Milk packaging can be very varied and the types of packaging have increased over time.
The aim of packaging is both practical and commercial. So there is need for packaging suppliers to include both these aspects while desiging a packing.
Practical AIM: It must carry the milk and keep it fresh
Commercial AIM : keeping the cost down and marketing the product.
There are three main types of milk which are differentiated with their labelling and coloured caps
Full cream milk –blue coloured cap
Low fat milk- red coured cap
However, the decline of the doorstep delivery led to the sale of milk through supermarkets which led to the introduvtion of a variety of packaging formats like-Glass bottles, cardboard cartons ,plastic bottles, Tetra Pak cartons and low density polyethylene plastic milk containers. TRENDS IN MILK PACKAGING
1.Well into the 20th century, milk was transported in large metal cans and purchased at a local dairy or from the farmer, who distributed it by horse and cart. Families used small dippers to fill their domestic vessels from the cans.
2. The earliest milk bottles were generic, designed for a range of liquids and came with cardboard tops.
3. School milk came in smaller half-pint (235-mL) bottles, pictured here with a ‘dobber’, the tool used for opening them.
4. A plea to retain home delivery(obsolete).
5. A range of specialist milks begins to appear
Glass Bottles
The traditional milk packaging were introduced in the 1880s. They originally had necks that started relatively low on the bottle, although these have now developed they are narrower and shorter. The lettering appears directly on the bottle. This was originally built into the bottles during manufacturing, but were then started to be painted on directl, being cheaper and a while also allowing for stronger marketing