Filipino companies, especially those engaged in food business, are encouraged to use smart packaging technologies to ensure product safety and quality which are key drivers of competitiveness.

“For exporters, it will ensure the quality and safety of their products. It can directly communicate with the consumers because it has indicator. You can immediately see if your product is fresh or not,” said Daisy Tañafranca, chief of the Packaging Technology Division of the Department of Science and Technology-Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI).

Tañafranca pointed out packaging technology becomes more sophisticated, especially for products geared for the export markets.

Smart packaging technology includes the use of active packaging, intelligent packaging, and radio frequency identification (RFID).

She cited as an example the utilization of active packaging which delays the ripening of banana and mango, preserves the freshness of heirloom rice, and extend the shelf life of bread.

Tañafranca said intelligent packaging monitors the condition of packaged foods, and provides information on the quality of the packaged goods during transport and storage.

It is used mainly in logistics and supply chain management, as well as food and defense safety, she added.

Tañafranca further said the RFID technology, on the other hand, is a tagging and tracking system for food and other goods.

She noted many developed countries are already using smart packaging technologies.