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PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) has long been the material of choice in the food packaging industry, but could this be about to change? According to Allied Market Research (AMR) the Polyactic Acid (PLA) market is expected to reach $5.2bn (£3.17bn) by 2020, and despite the huge competition with PET and PVC in the food packaging market, PLA could soon be the material of choice.

With such a large amount of packaging used in the food industry, many companies and government regulatory bodies are under pressure to find a long-term substitute to oil-based products due to environmental concerns and scarcity & volatility of prices of fossil fuels. Not only is the cost of PLA competitive with that of PET and PVC, the raw materials for manufacturing it are actually cheaper, and PLA production consumes comparatively less energy.

When compared with PET in its performance, PLA again looked formidable, proving equally effective if not better when tested on regarding flavour, freshness and off-flavour issues.

These factors alone are not sufficient to instantly make PLA the number one choice in food packaging, but as a long term replacement for oil-based materials such as PET and PVC, it’s the number one contender.

Source - http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Packaging/PLA-in-food-packaging-is-a-big-challenge