Packaging as we know it today is the result of a long development process.Primitive human beings usually consumed food when they found it.They were self-sufficient,so there was little need for packaging of food.The earliest vessels and containers were provided by nature itself in the form of animal skins,shells and gourds.Later,the invention of the pottery wheel meant that the making of simple earthenware pots became more sophisticated. Wooden barrels became popular in the Middle Ages because they could be used for storing various types of food,including liquids such as beer or wine,and were much less fragile than glass or earthenware containers.

Packaging may be looked at as being of several different types. For example,a transport package or distribution package can be the shipping container used to ship,store,and handle the product or inner packages.Some identity a consumer package as one which is directed toward a consumer or household.Packaging may be described in relation to the type of product being packaged,such as medical device packaging,bulk chemical packaging,over-the-counter drug packaging,retail food packaging military materiel packaging,pharmaceutical packaging,etc.