Key Insights For Designing Modern Packaging

By Isaac Fletcher, contributing writer, Food Online

Modern consumers have a diverse set of demands and needs. In order to provide higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, food-packaging manufacturers are working to develop better ways to give consumers what they want

At the ninth Cofresco Forum Round Table, which took place in Chipping Campden, UK last November, attendees discussed and addressed some of the hurdles currently faced by the food-packaging industry. Some of the primary concerns include:

• The effects of convenience trends on food safety and household packaging
• How to protect food and guarantee product safety
• Packaging designers’ reaction to the convenience trend
• The availability of new resources to meet the evolving needs of the modern consumer

During the event focused on food protection and convenience, Martin Rogall, head of R&D Europe, Cofresco, explained, “Less and less time for planning and cooking meals and ever-greater expectations regarding food quality is just one of the issues resulting from the convenience trend.” Of the various advancements, techniques, and innovations aimed at more-effectively meeting consumer demands, interactive packaging continues to be a solution with significant potential and a variety of possibilities. Additionally, the creation of new polymers provides food-packaging manufacturers a leg up on meeting consumer and manufacturer demands.

Another area of growing concern for food and food-packaging manufacturers alike is the challenge of protecting food products from allergens and various other food contaminants. Contamination is a concern throughout production, as well as beyond the point of sale, and can easily occur during food preparation and storage. Designing packaging to effectively reduce the occurrence of contamination is a continuing goal for designers. Similarly, food safety continues to be a topic that receives well-deserved attention. The development of antimicrobial packaging that provides heightened food safety and extended shelf life for meat products is an exciting innovation that will provide important benefits to both producers and consumers.

One of the other highlights is a growing focus on the consideration of end consumer’s needs. People have varying needs when it comes to the handling of packaging, and design considerations such as weight, ease of use, and re-sealability can decrease consumer irritation and boost customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Round Table attendees also had the opportunity to experience how physical impairments like color blindness and arthritis affect the handling of packaging during a hands-on session on inclusive design. This type of insight will help designers gauge the needs of these specific consumers more accurately and provide packaging the better suits their unique requirements.

For more on the challenges of primary packaging, visit Food Online’s Primary Packaging Solution Center