Global packaging use is expected to increase to $820 billion by 2016, with flexible and rigid plastics and board packaging formats seeing the most growth. Key packaging trends include smart packaging that provides consumer information via technologies like QR codes, convenient packaging that offers benefits like easy opening and microwavability, and retail ready packaging that is shelf ready. Sustainable packaging focuses on areas like bioplastics and the 3Rs of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Food packaging must ensure safety by preventing chemical interactions between packaging, food, and the environment according to regulations and standards.

1. Dr Roya Khalil
roya.khalil@gmail.com
23rd May 2013
Global Trends in Food Packaging

2. Use of packaging is not new but the packaging technology is an ever evolving art

3. Packaging Terminology
Packaging is defined in the regulations as "all products made of any materials of any nature to be used for
the containment, protection, handling, delivery and preservation of goods from the producer to the user
or consumer”.
 Primary packaging - packaging which forms a sales unit for the user or final consumer – This can be a single
form of pack (Can of drink) or a few layers of packaging material (a box of chocolate)
 Alternate definition – primary packaging is the packaging format in direct contact with the food
 Secondary packaging - contains a number of sales units – packaging format can be carton, wraps etc.
 Alternate definition – The layer after primary packaging in indirect contact with the food but may still have
product safety impact
 Tertiary packaging - used to group secondary packaging together to aid handling and transportation and
prevent damage to the products, e.g. pallet, shrink wrap and straps etc.

4. Evolving role of food packaging
 Physical protection- protect a product
from damage during transportation and
handling- especially with the
globalisation and import/export of goods
across countries
 Shelf life extension- Barrier protection (
H2O and Gas barriers )&Complimenting
technologies to value added
preservation technologies increasing
shelf life & reduced food wastage

5. Evolving role of food packaging contd…
 Containment - keeping the product together and
avoiding spillage, shelf presentation. A lot of effort and
research is focused onto designing packs for
containment of products for transport
efficiency, product safety, storage efficiency and shelf
space - $ driver
 Branding and Marketing – provide a layout for
design, labelling and printed information. Packaging
plays an equally important role if not more than the
actual product quality
 Convenience – shelf ready and portion
control, microwaveable packaging, ovenable
packaging. Busy lifestyles mean less time spent on
preparing meals and convenience packaging can be a
market share
 Security and Tamper evidence– Tamper evidence
(product safety and quality assurance), Safety
(choking hazard). Product must reach the consumer in
the same state as left the factory gate. Brand owners
are responsible for consumer safety when using their
products

6. Global Packaging 1999-2009
https://www.smitherspira.com/global-packaging-industry-expected-to-reach-820-billion-by-2016.aspx
• The statistics are for all packaging sectors
not just food packaging
• Packaging demand has increased between
1999-2009 by 40%
• Demand increased for all packaging formats
• Dominating packaging growth were paper
and board followed by metal cans and rigid
plastics

7. Global Packaging 2010-2016
Source :https://www.smitherspira.com/global-packaging-industry-expected-to-reach-820-billion-by-2016.aspx
• Global packaging industry will
swell to almost $820 billion by
2016, 3% annual growth rate
• Dominant formats are rigid
plastic by (28%), and flexible
(22%) followed by board (18%)
• Metal and glass category usage
is the same with stagnant
expected growth
• China is anticipated to surpass
the US by 2017, and
• India will enter the top ten
packaging countries with its
demand set to almost double in
the next five years to $24 billion.
• US was the largest consumer
for packaging in 2010 with a
demand of $137 billion; China
was close behind at $80 billion.

8. Global Packaging Trends
Key areas
Functional Packaging
 Smart/Active/ Intelligent Packaging
 Retail Ready Packaging
 Convenient Packaging
 Accessible Packaging – easy open, better grip, clear labling etc
 Food safe – direct and indirect contact
Sustainable Packaging
 Bioplastics
 3 Rs
Key drivers
 Legislation & guidelines
 Innovative technologies in materials and processes
 Change in life style
 Economy- cost saving
 Consumer influence and awareness

9. Smart Packaging
 Consumer empowerment: Use of visual
technology to communicate the message
and allow the consumer the decision
making process (instead of best before
date)
 Use of cyber space to provide
information: QR codes a good way to use
the space of a full website and social
media pages, use of movies and
interactive media to engage with
consumers for information, promotions
and marketing of the brands
Driver for these changes:
 Advancement in the technology itself
 Legislative requirement for on the
label information - Small label area
no longer available for marketing and
branding information
 Pack sizes are getting even smaller
with portion size packs- even lesser
available area for communication on
pack
 Consumer perception of a high tech
packaging for superior quality product

