A Brief Analysis of the Four Major Trends in the Future Development of Food Packaging

When we go shopping in a supermarket, we are greeted by a dazzling array of goods, with various packages competing in splendor. Giving food packaging in different forms is not only to attract consumers to buy through visual appeal, but more importantly to protect the food. With the advancement of food science and technology and the upgrading of consumer demand, consumers also have more expectations and requirements for food packaging. What trends will the food packaging market have in the future? Let's imagine together with the editor.

I. Safe Packaging

Food is the first necessity of the people, and safety comes first in food. "Safety" is an important attribute of food, and packaging needs to maintain this attribute. Whether using plastic, metal, glass, composite materials or any other packaging made of food-safe materials, or packaging in different forms such as plastic bags, cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles and boxes, the starting point must be to ensure the freshness and hygiene of the packaged food, avoid direct contact between the food and the external environment, and let consumers eat safe and hygienic food within the shelf life.

For example, in modified atmosphere packaging, replacing oxygen with inert gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide can slow down the reproduction rate of bacteria; at the same time, the packaging material must have good gas barrier properties, otherwise the protective gas will quickly escape. Safety has always been a basic element of food packaging. Therefore, the future food packaging market will still need packaging that can better guarantee food safety.

II. Smart Packaging

As some high-tech and new technologies enter the food packaging industry, food packaging has also become intelligent. In simple terms, smart packaging refers to providing information on the quality of packaged food during circulation and storage by detecting the environmental conditions of the packaged food. Integrating technologies such as mechanical, biological, electronic and chemical sensors and network technology into packaging materials can enable ordinary packaging to achieve many "special functions". Commonly used forms of smart food packaging mainly include three types: time-temperature type, gas indicator type and freshness indicator type. (Source: Liu Shaowei, member of the Food Safety Professional Committee of the Shanghai Society of Food Science, "Smart Packaging Makes Changes in Food Quality Visible")

When consumers buy food, they can judge whether the food inside has deteriorated and how fresh it is through changes in the label on the package, without having to look for the production date and shelf life, and without worrying about deterioration occurring within the shelf life that they cannot detect themselves. Intelligence is a development trend of the food industry, and food packaging is no exception, using intelligent means to optimize the consumer experience. In addition, smart packaging is also reflected in product traceability: through the smart label on the food package, a scan can trace the important stages of product production.

III. Green Packaging

Although food packaging provides safe, convenient and storage-resistant solutions for the modern food industry, most food packaging is single-use, and only a small portion can be effectively recycled and reused. Food packaging discarded in nature brings serious environmental pollution problems; some is scattered in the ocean, even threatening the health of marine life.

It is not difficult to see from the larger domestic professional packaging exhibitions (Sino-Pack, PACKINNO, interpack, swop) that green, environmental protection and sustainability are highly valued. Sino-Pack 2022/PACKINNO, with the concept of "intelligent, innovative, sustainable", set up a <Sustainable x Packaging Design> zone, detailing eco-friendly recycled materials such as bio-based/plant-based materials, packaging engineering and lightweight design, as well as pulp molding empowering new environmental protection. interpack 2023 proposed a brand-new theme of "simply unique", and at the same time launched four hot topics of "circular economy, resource protection, digital technology and product safety". Among them, "circular economy" focused on the recycling and reuse of packaging.

At present, more and more food companies are starting to work on green and recyclable packaging. Some dairy companies have launched printed-free milk packaging products, and some companies use packaging boxes made from sugarcane waste to hold mooncakes... More and more companies are adopting compostable and naturally degradable food packaging materials. It can be seen that in the food packaging industry, green packaging is an unavoidable topic and trend.

IV. Personalized Packaging

As mentioned earlier, packaging in various forms and dazzling variety attracts different consumers to buy. When the editor browsed the supermarket, it was found that food packaging is becoming more and more "good-looking" — some high-end and elegant, some gentle and beautiful, some full of vitality, some cartoonish and cute — satisfying the personalized needs of different consumers.

For example, children are easily attracted by various cartoon images and bright colors on packaging; fresh fruit and vegetable patterns on beverage bottles also make them look healthier; and some food packaging prominently displays the product's health functions, nutritional ingredients, and special/rare materials. As consumers pay attention to food processing techniques and food additives, merchants are also being pragmatic in marking and displaying on food packaging such distinctive features as: instant sterilization, membrane filtration, 75° sterilization process, aseptic canning, 0 sugar and 0 fat.

Personalized food packaging is even more prominent among internet-famous foods. For example, the Chinese pastry brands, milk tea brands and Western bakery shops that have been very popular in recent years follow the Instagram style, Japanese style, retro style, co-branded style, etc., highlighting brand personality through packaging, catching up with the fashion trends of a new generation, and attracting young consumers.

At the same time, personalized packaging is also reflected in packaging forms. The "meals for one" and small-family models have made small-package foods popular: condiments are made smaller, snack foods are made smaller, and even rice comes in small packages for one meal or one day. Food companies are paying more and more attention to personalized packaging for different age groups, different family needs, different spending power and different consumption habits, continuously segmenting consumer groups and refining product classification.

Ultimately, food packaging is about satisfying food safety and guaranteeing food quality, followed by attracting consumers to buy, with the ideal state being that it is ultimately environmentally friendly. As the times develop, new food packaging trends will emerge, and new technologies will be applied to food packaging to meet ever-changing consumer demand.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn), original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-379431.html