Just as food is required to sustain life, packaging might be considered the lifeblood of the food industry. Consumers have become accustomed to having a wide variety of foods available to them from all corners of the world, no matter what season it may be. The days of being able to eat what is grown or raised on your own plot of land are long gone, especially as the world becomes more urbanized.
This would not be possible without packaging. So, the proliferation of available foods also brings with it a plethora of packaging that uses every type of material, in multiple sizes and shapes designed for a growing number of distribution and retail channels.