The food industry is constantly changing and so is packaging. As consumer needs change, they largely determine what the trends will be in food packaging. These include trends such as sustainability, transparency and the increase in online sales. Therefore, these trends also directly affect the packaging industry, which is why we must be able to move quickly. We’ve listed some of the trends and their implications for you.
Transparency
We live in a time when information is available anywhere and everywhere. Consumers aren’t easily fooled anymore and want to know the “story” behind the product in addition to the ingredients. They want to know where it came from and how it was produced. They are looking for a certain authenticity, experience and feeling with a product. In the process, consumers are becoming increasingly brand-oriented and it must fit their values. One of these values, for example, is sustainability. If you as a company can tell people that you as a company are doing sustainable business, it will benefit your image and ultimately sales. Thus, packaging is increasingly becoming a means of communication. In Germany, for example, they are already very far along with packaging with a QR code that leads you to a website with more information.
Shift to Online Sales
Consumers are buying more and more products online and so is food. The trick is to get these products to the customer whole and fresh. So here is a challenge for the packaging industry to create innovative packaging. A new type of customer is also emerging for packaging companies. Packaging companies are faced with multiple small customers buying larger and larger quantities. If you as a co packer respond well to this by deploying multiple packaging machines, for example, you can greatly increase the growth of your business in a short period of time.
Sustainable packaging
Environmentally conscious shopping and manufacturing is a big issue today. Plastic packaging is a growing environmental problem. Therefore, more and more packaging is being done in cardboard, and more new types of packaging are appearing. Customers of packaging companies want to be socially responsible and therefore demand more sustainable, less packaging and recyclable packaging. Still, you can’t ban plastic completely but as a packaging company you can capitalize on this by using less and thinner plastic in combination with cardboard packaging. This often does require adjustments in the production process. For example, a new machine or modifications to existing machines.
Packaging industry opportunities
These trends in the food industry are changing a lot for co packers. However, there are also opportunities here. By listening carefully to and responding to your customers’ needs, you can get ahead of the competition and maintain and increase your production volumes.