Soups and sauces packaging demand remains strong despite fiber-based concerns

14 Jun 2023 --- Soups and sauces’ popularity has steadily increased, with customer demand for high-volume containers spiking post-pandemic. Striving for sustainability, soups and sauces packagers continue replacing conventional materials with what they perceive as the more environmentally friendly choice.

Marco Motta, Zacmi’s sales area manager, tells Packaging Insights that he is noticing an increasing demand for machine flexibility in terms of range of products to be handled on the same line and a growing demand for high-volume containers. “This last aspect is strictly linked to the post-pandemic situation, which has seen a big increase in ‘eating out of home’ behavior which has boosted the HoReCa [hotel, restaurant, café] business.”

According to global market researcher Innova Market Insights, besides alcoholic beverages, sauces and seasonings are the most common applications for glass packaging within F&B.

Soups and sauces witnessed a 1% average annual growth (Global, CAGR 2018-2022), with Glass as the leading material in newly launched packaging. Furthermore, one out of three soup and sauce launches globally were in Bottles and Made from Recycled Materials was the fastest-growing environmental claim between 2018-2022. More than a quarter of global soup and sauce launches were Cooking Sauces.

Zacmi’s filling machinery for soups and sauces based on its vertical valve technology.Filling machine challenges
Zacmi has developed a filling machinery for soups and sauces based on its vertical valve technology, “which allows filling high volumes containers (up to 5 L) with products carrying big particles (up to 22 mm) without losing precision,” Motta says.

Zacmi’s sales area manager tells us that the company has tackled demand challenges with an accurate design of its dosing cams and designing new anti-dripping nozzles, which allow the company to cope with viscous and non-viscous products on the same machine.

“Our vertical valve piston filler allows us to treat sauces with big particles without damaging them and without losing precision. Its hygienic design allows fully automated cleaning helping our customers cope with hot topics like cross contamination and allergenes,” explains Motta.

Meanwhile, soups and sauce packagers have recently been shifting their material focus to comply with rising environmental sustainability demands.

Paper packaging shifts
Some packaging companies have been implementing fiber-based solutions instead of plastics to increase their environmental sustainability reputation. But Turkish waste management company Fazla recently wrote that to produce one sheet of paper, 2 to 13 liters of water is utilized.

Last year, as heat waves swept across Europe, experts warned that the paper packaging industry is inadvertently contributing to one of the most serious impacts of climate change: water loss.

Meanwhile, Amcor expanded its AmFiber Performance Paper packaging range in Europe to include heat seal sachets for dry culinary and beverage applications, such as instant coffee, drink powders, spices, seasonings and dried soups.

Last month, Kraft Heinz partnered with Pulpex to develop a paper-based, renewable and recyclable bottle made entirely from responsibly sourced wood pulp. Starting with its ketchup bottle, Heinz is “the first sauce brand” to test the potential of Pulpex’s paper bottle for its condiments range.

By Natalie Schwertheim

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