INTRODUCTION:
There is a general belief that packaging of Nigerian food products lacks the quality that can make them competitive in the local and global markets. Although some of the locally made products are considered to be of high quality and unique, but it is still very unfortunate that they are not accepted as good packaged food products, to enable them to be sold successfully in the local and global markets. Most of the packaging materials used are not environmentally-friendly, they are not designed properly while others get their food products spoilt, as a result of poor packaging system, leading to huge capital losses to manufacturers of such products, not to talk of the huge environmental problems caused by non-biodegradable materials used. The problem of poor packaging of locally made food products took a centre stage, after the Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authourity Decree 1992 was established by the Nigerian government to assist the export of Made-in-Nigeria products to the global market. It was then discovered that most of the exported food products to the international market could not be sold because of some of the above mentioned issues. Many efforts have been made by the various stakeholders in the packaging and export sector ever since to solve the poor packaging problem of locally made food products. In spite of all these efforts, the problem still persists. There are many factors that may contribute to poor or substandard packaging. Factors such as the manufacturer’s perception or understanding of the role of packaging as a marketing tool, the producer’s commitment to ensuring quality and financial constraints can significantly influence manufacturer’s choice of packaging of a food product. The market competition and the consumer’s desire for quality products compel manufacturers to ensure quality in both their products and packaging. However, poor adherence to quality practices and regulations could lead to poor packaging as well. Even though research works have been carried-out in the past, this paper believes that a lot still has to be done in order to bring about positive change in food packaging design in Nigeria.
Preliminary investigations conducted by the researcher revealed that even though, some good packaging materials, machinery and personnel required to assist manufacturers package their food products are sometimes available in the local packaging industry, the problem of poor packaging or sub-standard packaging of locally produced food products still persist. These, among others, has put the local Nigerian manufacturer’s food packaged products in a dilemma and in a strong market competition with imported packaged food products on the local and international markets.
There is also a general perception that Nigerian customers prefer imported foreign products to similar locally made brands and patronize the former mainly because of the high quality and attractive nature of their packaging. The result is that there is comparatively better sale of the imported products than those produced locally and placed on the Nigerian market. This situation is becoming more and more alarming as it is dwindling sales and profit margins of “Made-in-Nigeria” products in their own local market, not to talk of competing in the global market.
Apart from the aesthetic issues of packaging in Nigeria, the use of non-biodegradable materials for packaging of food products poses a huge environmental problem too. Current advances in food processing and food packaging play a primary role in keeping food supply safe. Simply stated, packaging maintains the benefits of food processing after the process is complete, enabling foods to travel safely for long distances from their point of origin/production and still be wholesome at the time of consumption. However, packaging technology must balance food protection with other issues, including energy and material costs, heightened social and environmental consciousness, and strict regulations on pollutants and disposal of municipal solid waste.
On the 4th of July, 2013, the Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO) announced through the Director General of the institute, Dr. Mrs. Gloria Elemo of her institute’s readiness to export locally processed “Zobo” and “Kunu” drinks to Europe, America and Asia. She talked about the huge potentials inherent in our vast raw food materials and the need to process these food products and export them as finished products. This paper strongly believes that the packaging of these drinks/other food products and the need to use biodegradable packaging materials would ultimately determine how well these products would do in the international market. The need for good quality packaging can not be undermined.

