Sauces and spreads: Eco-friendly packaging remains key trend

RTD beverages are predominantly packaged in bottles, cans, aseptic cartons or pouches, with plastic bottles being the main packaging type. Plastics have been facing a lot of flak due to the lack of proper management of plastic waste and has subsequently become a major cause for environmental pollution and disruption to wildlife. This has led to a rise in the use of post-consumer/recycled plastic materials for making bottles. Besides sustainability, convenience remains a key theme within beverage packaging, with innovations focused on recloseable can closures and closures that allow for personalized dosing. Likewise, industry is developing powder release closures that ensure a longer shelf life for water sensitive ingredients that may lose potency or flavor along time.

As summer gives way to fall, there is a rise in the demand for chocolates and candy in light of the upcoming Halloween season. Confectionery manufacturers often look at seasonal offerings as a potential for sales-boosting initiatives by connecting with consumers over a shared holiday spirit. While Halloween themed offerings are found across various categories, from limited edition flavors to seasonal packaging design, more than half of the launches are from the confectionery category.

The summer holidays are coming to an end, heralding in a new school year for millions of children across the globe. The right nutrition is key to learning and parents and students alike will be looking at how they can ensure a healthy, yet convenient, diet that will keep them mentally sharp during the hours spent in the classroom. As consumers become more mindful about their consumption, there is ample opportunity for “back-to-school” lunch and snacking opportunities that fit in with a healthy lifestyle. The key aspect here is the so-called “health halo”: natural, unprocessed products that give parents some peace of mind that they are sending their children to school with the right nutrition.

Growth in the meat, fish and egg category is stimulated by high-protein diets; greater demand for fresh meat over processed meats; easier availability of free-range, GMO-free and organic certified meat products; sodium-reduced options; increasing premiumization; and flavor innovation (ethnic specialities and spices). Plastics are the predominant material of choice, being used for packaging nearly three quarters of all meat, fish and egg launches in the past five years. In 2018, trays (38 percent) and packets (38 percent) are the top packaging formats for the category.

In an increasingly eco-conscious market, consumers are calling for improved transparency and sustainability across the supply chain and in food production. This has prompted major candy companies to take note and adapt their sustainability strategies to address these consumer concerns. The use of sustainably sourced ingredients, bio-based alternatives to plastics, convenient closures and plastic-free packaging alternatives are on the rise.

Manufacturers are launching high protein, low-calorie, reduced sugar and dairy-free variants to keep pace with the demand for healthier indulgence. Within the ice cream segment, owing to the shelving conditions, tubs remain the packaging format of choice. Cardboard tubs are used in twice as many ice cream launches as plastic tubs. However, within the desserts segment, plastic trays are the most widely used packaging format, with individual portion desserts being predominantly sold in trays, often held in a cardboard sleeve.