10. Retail Ready Packaging
 RRP (Retail Ready Packaging) is the merchandise
product on shelf, on display, on retail store floor on its own
base, or at aisle end
 Replenishment Ready
 Shelf Ready
 Display Ready
 Infrastructure / Hardware
 Not Ready
 Since 2005 the Australian market has adopted retail RRP
 ECRA (Efficient Consumer Response Australasia) has
worked with leading retail organisations to standardised
standards, with Coles and Woolworths agreement
 Benefits of RRP (mainly for retailers)
 Improved operational efficiencies at store level
 Faster stocking of shelves
 Improved code rotation
 Ease of product identification.
 Five Easy Functional requirements
 Easy to Identify
 Easy to Open
 Easy to Shelf
 Easy to Shop
 Easy to Dispose

11. Convenient Packaging
Provide convenience:
 Ready to use with no further processing
 Microwavability/ Ovenability in the package
 Easy openability – “single hand use” with no tools
 Come with functionality – sporks, straws etc.
 Clear instruction on “how to use”
 Storability in the pack without decant
 No leak sealability and resealability with easy open

12. Accessible Packaging
 3.85million Australians affected by Arthritis- major cause of disability and chronic pain in
Australia,
 By 2050, 7 million people is expected to suffer from arthritis as population ages
Arthritis Australia Guidelines - Considerations that will help improve packaging
Design considerations:
 Minimise the rotational force requirement for breaking the initial seal on screw top containers.
Minimise the linear force requirement for opening packages
 Avoid packaging that requires extensive use of a tool, such as scissors which often cause
injury, to access the product.
 Minimize safety seal removal force.
 When using a foil seal pull tab, increase the coefficient of friction by coating the tab so that
extensive pinching is not required and increasing the size of the tab to accommodate a pinch.
 Require a grip span of no more than 71 mm for products that are intended to be grasped with
one hand.
 Minimize the forces required to open and close flip-top caps.
Printed Directions and Warmings:
 Place directions for opening the packaging directly on the packaging in a clear, easy to
comprehend format. A warning should contain a signal word to attract the attention of the
user.
 To increase effectiveness and salience, warnings should be presented as bullets in an outline
format. Screw top caps should fit in the hand.

13. Sustainable Packaging
The Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) represents a commitment
by governments and industry to the sustainable design, use and
recovery of packaging
 The Covenant is the voluntary part of an industry and
government to reduce the environmental impacts of packaging
by improvements in packaging design, higher recycling rates
and better stewardship of packaging.
 The Covenant is an agreement between the Environment
Protection Heritage Council (EPHC), made up of state and
federal Environment Ministers, and industries in the packaging
supply chain.
 The Covenant is a collaborative arrangement with
governments and industry working together to deliver its goals
and targets.
 It is supported by national and state legislation that imposes
obligations and penalties on non-signatories to the Covenant
As a signatory companies must oblige to the following
• Use of Packaging Sustainability Guideline
• Review and assessment of existing packaging formats
• Implement protocols to design new pack formats aligned with the
Guidelines to honour commitments
• Report yearly on the achievements to APC
Sustainable
Packaging
Effective: Fit for
Purpose
Resource Efficiency:
Minimal use of
materials, energy, w
ater
Safe: non-polluting
and non-toxic, food
contact safe
Renewable
&Recyclable :
Generates minimal
waste
Australian Packaging Covenant

14. Bioplastics
Risk of not understanding bioplastics
• Recycling – Contamination
• Bio-based PET, PE & PP
• Landfill - Solid Waste and GHG
• Methanisation plan excluded
• Incineration - lower calorific value
• Composting – home & Industrial
 Bio-based (renewable sourced) - Focus is on the origin of the carbon building block
To be classified bio-based, material must be organic and contain some percentage of recently fixed (new) carbon found
in biological resources or crops
 Biodegradable - Focus is on the end of life
To be classified biodegradable, a certain % of the material must convert to carbon dioxide, water and biomass via
microbial assimilation within a time period of 180 days and less than 10 % of test material remains on a 2mm sieve
To be classified compostable, material must meet the biodegradation criteria and leave no impact on plants, using OECD
Guide 208 and meet the regulation (heavy metals less than 50 % of EPA prescribed threshold)
The two classes however are not mutually exclusive.

