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Dick Searle of the Packaging Federation discusses a recent Which report on the future of food.

The recent Which report – The Future of Food – giving consumers a say – is a forceful and interesting publication.

In these Internet-rich times, Which has perhaps lost some of the undoubted force it had in its heyday. However the organization continues to produce robust and quality-conscious piece of work that still exert considerable influence over the consuming public.  Come rain, come shine we all need to eat. The Which team has found a topic that will run for time to come.

Once upon a time our packaging sector could perhaps feel some relief at having been overlooked in the pages of such a report. It’s a measure of how far we have now come that I find myself finishing the Which report with a clear sense of disappointment.

Packaging hardly figures in these pages; not much bad about us – but not much good either. Packaging, we can now hope to believe, is no longer the default whipping boy or scapegoat in these matters. The truth is that it never should have been in the first place.

The saddest part however, is that the positive packaging story is still sitting on the table, waiting to be acknowledged and waiting to be fully told.

Readers of this blog will know that effective packaging is a help and an opportunity for food and for much else in our world. It works every which way; from field to fork; for consumer choice, for preventing food waste and to also keep produce fresher for longer. Regular readers will also know of my commitment to stop preaching to the choir and to encourage us all to take the message to the streets and engage with new audiences.

A great step in this regard is the video produced from the Fresher for Longer launch. Anyone doubting our industry’s enthusiasm for the cause and for a renewed commitment to the future of food should take a look. Please just check out the video on the Fresher for Longer page on this website.

Let no one be in doubt. We have a great story to tell. The world needs to hear about it – and with some urgency as the issues of food security and food waste continue to bite.

Dick Searle is chief executive of the Packaging Federation.