Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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The Department of Food Science and Technology was formed in 1968 by combining a group of faculty members with an interest in food processing from the Departments of Horticulture, Dairy Science, Animal Sciences, and Poultry Science. The department is still located in its original home, the 34,000-square foot Food Science and Technology building, which has been expanded over the years. The department currently has 14 faculty members with programs covering both applied and basic projects in the department's focus areas of protecting human heath (food safety, bio security, risk management) and enhancing food quality.

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Dairy Packaging to Improve Sustainability

Last year, Wal-Mart (along with 200 external packaging leaders) developed a Packaging Scorecard with key metrics that show the impacts of packaging on sustainability and the environment. The metrics include: Distance to transport, cube utilization, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, product/package ratio, package recovery rates, material type, recycle content and package innovation/improvement. The goal is to provide a 5% material reduction by 2013 that will result in $3.4 billion in savings with comparative savings in energy, greenhouse gases (CO 2 ), and more.

As of January, Wal-Mart Suppliers, including those who manufacture dairy products, have had to report their packaging data to Wal-Mart, and they will be measured in 2008 using those metrics. Those with the best scores will get the best positions in Wal-Mart stores. With that, sustainability has jumped to the front of the line to join portability, convenience, shelf appeal, tamper evidence and other attributes that make up the overall picture of successful dairy packaging.

Packaging has been part of the transformation of dairy in the past two decades from a purely take-home commodity to a beverage and a snack. In the 1950s, before sustainability was an issue, milk moved from glass to paper with advantages and disadvantages, involving portability and weight, durability, light and oxygen protection, and flavor leaching.
Paperboard is a renewable resource, lightweight, and mostly biodegradable and recyclable. However, there is a layer or two of film to protect that is not usually biodegradable. Gabletops are used most as packaging for organic milk because paperboard has the connotation of being a more natural material. As organic milk sales have increased, the gallon plastic jug has also become very popular. It offers a full gallon in one package, and, as with conventional milk, that means the milk is sold at the lowest price point by volume. For several years, plastic-like polymers made from corn or soybeans have been available for use in the manufacture of food and beverage packaging. There have been several applications for milk bottles, and even for shrink sleeve labels. Because these products are extruded however, some think they have lower environmental scores than other materials like paper.
Petroleum-based plastic is still most prevalent, and there are numerous considerations about which kind of plastic is best for a particular product. Material suppliers in Europe and elsewhere are continually working on developing materials to provide clear PET bottles that are stronger and lighter.
Glass is clear, doesn't leach any off flavors and it keeps milk cold. Glass also offers some nostalgic appeal, particularly when it is home delivered. A handful of companies have had enough success with home delivery and glass packaging that it has shown some measurable growth, although it still has just a tiny percentage of the milk market.
For sustainability, glass is made from natural materials so that it's renewable, and recyclable, but washing and sanitizing the milk bottles is a problem. And glass weighs a lot, so transporting beyond a couple hundred miles is difficult.
There is no packaging material that is a clear favorite for sustainability. The answer may be different for each dairy processor and for each application.

A couple years ago, Missouri dairy farmer Leroy Shatto decided to open his own small dairy processing plant. Shatto's Dairy markets its milk in the Kansas City market as a local, farm fresh product, that's not made with rBST.  Shatto chose glass bottles from Stanpac Inc., reasoning that the glass keeps his milk colder and fresher longer. 
“We have customers who say they can taste the plastic or are allergic to plastic milk jugs,” Shatto told a local newspaper.

A similar operation in Ohio , Hartzler's Family Dairy, was opened in 1996 by a farming family which now has more than 40 years experience in organic farming. Hartzler's also chose glass bottles from Stanpac for the milk it sells in Akron and Cleveland .
Shelf appeal continues to be one of the biggest drivers in packaging innovation for any consumer goods marketer, including the dairy man. Lactalis USA recently upgraded the packaging for its rondelé cheese spreads with refreshing graphics that draw the eye. Each facet of the new design was driven by months of consumer-based research. The new packaging was designed to make it easier for the consumer to find the rondelé in the cluttered cheese cases of the supermarket deli. Company research indicated that the look of the new packaging is so enticing that it generated greater purchase interest in non-users, and a significant number of targeted shoppers claimed the packaging had a positive effect on their purchase consideration.
Organic Valley Family of Farms and its packaging partner Tetra Pak developed a single-serve organic milk in Tetra Prisma Aseptic cartons that has brought baseball and milk together. Tetra Pak's containers were recognized by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (single A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners) as an innovative solution for the challenges of storage, spoilage and distribution of sensitive products such as milk.
“Our fan surveys show that parents want more healthy choices at the ballpark, and Organic Valley 's flavored milk tastes great, and is an all natural product,” said Ryan Grossman, food/beverage mgr. for the Timber Rattlers. “The single-serve milk cartons are easy for kids to open, carry and consume.”
Products can be purchased from concession stand and roving vendors. Free samples and discount coupons were distributed for redemption at local grocery stores.

At Ben & Jerry's Vermont production facilities, the primary ingredients, cream and milk, arrive in a tanker truck. But some of its packaging (caps, cups, labels) comes in corrugated boxes—lots and lots of boxes. The same is true for most dairy processors.
Ben & Jerry's has found a solution for what to do with all that cardboard through a Canadian company called Rebox. Established in 1990, Rebox recycles but also reuses corrugated cardbaord boxes. It is estimated that B&J's participation between 1991 and 2006, has saved more than 80,000 trees.