A Brief Analysis of Four Major Future Trends in Food Packaging

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

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 material that meets food safety requirements, or packaging in different forms such as plastic bags, cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles and boxes, the starting point must be to ensure that the packaged food is fresh and hygienic, 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, inert gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide replace oxygen, which 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 still needs packaging that can better ensure food safety.

II. Smart packaging

As some high-tech and new technologies enter the food packaging industry, food packaging has also become intelligent. Generally speaking, smart packaging refers to providing information about 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 as well as 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 for Food Science and Technology, "Smart Packaging Makes Food Quality Changes Visible")

When consumers buy food, they can judge whether the food inside has deteriorated and how fresh it is through changes in the labels on the packaging, without having to find the production date and shelf life, and without worrying about deterioration during the shelf life that they cannot detect. 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 smart labels on food packaging, scanning 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 disposable, and only a small part of it can be effectively recycled and reused. Food packaging discarded in nature brings serious environmental pollution problems, and some is scattered in the ocean, even threatening the health of marine life.

It is also easy to see from relatively large domestic professional packaging exhibitions (Sino-Pack, PACKINNO, interpack, swop) that green, environmental protection and sustainability attract much attention. Sino-Pack2022/PACKINNO, with the concept of "intelligent, innovative, sustainable", set up a "Sustainable x Packaging Design" zone, going into detail on bio-based/plant-based and other environmentally friendly recycled materials, packaging engineering and lightweight design, as well as pulp molding empowering new environmental protection. interpack 2023 proposed a brand-new theme of "simple and unique", and at the same time launched four hot topics: "circular economy, resource protection, digital technology, product safety". Among them, "circular economy" focuses 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 milk packaging products without printing, and some companies use packaging boxes made from sugarcane waste to hold mooncakes... More and more companies are using 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 of different forms and a dazzling array of goods attract different consumers to buy. When shopping in a supermarket, the editor found that food packaging is becoming more and more "good-looking": some is high-end and grand, some is gentle and beautiful, some is full of vitality, and some is cartoonish and cute, meeting the personalized needs of different consumers.

For example, children are easily attracted by various cartoon images and bright colors on packaging, and fresh fruit and vegetable patterns on beverage bottles also make them look healthier. Some food packaging prominently displays the product's health functions, nutritional components, and special/rare materials. As consumers pay more attention to food processing techniques and food additives, merchants also adapt to the times by marking on food packaging such distinctive features as: instantaneous 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 very popular Chinese-style pastry brands, milk tea brands and Western-style bakery shops in recent years, in Instagram style, Japanese style, retro style and co-branded style, show brand personality through packaging, catch up with the fashion trends of the new generation, and attract young consumers.

At the same time, personalized packaging is also reflected in packaging forms. Single-person meals and the small-family model have made small-package food popular: condiments are made smaller, snack foods are made smaller, and even rice has 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 consumption capabilities and different consumption habits, continuously segmenting consumer groups and refining product classification.

Food packaging ultimately satisfies food safety and guarantees food quality, and secondly attracts consumers to buy, with the ideal state being that it is finally environmentally friendly. As 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