ROLES OF FOOD PACKAGING
The principal roles of food packaging are to protect food products from outside influences and damage, to contain the food, and to aesthetically create designs that would appeal to the consumer. The goal of a good food packaging is to contain food in a cost-effective way that satisfies industry requirements and consumer desires, maintain food safety, and minimize environmental impact.
Protection/preservation
Good food packaging can retard product deterioration, retain the beneficial effects of processing, extend shelf-life, and maintain or increase the quality and safety of food. In doing so, packaging provides protection from 3 major classes of external influences: chemical, biological, and physical.
Chemical protection minimizes compositional changes triggered by environmental influences such as exposure to gases (typically oxygen), moisture (gain or loss), or light (visible, infrared, or ultraviolet). Many different packaging materials can provide a chemical barrier. Glass and metals provide a nearly absolute barrier to chemical and other environmental agents, but few packages are purely glass or metal since closure devices are added to facilitate both filling and emptying. Closure devices may contain materials that allow minimal levels of permeability. For example, plastic caps have some permeability to gases and vapors, as do the gasket materials used in caps to facilitate closure and in metal can lids to allow sealing after filling. Plastic packaging offers a large range of barrier properties but is generally more permeable than glass or metal.
Biological protection provides a barrier to microorganisms (pathogens and spoiling agents), insects, rodents, and other animals, thereby preventing disease and spoilage. In addition, biological barriers maintain conditions to control senescence (ripening and aging). Such barriers function via a multiplicity of mechanisms, including preventing access to the product, preventing odor transmission, and maintaining the internal environment of the package.
Physical protection shields food from mechanical damage and includes cushioning against the shock and vibration encountered during distribution. Typically developed from paperboard and corrugated materials, physical barriers resist impacts, abrasions, and crushing, damage, so they are widely used as shipping containers and as packaging for delicate foods such as eggs and fresh fruits. Appropriate physical packaging also protects consumers from various hazards. For example, child-resistant closures hinder access to potentially dangerous products. In addition, the substitution of plastic packaging for products ranging from shampoo to soda bottles has reduced the danger from broken glass containers.
Containment and food waste reduction
Any assessment of food packaging impact on the environment must consider the positive benefits of reduced food waste throughout the supply chain. Significant food wastage has been reported in many countries, ranging from 25% for food grain to 50% for fruits and vegetables (FAO 1989). Inadequate preservation/protection, storage, and transportation have been cited as causes of food waste. Packaging reduces total waste by extending the shelf-life of foods, thereby prolonging their usability. Therefore, packaging may contribute to the reduction of total solid waste and contribute positively in environmental preservation.

Marketing and Information
A package is the face of a product and often is the only product exposure consumers experience prior to purchase. Consequently, distinctive or innovative packaging can boost sales in a competitive environment. The package may be designed to enhance the product image and/or to differentiate the product from the competition. For example, using motifs that a group of consumers can identify with easily, during package designing, can make the said group of consumers purchase the finished products. Packaging also provides information to the consumer. For example, package labeling satisfies legal requirements for product identification, nutritional value, ingredient declaration, net weight, and manufacturer information. Additionally, the package conveys important information about the product such as cooking instructions, brand identification, and pricing. All of these enhancements may impact waste disposal.

LIMITATIONS
This paper is limited to consumer food products packaged locally by manufacturers resident in the south-eastern part of Nigeria. It would also delve into packaging material sciences, where the biological and/or chemical properties of each packaging material will be tested with sampled products and specifying their optimum barrier properties in relation to their shelf-life and the environment. However, the paper made use of available existing data on the packaging material properties where possible to support a claim or to make a claim. Much attention wasn’t given to secondary and tertiary packages in the paper, since they are not the main focus of the research. The main focus is on the primary design/packaging concepts, using of durable/cost-effective/locally-sourced/environmentally-friendly materials and how packaging designers could test their packaging design concepts to ensure market success. However, some information on secondary and tertiary packaging will be provided when needed.
In a study conducted for the United Nations in 2011, titled “Food Packaging Solutions for Developing Countries” by Nerlita M. Manalili (Independent Consultant, Regional Adviser on Market Access & Sustainable Agricultural Chain Development in Asia, the Philippines), Moises A. Dorado (University of the Philippines) and Robert van Otterrdijk (Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations, Rome, Italy), the report identified the importance of packaging in production. Food shelf-life extensions, the quality of design/packaging of a finished product and the use of biodegradable materials were some of the recommendations made in this report. They concluded the report by reminding us that, “The Packaging Industry is the world’s third largest industry sector, next only to food and petrochemical industries”, and the need for us all to focus on this very important aspect of food production can not be over-emphasized.

