Tamper-evident packaging has one job: to make interference visible. It does not lock anything, and it does not stop a determined attacker. It removes the ability to open a pack and put it back as though nothing happened.
This guide covers what the constructions actually do, where each one belongs, and the specification decisions that determine whether the seal still works when the pack reaches its destination.
The short answer
Choose the opening you need to evidence, then the construction that suits that surface and that asset. Cartons and outer packs are usually sealed with tamper-evident tape; jars, tubs, closures and cartons with a printed face take void-message labels; reusable totes and returnable assets need non-residue labels; bags need a security-bag closure. Add serialisation only if somebody is going to log and check the number. Everything below is detail on those four decisions: opening, surface, evidence behaviour, and record.
Tamper evident, tamper resistant, tamper proof
- Tamper evident — interference leaves visible, permanent evidence. This is what labels, tapes and security bags provide.
- Tamper resistant — access is made physically harder or slower: bolt seals, cable ties, locked cages, rigid closures.
- Tamper proof — not a claim we make. Given enough time, tools and motivation, packaging can be defeated. Anyone selling “tamper proof” packaging is describing marketing, not a construction.
We covered this distinction in more depth in tamper evident vs tamper proof.
The main constructions and how the evidence works
Void-message labels
A multi-layer film or paper label with a hidden message. Lifting it separates the layers and reveals VOID or OPENED, on the label and usually on the surface as well. The message cannot be reset by pressing the label back down.
Permanent (residue) constructions
Designed to leave a deliberate mark. On board, the adhesive keys into the fibre and tears it on removal, so the damage stays on the pack. The right choice on single-use outers — see permanent tamper-evident labels.
Non-residue constructions
Polyester face material that gives a clear void message but releases cleanly. Essential on reusable totes, crates and returnable transit packaging, where residue would create a cleaning burden and staff would eventually stop sealing.
Security tapes
The same principle in a tape format for cartons and pallets. Paper versions tear the board’s fibres and keep a fibre outer recyclable as one material; film versions perform on coated board, film and wrap. See the tamper-evident tape range.
Security bags
Bags with an integral tamper-evident closure, used where the pack itself needs to be the seal — cash, evidence, samples, high-value small items. See SealSAFE paper bags.
Serialisation and codes
Numbers, barcodes and QR codes turn a seal into a record. This is the part that supports authentication: the seal shows the pack was disturbed, and the number shows whether this is the pack that was dispatched. The physical seal and the data layer do different jobs and should be specified as two things.
Choosing by surface
| Surface | Typical choice | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Corrugated / kraft carton | Permanent label or paper security tape | Surface dust on recycled board; coatings that stop fibre tear |
| Coated or laminated carton | Film construction | Silicone-containing coatings reduce initial tack |
| Reusable tote / crate | Non-residue polyester label | Textured walls reduce contact area |
| Poly mailer / bag | Film label or security bag | Film flexes; seal across the closure, not the body |
| Stretch-wrapped pallet | Pallet security tape | Apply over several wrap layers, not one loose film layer |
| Chilled or frozen pack | Construction validated at temperature | Condensation at application is the usual failure cause |
Sector applications
- Pharmaceutical and healthcare — pack-level seals, controlled-drug totes, sample transport: pharmaceutical packaging security.
- Food and beverage — delivery closures, catering trolleys, opening evidence for the consumer: food and beverage.
- E-commerce and retail — returns integrity, substitution, pilferage in the last mile: e-commerce and retail.
- Logistics and distribution — pallet and tote integrity across handovers: logistics security.
- Evidence and secure transfer — chain-of-custody sealing: evidence integrity.
- Cold chain — sealing where condensation and temperature transitions are the constraint: cold-chain security.
Regulatory context, stated carefully
Tamper-evident features appear in regulation in specific places, and it is worth being accurate about them rather than implying a general legal requirement:
- The EU Falsified Medicines Directive and its Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/161 require an anti-tampering device and a unique identifier on the packaging of most prescription medicines placed on the EU market. Post-Brexit arrangements differ across the UK; check the position for your market with the MHRA.
- Food-defence and tamper controls appear in retailer and certification schemes such as BRCGS, and in HACCP-based food safety management systems, as part of a documented process rather than as a specific product requirement.
- Most other sectors have no explicit tamper-evidence mandate. The requirement usually comes from customer or retailer specifications, insurance conditions or your own risk assessment.
No packaging product makes you compliant on its own. Seals support a documented control; the control is yours.
Specification checklist
- Surface — test on your actual packaging, including your worst-case board or tote.
- Residue — permanent on single-use, non-residue on anything reusable.
- Temperature — validate at the temperature and humidity you apply and ship in.
- Application — hand or machine, with enough pressure and dwell time before handling.
- Placement — across the opening, so access requires disturbing the seal.
- Serialisation — only if you will record and check the number.
- Sustainability — a fibre outer with a paper seal reports as one material under packaging EPR.
- Inspection — define who checks, what they photograph, and what happens when a seal is voided.
Common specification mistakes
- Sealing a seam instead of an opening.
- Permanent adhesive on reusable totes, which ends with staff skipping the seal.
- Testing on a clean sample board rather than the dusty recycled board actually in use.
- Serialising without a logging step, so the number proves nothing.
- Applying to a condensation-covered chilled pack.
- Treating the seal as authentication of the contents, when it evidences interference with the closure.
Specifying on behalf of someone else
A large share of this work reaches us through packaging distributors, contract packers, converters, packaging consultants and machinery integrators rather than through the end user. If you are specifying for a customer:
- You do not need to name the construction. Describe the pack, the closure and the failure you are trying to make visible, and the specification comes back to you.
- Partner-led enquiries stay partner-led — we support your customer through you rather than taking over the relationship, and the end customer’s identity is optional.
- Trial quantities and machine-compatibility checks matter more than catalogue codes at this stage; line speed, core size and applicator type change what is viable.
Register as a Security Lab partner, or send the pack straight through as an application if you already have a live requirement. For bespoke constructions, see bespoke tamper evidence.
Product and application routes
To compare closures by pack type and evidence behaviour, and to reach the relevant product specifications, start from tamper evident packaging — the overview of cartons, bags, closures, pallets and reusable containers, and the constructions that suit each.
Looking for a manufacturer? See tamper evident packaging manufacture and contract packing for how an application becomes a specified, tested and supplied construction.