Incidents of product tampering and recent terrorist activities make tamper-evidence a key strategy in both food safety and food security. As the primary role of food packaging is product protection, the package should guard against both intentional and unintentional contamination. Voluntary introduction of tamper-evident features on food packaging was the industry’s response to product tampering in the 1980's. Sonneveld (2000) reports that the packaging process generates a subtle cooperation between the product and packaging, with the aim of fulfilling the needs of the product end-user, as well as the manufacturer and the distributor. Many of the tamper-evident devices now used in food packaging are described in a paper authored by Jansen and Schelhove, 1999.
The issue of economic protection of packaged products from imitators is also
a major concern. Unlike product tampering, counterfeit trade elicits a different
response from manufacturers. Collins-Dodd and Zaichkowsk (1999) explained that
manufacturers
are reluctant to take legal action when retailers sell counterfeit goods because
they fear being delisted or fear losing shelf space if they confront retailers.
Despite laws prohibiting trademark infringement, imitation of national brands is
common in the U.S. marketplace.
This work helps increase security features on bottled foods to reduce the incidence of intentional tampering and counterfeiting of legitimate products. The fabrication and implementation of added security devices on food packages, as a single activity, are insufficient in protecting unsuspecting consumers. Thus, consumer awareness and recognition of the value of food with improved security devices are essential to the success of any such effort. Outreach activities are designed to increase industry and consumer awareness of the intrinsic value of tamper-evident packaging.