STATE OF THE ART REVIEW:
This paper’s quest to know more about literature on packaging design of food products, especially those on Nigerian food products, for the local and international markets did reveal a lot of information on the history, problems and measures to be taken in other to mitigate the current food packaging problems in Nigeria, so that the packaged food products would compete in the global market and would meet the challenges in food packaging in the 21st century.
Definitions of Packaging: From the varied definitions of packaging given by packaging experts and researchers in their published and unpublished documents it has been proved that it is not a term that is easy to define as it means a different things to different people.
The simplest definition of packaging given by Dorf, C. R., & Kusiak, A. in their book titled Handbook of Design, Manufacturing and Automation, is “The material, form or vessel that contains a product”. This definition is similar to that of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2000:838), which defines packaging as the material used to wrap or protect goods before they are sold. Two definitions, though simple, captures some aspects of packaging as the use of materials to wrap products in order to contain them. It implies that using anything to wrap a product is referred to as packaging. Okumpah-Bortei (1991) in his MA thesis defined packaging as “The collective form for all kinds of containers in which goods are packed for sale to the consumer”. This paper sees this definition as too narrow a definition for packaging since it excludes containers mainly intended for transit or storage purposes. Hanlon, J. F. in his book Handbook of Packaging Engineering, gave a definition that describes some aspects of packaging by asserting that packaging has many faces. In its more familiar forms it is “the box on the grocer’s shelf and a wrapper on a candy bar. It can also be the crate around a machine or a bulk container for chemicals”. It is obvious that Hanlon was describing packages rather than defining packaging. Hanlon continues by explaining further that: “it is art and science, it is materials and equipment. It is protection, promotion, law, logistics, manufacturing and materials handling all rolled into one”. This explanation reveals what is involved in packaging processes, and thus this paper conceives that it cannot be taken as a definition.
Paine F. A., & Paine, H. Y. in their book, A Handbook of Food Packaging also defined packaging by some functions it performs: “Packaging may be defined as a means of ensuring the safe delivery of a product to the ultimate consumer in sound condition at the minimum overall cost”. If packaging can be defined by its functions then Paine‟s definition captures just a little of the functions packaging performs. The various functions of packaging the researcher discovered are discussed under the functions of packaging. The proposed definition by the Institute of Packaging Professionals as quoted by Raper and Ming-Ren Sun says that packaging is, “The enclosure of products, items or packages in wrap, pouch, bag, box, cup, tray, can, tube, bottle or other container form to perform one or more of the following functions; containment for handling, transportation and use; preservation and protection of the contents for required shelf and use life and sometimes protection of the external environment from any hazards of contact with contents, identification of contents, quantity and manufacturer – usually by means of printing, decoration, labelling, package shape or transparency; facilitate dispensing and use. If the device or container performs one or more of these functions, it is a package”. This paper considers this as an all embracing definition touching on all aspects of packaging. However, it seems too long for a definition and also if new functions of packaging are discovered in the future then it will be inadequate to stand as a perennial definition. The paper proposes the following as working definition for packaging in this study: “Packaging is the use of biodegradable material and process to produce a support for a product to facilitate its preservation, transportation, handling, marketing and information dissemination”.

