Context
The flexible-packaging market is valued at $60 billion worldwide. North America alone contributes about $30 billion to this total; Canada’s share is $2.5 to 3 billion. The market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 5 to 6% for the next few years.
Market trends and consumer needs have given rise to improved packaging technology in order to produce better product quality and freshness as well as longer shelf life. Today’s packaging must also be easy to use, lighter, cheaper and recyclable.
Moreover, food safety awareness has become a significant concern, particularly in the wake of recent listeria and salmonella outbreaks in Canada and U.S. Innovation and R&D aimed at enhancing food packaging safety is therefore of prime importance.
The NSERC Industrial Research Chair on Materials and Films for Safe, Smart and Sustainable Packaging (3SPack) was created to develop next-generation innovative solutions in flexible multilayer packaging, as well as enhancement of food container safety andsustainability.
