As the market will remain sturdy in the next few years, some industry leaders are noting that the decisions made when it comes to product packaging in general can have major effects on the quality of the food itself, putting new emphasis on product development.
Food packaging continues to be a strong force throughout the overall industry, its packaging products used for millions of items on store shelves around the world.
Food packaging talks growth into 2018
According to a recent Ken Research report, the global beverage and food packaging market has been growing at a compound rate in the last half-decade of about 2.5 percent from 2008 to 2013. In the next few years, that number will continue to rise. By 2018, the market itself will see an increased pace of growth, at around 3.1 percent, creating an overall market value of $380 million.
In particular, the rigid plastic segment is expected to post the largest overall gains at a growth rate of about 4.2 percent during the period. Paper and cardboard products will represent about 19 percent of the food packaging market by 2018.
The Asian market is expected to see more advanced growth than the rest of the country, with an expected CAGR of about 5 percent. Growth in the North American and European markets will be more moderate, additionally.
"Rising disposable incomes, increasing world population and demand for beverage and packaged food in the emerging markets such as BRICS nations will provide support to the market revenue. However, future challenges such as climate change, rising raw-material prices and rapid change in consumer behavior are likely to affect the market growth in the coming years", said a research associate for Ken Research.
Food packaging vs quality
The Olive Oil Times noted that a recent report suggests many food products' packaging styles can change the market notably. Citing a UC Davis Olive Oil Center report, it was found that how the food packaging styles are different can change the way the product is seen, perceived and tasted. The studied continued over the course of ten years, tracking durability, shelf life duration and comparative levels of retained nutrients depending on what type of product the olive oil itself was contained in.
Food packaging can have effects on food qualityOlive Oil has many options for packaging but ultimately it is left up to consumer preference.
Many producers will likely find they need to feel out their markets depending on the product they plan to sell. For olive oil, which requires a specific type of vessel to block light and air from entering the products, the best packaging would likely be a combination of stainless steel and coated paperboard. Even tinted glass cannot fully prevent photo oxidation, which can have a detracting effect on long-term product quality. Plastic has a porous nature, in comparison, while small molecules in its build can leak into the oil, further harming its quality. On the other hand, aluminum, tinplate and bag-in-box containers were not found to be supported enough for any decisions to be made regarding their use.
The news source says despite these projected trends, most suppliers will continue to use glass containers, mostly because of consumer preference. At the same time, however, coated paperboard is growing in popularity because of its growing cost-efficiency, lightweight handling and customer appreciation of the process.
One production expert, George Eliadas, was cited as telling Food Production Daily that "customers say they prefer to be able to see the olive oil but cartons are cheaper, don't break, aren't heavy and keep oil fresher longer because light can't get in."
As a result, consumer preferences are still marking the changes and innovation continuing in the packaging industry.
