Soups and sauces: Durability and convenience fuel aseptic filling innovation

With rising consumer demand for convenient, shelf-stable, and environmentally resilient food solutions, packaging companies are turning to aseptic filling technology, spouted pouches, paper-based solutions, and automatic filling systems. We discuss the latest trends in the soup and sauce packaging space with experts at the Swiss packager SIG and Innova Market Insights. 

“SIG’s packaging solutions are designed to ensure maximum protection, safety, and quality – without refrigeration or preservatives. Our food packaging solutions serve today’s fast-moving lifestyles with consumers focusing on convenience,” Julia Trebels, global category and consumer insight manager at SIG, tells Packaging Insights.

“Our carton packs and spouted pouches, for example, are compact and lightweight, making them ideal for consumers who want a quick meal or ingredient for a fast meal at home. Our aseptic and retortable carton packs are perfect for foods with a high particulate content (like soups and sauces, tomato products, pulses, fruit spreads) due to our unique open-sleeve filling process.” 

Sneha Roy, consumer and market analyst at Innova Market Insights, shares the latest soup and sauce packaging data. “Fastest-growing packaging materials for new soup launches globally [2020–2024] are plastic and carton, each with a 7% growth, followed closely by aluminum with 6% growth. The tub leads as the top packaging type with 9% penetration, followed by the sleeve at 6%.”

Plastic already leads as the top packaging material, with a 52% penetration, followed by cartons at 24%.

For sauce launches, Roy identifies glass as the top packaging material, with 43% penetration, followed by plastic at 27%. “Aluminum is the fastest-growing packaging material for sauces, with 9% growth, followed by plastic at 7%, reflecting a shift toward lightweight and recyclable options. ‘Bottle’ leads as the top packaging type with 46% penetration, followed by ‘jar’ at 27%.” 

Cartons and spouted pouches lead trends

SIG provides a portfolio of aseptic carton packs, spouted pouches, and bag-in-box liquid food packaging. 

Julia Trebels, global category and consumer insight manager at SIG.“We offer packaging solutions and filling technology for soups and sauces that help manufacturers expand their portfolios, reduce food waste, improve their current offerings, and meet consumer demand for convenience, healthy products, and sustainable packaging solutions,” says Trebels.

Meanwhile, Roy points out that among new soup launches tracked globally, the three or four side sealed pouch is the fastest-growing packaging type, growing by 138% between 2020–2024. This is followed by the standing pouch, with an 80% growth over the same period.

Trebels adds: “Carton packs and spouted pouches are designed to meet the expectations of modern consumers. They have an ergonomic shape and are easy to store, open, and dispose of. They also have a significantly lower carbon footprint than metal and glass containers for shelf-stable food.”

She argues that SIG’s food-filling technology and packaging solutions allow food manufacturers “to fill products quickly and safely while building more sustainable processes.”

“On a SIG carton filling machine, a flat sleeve becomes a filled carton in seconds,” she explains.

Packaging for waste reduction

Trebels highlights the “vast reduction in food waste” achieved during food product manufacturing and transportation as a key benefit of its soup and sauce packaging solutions.

SIG's bag-in-box is designed to extend the shelf life of fruit and vegetable products.“The aseptic process rapidly heats liquid food products to ultra-high temperatures before immediately cooling them down. Aseptic filling takes place in a sterile chamber where sterile packs are filled and ultrasonically sealed above the filling level to prevent particulates from getting caught in the seal.”

“With aseptic packaging, manufacturers can safely store food products for later use and better protect goods during transportation. Take our industrial bag-in-box packaging, which is designed to help manufacturers extend the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetable products far past harvesting season — without the need for preservatives or refrigeration, and all while retaining the flavors, colors, and nutrients of each ingredient.”

Trebels says that the benefits of shelf-stable packaging continue once a product reaches the consumer. “Consumers want to live more responsibly, and with an array of shelf-stable SIG packaging options and sizes to choose from, everyone from a single-person household to a large family can buy what they want — while finding it easier to use products before they go off.”

According to Roy, “less packaging” is the fastest-growing environmental claim among new soup launches globally, showing a 46% growth. “This is followed by the ‘reusable packaging’ and ‘made from recycled material’ claims, each recording a 21% growth, reflecting a clear shift toward waste-reducing and circular packaging solutions.”

Shelf-stable nutrition and convenience 

Soup and sauce packaging brands are observing strong growth in healthy products. These are packed in convenient solutions like spouted pouches and single-serve aseptic cartons catering to busy, health-conscious consumers, says Trebels.

“The aseptic filling process ensures a food product retains its flavor and nutritional profile for up to 12 months without refrigeration or preservatives. Lightweight and convenient packaging solutions that highlight clean and healthy food ingredients have become popular, reflecting demand for authenticity and simplicity.” 

SIG’s aseptic filling process ensures food products retain their flavor and nutritional profile when packaged.Trebel adds that shelf-stable not only means that soups and sauces can last for long periods of time but also retain their flavor and nutrients. “Shelf-stable food products make it easier for both manufacturers and consumers to overcome a number of challenges.”

“Shelf-stable also means more convenient, affordable, accessible, sustainable, and, depending on the product type, healthier. With ongoing innovations within aseptic packaging leading to further improvements across these areas.” 

Trebels says that the primary factor driving sales of ambient food is convenience. 

“Convenience for consumers, retailers, and the entire supply chain. However, inflation, the trend toward health awareness, and growing competition necessitate continuous innovation.”

“We anticipate that aseptic will grow its share in various liquid food categories where this tech is applicable. At SIG, we have advanced aseptic filling technologies allowing manufacturers to fill high viscosity products (up to 5,000 mPas) and products with chunks/particles up to 40 mm long.”

“Overall, we see the potential for aseptics to grow in terms of technical scope and step into new food segments,” she concludes.