Sustaining progress

24 July 2013



The new Innovation in Food Packaging 2013 report from market analyst Canadean says that the sector will be driven by growing environmental concerns and a strong focus on cutting costs


According to Canadean's new forecast report, released in late June 2013, the past year's flat consumption in many food markets has resulted in a greater emphasis on cost reduction in packaging. This is often allied to the sustainability cause, as less material used often equates to cost reduction. An increasing number of innovations are focusing on reducing costs through lightweighting and efficiency initiatives, such as increased shelf life and waste reduction. Not only are these cost-efficient, but they also accommodate the needs of an increasing number of environmentally concerned consumers.

Renew, Reuse, Recycle
The 'three Rs' are frequently found alongside descriptions on new pack types that use materials produced from renewable resources. These include plant materials that are biodegradable or can be recycled. Sustainability has been a major innovation driver in the rigid plastics packaging sector, particularly with respect to recycled content, biodegradability, renewable materials and recyclable
properties.

The launch by US thermoformed plastics packaging manufacturer Placon of a PET deli container range, Evolutions, uses exclusively recycled content (Ecostar materials coming from kerb-side collected PET bottles), while other companies are developing eco-friendly packaging using plastics based on plants, making it biodegradable and compostable.

Manufacturers replacing polystyrene containers with PLA containers to make use of renewable materials include Danone, with its Activia yogurt pots in Germany, and Bloom Microgreens in the US.

Cost reduction
The other focus of packaging innovation, cost, is also the starting point for many new developments. More companies today are
focusing on reducing costs through lightweighting of materials and efficiency initiatives such as increased shelf life and waste reduction. Innovations in this area have taken into account package robustness, portion control and deriving the maximum efficiency from the packaging. This includes the launch of new split packs, which help to reduce food waste as food can be placed into portion-sized compartments, while a non-stick ketchup bottle coating enables the product to pour more effectively from the bottle.

Improvements in sealing, oxygen barriers and reduction in bacteria growth have all helped to increase shelf life. Holfeld Plasticslaunched the pluS range of r-PET/PE trays for poultry and fish, with improved sealing characteristics making for a better barrier
performance and increased shelf life. And UK wholesaler Booker launched a sandwich pack developed by food technologist Ray
Boggiano, that uses gas flushed MAP.

Much of the development in lightweighting has involved replacing glass containers for food with plastics PET containers. In Germany, Scandic Food made a switch to plastics for its Svansoe stewed fruit range, and in Sweden, speciality dessert manufacturer SIA Glass has replaced glass containers with plastics.

Other industry developments in terms of lightweighting have focused on thinner pack walls and redesigning shapes to reduce the amount of packaging needed.

Price remains paramount
According to the respondents in a Canadean survey conducted in April this year among 58 key packaging industry experts around the world, the product price remains the most critical factor when buying food, with 60% citing it as 'very important' when buying food. Other important influences contributing to innovation in food packaging, include a greater consumer desire for convenience;improvements in the functionality of packaging; and the requirement of suppliers to improve overall brand image and on-shelf presence.

Portability, freshness and improved product performance are all major consumer requirements in terms of food packaging, as is confidence in terms of the integrity of the product.

Optimistic outlook
Canadean's consumer packaged goods data forecasts that the retail value of the global packaged food market will be in the region of US$2.5 trillion by 2017. This will be spread over 1.7 trillion primary pack types along with 200 billion outer packs and over half a trillion closures. The three largest global food sectors in 2012 were dairy foods, bakery & cereals and meat, accounting for more than half the total packaged food market.

However, through to 2017 this is likely to change, as smaller food sectors including pasta & noodles and soy products become far more important, showing far faster growth rates than more established, traditional food sectors. According to Canadean, these upcoming food sectors may well offer greater potential for packaging innovation over the next five years.



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