Packaging has several uses. It may provide protection to a product during shipping. It may provide protection to the consumer by preventing contamination or tampering. Or it may prove a useful marketing tool for the manufacturer. In some cases, the packaging may serve multiple purposes.
Packaging often differs from culture to culture.
Generally, Americans are accustomed to seeing a lot of packaging material. On the other hand, some European cultures use relatively little packaging. For example, Americans expect their purchased items to be placed in a paper or plastic bag as a convenient method of carrying the item home. Some Europeans, however, frequent open food markets where they bring their own wicker basket or cloth bag which is used over and over again. Open food markets do not use synthetic wrapping, instead they rely on nature's own packaging, ie.