15. Bioplastics

16. 3 R – Reduce, Recycle & Reuse
Reduce
• Light weight the current
format
• Remove unnecessary
layers of packaging
Recycle
• Use of recycled materials
• Recyclable packaging
materials via available
infrastructure
Reuse
• Designed “after use”
reusability for durable
products such as glass
and metal. More durable
products “collectables”

17. Life Cycle Environmental Analysis (LCA ) &
Packaging Impact Quick Evaluation Tool (PIQET)
 Packaging material –
source, extraction, manufacturing, transportation, wastes
 Efficient design – light weight, high volume, packing
efficiency, consumer appeal
 Sustainable packaging materials – biomaterials, recycled, recyclable
 Food Safe packaging material, direct and indirect contact maintained
throughout the supply chain
 Optimal disposal routes –
compostable, recyclable, combustible, landfill (local legislation and
infrastructure)
Process of sustainable packaging design

18. Packaging Material Food Safety
Chemical Interaction
ß- Carotin
E = environment
P = packaging
F = food product
E P F

20. Packaging Material Food Safety
EU legislation

21. Packaging Material Food Safety
Australia
The packaging materials chosen to protect and transport food must comply with existing regulation, such as the
Materials and Articles in Contact with Food Regulations (EU Regulation 1935/2004) and equivalent FDA
requirements in the USA.
Material specific requirements must also be taken into position, Packaging and Food Safety
consideration, especially for plastics: 2002/72/EU and its 5 amendments and FDA CFR 21 specify the exact
amounts and types of additives that can be used to manufacture the plastics, each one having been tested and
approved for food use.
Australian Standards
 In Australia, manufacturers are required by the Food Standards Code to ensure food packaging materials are
safe and meet the requirements of the relevant Australian Standard.
 Standard 1.4.3 – Articles and Materials in Contact with Food, deals with food contact materials in general terms
but does not specify individual packaging materials for food contact or how they should be produced or used.
 The Standard also refers to the Australian Standard for Plastic Materials for Food Contact Use, AS 2070-
1999. This Standard provides a guide to industry about the production of plastic materials for food contact use.
 AS 2070-1999, in turn, refers to regulations of the US and European Economic Community directives for the
manufacture and use of plastics. Various state and territory food acts also make reference to food packaging
safety.
 Some known chemicals that can migrate from packaging into food products are phthalates, perfluorinated
compounds, semicarbazide, acrylonitrile or vinyl chloride and Bisphenol A (BPA)
 FSANZ – Food Safety Australia and New Zealand conduct regular surveys on different food categories to
ensure packaging products do not use chemicals that can pose food safety hazards
Any new packaging formats must undergo a rigorous product safety analysis.

22. Summary
 Global Packaging use increase to $820b by 2016
 Increase expected in flexible and rigid plastics and
board packaging
 Emerging economies dominating the industry
 Key trends in packaging
 Smart packaging
 Convenient packaging
 Retail ready packaging
 Sustainable packaging
 Food safe packaging

23.  http://thepackaginginsider.com/coca-cola-aluminum-bottles/
 http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Supply-Chain/Importance-of-packaging
 http://columbinelabel.com/blog/7-uses-for-qr-codes-on-product-label-and-packaging/
 http://blog.euromonitor.com/2013/02/flexibles-become-leading-packaging-format-for-dog-and-cat-
food-in-2013.html
 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-packaging-survey-2013---changes-in-demand-
for-packaging-types-trends-and-preferences-181829411.html
 http://www.packworld.com/trends-and-issues/oee-amp-lean-manufacturing/top-9-packaging-
trends-2013
 https://www.smitherspira.com/global-packaging-industry-expected-to-reach-820-billion-by-
2016.aspx
 http://en.european-bioplastics.org/
 http://greensborough.vic.edu.au/going-red-to-go-green/
 http://www.arthritisaustralia.com.au/index.php/arthritis-information.html
 Nestle's Approach to Packaging Design Aims to Make Its Products Easier to Enjoy -
Dexigner http://www.dexigner.com/news/24578#ixzz2PqrlMPtA
 http://www.ecraustralasia.org.au/storage/publications/Retail%20Ready%20Packaging%20Toolkit
%202013.pdf
 http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/scienceandeducation/factsheets/factsheets/chemicalsinfoodpac
ka5514.cfm
 http://www.worldpackaging.org/uploads/paperpublished/7_pdf.pdf
References

24. Questions??
Email: roya.khalil@gmail.com