In the Spotlight: Innovation in Packaging

It seems to go both ways – bakeries trying their best to get personal with their consumers and the consumers, in turn, expecting more from the product they buy, while its packaging will enhance that experience. That is the global packaging trend for 2017 in a nutshell, according to market research company Mintel, writes Andre Erasmus.

Their report makes for an interesting reading, especially with Interpack 2017 just around the corner. Interpack is unique in that it is the only trade fair that covers the entire supply chain and it offers the packaging industry the opportunity to show off tailored solutions and innovative designs. From May 4-10, Dusseldorf will be the place to be for interpack.

And this is where visitors and exhibitors will be able to see if Mintel’s predictions are right.

Mintel says there are five emerging trends: the (re)union of packaging and branding; the growing role of packaging in on line shopping; packaging getting ‘smart, active and intelligent’; packaging becoming an experience; and packaging; and packaging becoming an extension of the brand.

Let’s briefly look at two these points and how they relate to bakery and interpack.

On the first trend, Mintel says: “The time is now for brands to roll out unique packaging structures that not only differentiate on shelf, but also help form and support brand identity, as well as give consumers an incentive to spend time with them.

“The bottom line: good packaging protects your product. Great packaging protects your brand,” the report’s writers said, adding that they see ‘a current and continued emphasis on package functionality and the emergence of structures that work hard for consumers and build equity for brands’.

While shoppers are embracing e-commerce for everything from convenience to luxury, the majority of grocery brands have yet to capitalise on the role of packaging in the e-commerce shopper moment, says Mintel, referring to the second trend.

Mintel says: “This trend is only going to grow, as three quarters of UK consumers say that in 10 years’ time, they expect to do most of their shopping online. What this means for packaging is less clear in the short-term, but, currently, brands are failing to impress with the delivery of their online packaging experience.”

So, here’s an opportunity ready to be explored by companies at Interpack – a chance to ‘think outside the box’ and beyond the confines of the retailer store or bakery.

On the next point, Mintel says increasing demands for food safety, waste reduction and the removal of consumers’ exposure to hazardous products are just a few of the core drivers now propelling the rapidly emerging genre of smart, active, and intelligent technologies for packaging.

This is of major importance to the bakery sector.

In response, interpack reminds us that modern packaging can think for itself, remind us of extend shelf life, or that products can be heated at the press of a button and influence our senses with their appearance, odour and feel.

“What packages in the food sector are capable of today goes far beyond their original purpose of protecting foods,” says Melanie Streich, writing for interpack, adding that it is a tough ask for modern packaging.

Modern packaging, she says, has to ‘perform numerous feats simultaneously: meet the needs of marketing and sales, comply with safety and hygiene regulations, and satisfy such consumer requirements as sustainability and easier handling while keeping the cost of production, transport and storage low’.

“Consumers expect a great deal of their food packages. Their demands of the packaging industry cover not only safety and hygiene, but also sustainability,” says Streich, adding that the packaging industry is also exposed to the growing requirements of its customers.

In responding to the desire for greater flexibility and efficiency, the bakery and packaging sectors requires an intelligent and interlinked processing plant in which classical mechanical engineering efficiently networks with sensors, software and services.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation says up to 1.3 billion tonnes of food is lost worldwide each year. The reasons for this range from fresh goods spoil during transport, not consumed in time or not good enough to sell because they fall short of given standards. And often enough, still edible food is discarded by consumers because the sell-by date has expired.

All in all, packaging has a major role to play and Interpack will show us how this is being addressed.