Smaller is Better and Fresh Food Fuels Success in Packaging

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ is constantly asked is the Grocerant niche filled with Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food driving change in every aspect of the retail food space. His answer is yes!

Driven by a changing populating mix including fewer married couples, more people living alone, smaller household size and multi-generational households each are creating new opportunities for food retailers.

In a new report on food and beverage packaging entitled Food and Beverage Packaging Innovation in the U.S.: Consumer Perspectives, published by Packaged Facts outlined five key drives shaping packaging.

The five drivers are:

1. Targeting Millennials: While millennials may seem like a broad and amorphous target, numerous studies show there are some commonalities. Millennials like fresh, less processed foods, as demonstrated by their preference for “fast casual restaurants that offer freshly prepared foods, and shopping the perimeter of grocery stores where fresh and non-packaged foods can be found.”

2. Smaller Packages are a Big Trend in Packaging: With one- or two-person households representing 61 percent of all U.S. households, packages sized to serve one or two people have become a big trend in packaging. Such formats include single-serve packaging, meals for two, multi-packs of individual portions, and resealable packaging. The rise in smaller-footprint stores is also influencing this trend.

3. Packaging for Convenience: Convenience is a major selling point for food and beverage packaging. Features such as ease of opening, resealability, portability, lighter weight, and no-mess dispensing are packaging benefits that influence consumers’ purchasing decisions positively.

4. See-Thru Packaging Can Boost Sales: More and more marketers are putting their products in packages that are see-thru or have see-thru windows. Transparency in packaging taps into consumer desire for transparency about how food and beverages are produced, both figuratively and literally. Companies that are transparent about their ingredients, sourcing, and business practices are reaping the benefits in consumer goodwill and trust.

5. Eco-Friendly Packaging Growing: In the past few years, single-serve bottled water has come under attack by environmentalists as epitomizing the wasteful nature of modern society. As a result, some marketers of bottled water have stepped up their introductions of more sustainable packaging. Likewise, Packaged Facts believes that improved recyclability and sustainability will become ever more important to the success of the single-cup brew market — if not a cost of entry — as this business matures. In the past two years, several American and Canadian marketers have introduced more environmentally friendly designs for use in K-Cup brewers.

Success does lave clues and have the right packaging helps drive success.  The Grocerant niche filled with Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food will continue to drive change in all areas of retail food service.  

Where is your food being consumed?  Are you ready for a Grocerant niche program assessment? Grocerant Scorecard? Outside eyes can drive top line sales and bottom line profits.  Visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  or reach out to our own Grocerant Guru™ Steve Johnson today for success clues at: 253-759-7869 Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us