History of Packaging: This paper agrees with the popular assumption that the people who lived in the prehistoric era were not much concerned with packaging products as they are presumed to consume things in their raw/natural state and most probably on the spot or may carry them in their bare hands. However, the uses of packaging in one form or other evolved gradually as man progressed through life.
The most significant era of packaging is when man started containing some of their wares in leaves as wraps, gourds and shells as containers, which nature has endowed since creation. The researcher is of the view that one of the first constructed packages may probably be weaved palm fronds and creeping plants for packaging agricultural goods and also for transporting them. The oldest information on manufactured package available is dated as far back as 1844 when paper production was introduced in Europe. What necessitated the use of manufactured package could be linked primarily to transportation and agglomeration. Packaging started in a different form from what we know today. The earliest form was by the use of animal skins, shells, broad leaves and hard “skin” fruits and vegetables. Liquids were stored in containers made from animal skins, hollowed out logs, gourds, coconut and shells. In the Ancient Egypt and Roman Empires times, containers were made of clay and other materials. Later on glass, metal and paper were introduced when their technologies were discovered and these materials were used for packaging most of their wares. Butter and cheese were kept in baskets, vinegar in barrels, and tea in chests whilst grains were put in sacks during the Victorian times. The above information drew this paper’s attention to the indigenous packaging practices in the South Eastern region of Nigeria. Most food made of corn, such as the “akamu” and “agidi”‟ for example, are wrapped in banana/plantain leaves and it is still being practiced to this day. Firewood was bundled for sale using twisted palm fronds. Foodstuffs were transported from the farm to market places or homes contained in woven palm fronds called “nkata” in Ibo language. From this, the paper can confidently conclude that packaging is not new to Nigerians but it is the branded packaging that is new.
The first ever branded package was introduced in England in 1746 by one Dr. Robert James who packaged his “Fever-Powder” in a box for retailing. Other people followed suit by introducing other forms of packaging by using different materials such as metal and glass. A. F. Pears, an Englishman established the first soap packaging company. Yardley of London also packaged his famous lavender water in glass bottles, whilst Crosse and Blackwell also branded olive oil and mustard in jars. Packaging as a method for food preservation began in the later part of the 16th century. In 1795, when the French War was raging, the demand for food preservation increased that led to the development of canning. The famous French warrior Napoleon Bonaparte realizing the need to preserve and transport food to his army offered a prize to reward anyone who could find answer to his demands. In 1809, one Nicholas Appert, a confectioner, invented the process of canning by introducing an airtight glass jars to win the prize. By this, he introduced canning into the system which was further developed to light weight cans we have today. A lot of development took place around this The Encarta encyclopedia (2013) considers the developments in packaging in the early 19th century as the beginning of Modern Packaging. It continues that in 1810 two inventors, Augustine de Heine and Peter Durand, patented an iron and tin containers, called cans, for food preservation. More improvements on the canning processes were discovered in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Canned product was first used by the army before it came to the consumer‟s domain. The British Army first used the canned food during the Crimean wars (1853 – 1865); In the American Civil war (1861 – 1865) the militant groups used these bulky cans for food preservation and transportation. It is interesting to note that light cans that we have today and are easy to open used to be bulky and required the use of hammer and chisel for opening when it was first introduced. Product packaging became very important during the World Wars. This paper is of the view that although war is bad, but this development of food product packaging is one good thing that was initiated by the demands of war at that period in history. The 19th century was the period when advancements in canning and paper containers fabrications we use today got started. The packaging industry at that time availed itself with the development of mechanical printing processes, photoengraving and process colour printing. Many packages were decorated using the printing processes to make them more attractive to the buyers, to bear the names of the products and their manufacturers‟ information. This marked the beginning of packaging, branding and labelling.

Traditional Purposes and Functions of Packaging: Packaging has gone through a lot of innovative changes as a result of gradual improvements in machinery and technology over the years. Packaging may look different in these modern times from the old but its basic purposes and functions are still the same. The most important aspect of packaging is its functions. In general, packages perform a lot of functions which most packaging researchers such as Byett et al, Judd et al, Pilditch, and Hanlon have written a lot about. This shows that most of the researchers‟ interests are geared toward the study of the functions and purposes of packaging. From the purpose of packaging we can also determine the functions of packaging. The traditional purposes and functions of every product packaging are to contain products, protect products, to preserve the products, to facilitate transportation and storage.
Containing and Keeping of Content: The first function of a package is to contain or keep its contents. This function of a package made Hanlon define packaging simply as the structure that contains or limits its contents. Therefore, if that structure cannot keep its contents efficiently, then it fails to be a good package for that particular product. It means that the package must keep the content from spilling, spreading or evaporation until the user of the product decides to do so.
Protection of Product: The package is to protect its contents. The protective function comes in two forms. Firstly, it must protect the content from the external environment to prevent contamination. Secondly, if the product is poisonous or toxic to human and environment the package must protect it from coming into contact with human and the environment. Also, if the content can deplete or is volatile it must protect it from depleting or evaporation. Commenting on this function, Pilditch said the primary job of a pack is to protect its content against shock, vibration, light, odour, bacteria, moisture, climate, pilferage, chemical reaction and physical risks. From Pilditch‟s observation, the protective functions of packaging are many and very important to both the producer and the consumer. It is a pertinent function all producers must consider when choosing the appropriate packaging material for their products in order to get maximum protection for their goods in all conditions to avoid loss of products and revenue. He added that the package exists to protect the product, if it is not purchased now on the market, for the future. This function of packaging acts as an assurance to the producer that after all if what he has packaged and brought to the market is not bought immediately, it can wait on the shelf for a considerable length of time for the prospective buyer to come and buy it. For the package to keep the product for a long time means that it must be made with the right kind of materials and it is given the right environment. Therefore, for packaging to serve its purposes and functions it requires that it is properly constructed using the right kind of materials and is given the right climate or environment that best suits it.

