The food industry has been met with varying degrees of scrutiny lately for its extraneous and unnecessary use of packaging for certain products, namely fresh fruits and vegetables.

The beauty of nature is that produce like oranges, cucumbers, and apples come with their own "natural packaging," a.k.a. the protective skin or rind that makes the use of plastic wrapping or Styrofoam trays unnecessary when displaying and selling these raw foods in grocery stores.

However, dried fruits and vegetables are a whole different ballpark. The great thing about dehydrating or baking raw foods is that they have an extended shelf life and are usually easier to take on the go. Consumers don’t have to worry about peeling their snacks or getting sticky juice all over the place. Some even prefer the taste or texture of dried snacks, and they’re a quick and convenient way to eat healthy and gain essential vitamins and nutrients.

Packaging dried apple and other similar foods is so important to prevent the products from prematurely going stale. Not to mention, the right packaging protects the nutrient content of the dried foods and safeguards it from becoming contaminated by bacteria, pests, odors and the like. While it may seem pointless in some consumers’ eyes to peel an apple or orange and wrap the inside fruit in plastic, dried snacks require protective packaging that maintains their shape, flavor, quality and texture for an extended period of time. (As a bonus, this gives brands an opportunity to use sustainable, landfill-friendly packaging that helps communicate their eco-conscious initiatives.)

As you know, not all types of packaging are exactly alike — just as no two products are completely identical. Flexible food packaging comes in a wide range of styles, sizes, materials, and so on. It’s really up to the product manufacturer to determine which specific packaging is best for their unique product and brand.

We were recently asked, “What type of laminate is suitable for packaging dried apple?”

Dried apple is a very common product packaged in stand up pouches or other flexible bags. After all, lightweight bags and pouches are easy to take on the go and can be produced with reclosable zip locks that allow consumers to return to the snack multiple times without it going stale. Here are a few options we suggest for packaging dried apple:

• If you’re looking for a clear bag or bag with a window… a laminate using PET or polyester with an inner layer or LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene) is acceptable. This is a great option for building transparency — it lets consumers see your product before opening the package, which helps establish trust between customer and manufacturer.

• If you want an opaque structure… choose a metalized film, like metalized polyester. I would not recommend foil at all — it is overkill.

Whether you’re looking for pouches that offer a “sneak peek” of your product upon first glance, or you want your bag’s front and back panels completely nontransparent and filled with custom artwork, you have the option of ordering plain stock packaging for dried apples with a label applied (perfect for emerging brands, mom-and-pop companies, and entrepreneurs), or fully custom-printed pouches (available in larger quantities for brands who want to take their product to the next level).

(Image Sources: Bare Snacks, Del Monte Dried Fruit)