Fruit and vegetable packaging trends

Climate change and global warming continue to be a threat to the planet’s ecosystem. As previously reported by Packaginginsights.com, researchers flagged that plastic debris leads to additional challenges to arctic ecosystems, which are already overly burdened by climate change. Globally, brands are making an effort to tackle climate change by adding reduced carbon emission claims to packaging and emphasizing the issue with product designs and scannable QR codes for improved consumer information.

Companies are increasingly looking for support with digital printing designs, wanting to attract new consumers in different regions. Packaging and digital printing are tools brands can use to tell their story and stand out to the consumer. Bright colors, vivid graphics, and a playful layout are design concepts that can make a product more captivating on the shelf and appeal to different audiences. Other trends in new product launches include photographic elements, retro-styled coloring and artistic ingredient illustrations.

Renewable packaging solutions demand is continuously increasing. Renewables provide long term environmental sustainability. To achieve this, manufacturers use plant-based materials such as sugar cane or renewable wood pulp in NPD. Another trend includes using inks made from renewable sources such as soy or vegetables.

Personal care packaging is becoming more sustainable. Manufacturers are coming up with product launches that include using post-consumer-recycled, biodegradable and compostable materials and refillable packaging. Overall, ethical packaging claim launches have an annual increase of +34% (CAGR, Global, Jul 2017-Jun 2022).

The world is seeing a continuous trend of consumers demanding more environmental sustainability. As part of this demand, companies aim to be more transparent about their product sourcing and packaging.  In a recent survey, over a third of consumers globally have stated that they purchase products with environmentally friendly credentials or less packaging material. Moreover, approximately one in five consumers globally chooses food products with a low environmental impact, such as a lower carbon footprint needed for production.

Dairy and dairy alternative product launches have gradually grown by 1% between July 2017 and June 2022. Most dairy launches were Semi-hard & Hard Cheese (17%), Spoonable Dairy Yogurt (17%), and Dairy Alternative Drinks (12%). Consumers are increasingly conscious of their purchasing decisions and the related environmental impact. To meet consumer needs, companies launching dairy products have shown actions to promote environmental sustainability through their packaging. Out of all dairy products launched between July 2021 and June 2022, most were Recyclable (62%), Green Dot Certified (16%), and claimed to be made from recycled materials (1%).