profession. And eventually, it turned out to be their only way of income, and it has put a social tag. This forced them to clean or manually work in the sewer or septic lines. As things evolved, our sanitation systems also upgraded from septic tanks to sewer networks or toilets to bio-toilets and smart toilets; but the cleaning method stayed the same. In fact, it has become even worse. Earlier it was cleaning or handling the poop, but now they have started to inhale the toxic gases from the hard accumulated sludge. This affects their health causing breathing issues, skin rashes and so on, also reducing their life span by almost half. This is a difficult problem at hand, a culmination of strong social discrimination and lack of readily available technologies.

 

2018 was a time when Divanshu was pursuing his final year of undergrad studies at IITM under Prof Prabhu Rajagopal. Initially the technology aspect of the problem gave them a push to look for a solution, however once he visited and saw the cleaning of septic tanks being done manually, his resolve to solve the problem became much stronger. This is when the duo at IIT Madras tried to solve this with both technological as well as social lens.

After seeing it through their own eyes, it keeps pestering their minds to solve this. As engineers, they wanted a technology that solves these problems or at least makes them stay out of this toxic environment or manual handling. The inputs from Safai Karamchari andolan helped understand the on ground issues and the feasibility of various solutions proposed. After good research, the realisation came that more than 70% of households are connected with septic tanks, and there is no existing technology to prevent human entry into them. That’s where the focus area started, zeroing in on septic tanks. To understand it better, septic tanks are closed spaces as big as the living rooms of our apartments which has about half of it filled it hard, pressurized coagulated sludge. To desludge them, humans enter septic tanks. Sanitary workers will enter the septic tanks and use hard tools to break the rock-hard sludge without any safety measures. The smell of the fecal sludge is so strong that before every cleaning, they drink alcohol to tolerate the toxic environment. It makes them addicted to this practice, and even this contributes to their ill health.

 

Their research over the last 3 years led them to invent HomoSEP (which later became a part of the start-up, Solinas, founded by both of them), a multi blade inverter umbrella system which enters the manhole fully closed and opens its arms once it enters inside the septic tank. The mechanism consists of sharp blades that homogenise all the contents like slabs, hard rocks, and accumulated sludge inside the tanks & further mixes them with the colloidal water to form a liquid solution. This is then pumped out using the suction pump and stored in the tank attached to the HomoSEP itself.

 

HomoSEP consists of four main modules, 1. Bottom Module 2. Suction module with a storage tank 3. User-Friendly Control Module 4. A feeder with an actuator that goes 3-5mts deep. Each module helps the sanitary workers to clean the septic tanks more efficiently and in a safe manner. Sanitary workers from urban or rural areas have a major problem cleaning or transporting the sludge. Hence, keeping accessibility & portability in mind, Bhavesh & his technical team at Solinas have built a model which integrates with the existing vehicle like tractors, small trucks or even two-wheelers within the HomoSEP system.

Currently, Solinas has 3 models,

 

1. HomoSEP “Ind” – for higher performances or industries.
2. HomoSEP “Compact” – For housing boards or any confined spaces.
3. HomoSEP “Mini”- Attached with a bike/on auto and specifically cleaning the standalone septic tanks in villages.

 

Further, the team has also done a business innovation and designed a distribution model to directly benefit the sanitary workers and empower them. The organisation not only distributes the robot to them, but also helps the sanitary workers to position their robot in the existing market and earn money by finding them customers.

So far, Solinas, in partnership with IIT Madras and various CSR institutions like NSE foundation, LTTS have distributed 3 robots. They are constantly working with them to create various business opportunities for cleaning or identifying local contractors to partner with them. Also, several municipalities & non-profits are interested in deploying the robot in their city and helping the sanitary workers. The team is looking for more partners who can help them reach out to sanitary workers across the country and implement the solution.

 

Every problem has a solution until we figure it out. Manual scavenging is a problem connected with people’s dignity and social identity. Through the Micro Entrepreneurship model, we can hope to have created a social identity for the sanitary workers and their families, along with improving their family income.

 

Some recipients of the system, who have started enterprise for septic tank cleaning:

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

1. Ms. Nagamma, Tambaram, Chennai
2. Ms. Ruth Mary, Ambattur, Chennai
3. Ms. Maria, AminjiKarai, Chennai.

 

References:
Manual scavenging Definition:

(i) Manual scavenging
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manual_scavenging