Kano’s Theory of Customer Satisfaction and Packaging: Customer satisfaction is very important to every modern food product manufacturer. The product must give some form of satisfaction to the customer and since the product and its packaging go hand in hand, the packaging should also give satisfaction to the customer. Customer satisfaction in the packaging design can be achieved by getting customers’ input for the design of the packaging and also using traditional design motifs, which the customers can relate to easily. Kano’s Theory of Customer Satisfaction and packaging has been proven to offer the easiest way of getting the different customer requirements in a product. This paper agrees to the test of the feasibility of using the Kano’s Theory of Customer Satisfaction and packaging in determining customer quality requirements for packaging concept and development.

METHODOLOGY:
The theory of customer satisfaction propounded by Professor Noriaki Kano of the Tokyo University of Science and his team, offers manufacturers understanding into customer quality dimensions and offers ways to solicit these qualities from customers/respondents, by using pairs of close-ended questions in a questionnaire format which at the end could be adopted and used by food manufacturers in Nigeria as a cost effective way to get customers’ input for their packaging designs.
With more research work to be carried in the very near future, account of the processes used for the data acquisition; including how the research would be planned, the research design that would be used, the sample and data collecting procedures for the objectives of this study; as well as the data analysis plan would all be put in place. As earlier stated, this paper concerns itself with activities and perception of quality in the context of packaging and labelling in Nigeria. It also looks at the issue of packaging as regards environmental preservation. Two of the major cities in Nigeria were roasted “ukwa” (bread fruit) is produced and consumed, namely: Enugu and Awka – would be used as the study areas. Some of the large and small scale business enterprises and organizations within the food packaging industry would also be visited, to enable the researcher reach experts in the field of work and also to be acquainted with how the packaging and its related activities are performed in the industry.
As part of the creative output, the researcher would experiment with different materials and finally come-up with suitable and cost-effective materials for the production of both the exterior packaging design as well as the interior material that would help preserve the roasted “Ukwa” (bread-fruit) product, giving it a long shelf-life. Ibo traditional based motifs would also be incorporated as part of the exterior design of the finished work.

NEW STUDIES:
As part of the creative out-put of this paper, the researcher would experiment with a wide range of biodegradable materials and printing techniques. Low-cost, environmentally-friendly and readily availability of materials would play a major role in deciding the exact materials and techniques to use in the final production for the packaging of the roasted ‘ukwa’ (bread-fruit) product.
Some of the environmental-friendly packaging materials the researcher intends to experiment with include:
1.) Waxed Paper
2.) Biodegradable Polymers
3.) Corrugated card (carton paper)
4.) Paper Bottles/containers (Moulds to be made)
5.) Glaze card
6.) Chip board
7.) Cane baskets
8.) Raffia baskets

The researcher also intends to experiment with a whole lot of printing techniques/styles, which would include:
1.) Offset printing
2.) Direct Image Printing
3.) Screen Printing
4.) Gravure Printing (An Intaglio printing technique)
5.) Flexography Printing (Can be used on plastic, glass, cellophane and paper materials)
As part of the experimental work, two or more of the printing techniques/styles could be incorporated in a single design production.

CONCLUSIONS:
The underlying objectives of this paper is to study the challenges facing the packaging design and production chain in the Nigerian food packaging industry and to propose solutions to help solve them and also look at using biodegradeable packaging materials which would be helpful in preserving the environment.
Based on the research work and various experimental works to be carried-out by the researcher, a tangible conclusion would then be presented, based on the findings and results, on how to move to the Nigerian food packaging industry forward. Out of these conclusions, recommendations would then be made which would help improve the local design and production of food packages for modern competitive markets.