Asia Pacific

For extended periods over the last two years (2020 and 2021), consumers in Indonesia have been in home seclusion in order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the country. As consumers spent more time at home, home cooking became a more…

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, consumers faced rising uncertainty as to the stability of life in India. Furthermore, consumers saw their movements heavily restricted for much of 2020 due to the implementation of national lockdown measures…

COVID-19 has had a mixed effect on ready meals packaging. There was a significant spike in demand for frozen ready meals, dried ready meals and shelf stable ready meals in 2020, for example, while demand for chilled ready meals declined in this year.…

Shelf stable seafood packaging continued to see strong growth in 2022 in Vietnam’s processed meat and seafood category as products such as canned fish and seafood offer consumers a convenient and long-lasting source of protein and nutrition. These…

The various COVID-19 measures and restrictions introduced during the pandemic resulted in very strong growth in sales of processed meat and seafood in 2020. In addition to the requirement for consumers to stay indoors for much of the time during the…

The consumption of shelf stable meat and seafood was bolstered in 2020 by the onset of the pandemic due to stockpiling, and because of the long shelf life of these products compared with fresh meat and seafood. In addition, the closure of foodservice…

Total packaging volumes declined in processed meat and seafood for a second year in South Korea in 2023, although this was a continued normalisation process after the pandemic, and volumes remained higher than in 2019. Chilled processed meat…

While retail unit volumes of processed meat and seafood packaging recorded a marginal decline in 2022 compared to the highs of 2020, following the emergence of the pandemic and prolonged home seclusion, they remained higher than 2019 levels.

Chilled processed meat is only packaged in flexible plastic in Malaysia. This encompasses a variety of formats, including hermetically sealed packs, flow wraps, overwraps and other non-stand-up pouch materials. Flexible plastic offers a significant…

In 2023, total processed meat and seafood packaging volumes in Japan saw a second year of decline. Despite seeing a decline in actual volumes, flexible plastic packaging continued to dominate. This reflects the consumer preference for convenience,…

As Indonesians returned to the office and classroom as well as resumed their social and leisure activities, there was growing demand for processed food to cope with the resumption of hectic, on-the-go lifestyles. During 2022, with many consumers…

With busy lives in India’s urban centres, consumers are increasingly looking for convenient and time-saving packaged food products. While Indians traditionally consumed fresh meat, rapid urbanisation and less free time to spend cooking have been…

The growing emphasis on sustainability and environmental concerns within the packaging industry has led to a reduction in the use of plastic trays for packaging processed meat and seafood products in Hong Kong. Companies like Sealed Air, a prominent…

Flexible plastic is the industry standard for the packaging of processed meat and seafood products, as it is seen as a cost-effective way to keep products fresh and safe, with it commonly being used with vacuum packing. This packaging format provides…

Processed fruit and vegetables packaging managed to record modest growth in Vietnam in 2022 due to growing demand for convenience in food consumption, with processed fruit and vegetable products offering consumers easy-to-prepare and ready-to-use…

Frozen processed potatoes, the only frozen products with visible sales in the overall processed fruit and vegetables category, are packaged only in flexible plastic. This is because this pack type provides an airtight seal that helps maintain the…

Although it was not as marked as some categories in Thai packaged food, processed fruit and vegetables saw a small spike in demand in 2020, in turn boosting this category’s packaging unit volumes. With consumers preparing more meals at home due to…

Total processed and fruit and vegetables packaging volumes maintained slow, stable growth in 2023. Within frozen processed potatoes, flexible plastic was the only pack type with notable packaging volumes in South Korea in 2023, due to its…

Following a surge in demand for processed fruit and vegetables during the pandemic in Singapore, thereby boosting packaging, as local consumers looked to stock up on shelf stable essentials to avoid regular visits to grocery stores, retail unit…

Metal food cans remain the dominant pack type for shelf stable fruit and vegetables in Malaysia. This dominance, extending to products like beans, fruits and tomatoes, has persisted for years, with no changes seen in 2023. The primary reason behind…

Total processed fruit and vegetables packaging saw a notable decline in 2023. Although actual declines were seen across all pack types, some performed better than others. For instance, despite the fact that it already dominated processed fruit and…

Shelf stable fruit’s growth in Indonesia is due to the prolonged shelf life that these products offer. In addition, these products require less stringent temperature control during storage and transportation, making them well-suited for Indonesia’s…

Frozen processed potatoes saw one of the strongest growth rates in processed fruit and vegetables in terms of packaging volumes in India in 2023. These are increasingly popular as a snacking option in the country. Exposure to limited-service…

The unit volume sales of processed fruit and vegetables packaging in Hong Kong recorded a decline in 2023. While the major pack types still maintained their respective positions, most of the leading pack types, including metal food cans and flexible…

Shelf stable fruit dominates processed fruit and vegetables in China, with glass jars the dominant pack type within shelf stable fruit. Glass jars are popular for offering superior preservation qualities, effectively sealing in freshness, flavour and…

Although plant-based dairy packaging unit volumes were only stagnating in 2022, this was an improvement in terms of performance following two years of decline during the pandemic. Although plant-based dairy was seeing strong growth prior to the…

Earlier in the review period, prior to the pandemic, plant-based milk – the only product in plant-based dairy currently with visible sales – had been seeing strong growth, especially the dominant product type of soy milk, as many Filipinos were…

Plant-based milk has gained traction in Thailand due to a growing awareness of health and environmental concerns. Many Thai consumers are increasingly adopting plant-based diets for various reasons, including lactose intolerance, dietary restrictions…

Within plant-based dairy in South Korea, plant-based milk was the only category with notable packaging volumes in 2023, as plant-based yoghurt and cheese are still in their early stages of development. Brick liquid cartons is the preferred pack type…

The solid growth recorded by plant-based milk packaging in 2022, as the largest retail unit volume category within plant-based dairy packaging in Singapore, was attributed to a global shift towards plant-based diets and lifestyles driven by health…

Brick liquid cartons’ dominance can be attributed to both product functionality and consumer preferences. They offer excellent protection for plant-based milk. The multi-layered structure provides a barrier against light and air exposure, both of…

Total plant-based dairy packaging volumes declined in Japan in 2023. Brick liquid cartons also saw a decline in packaging volumes in 2023, but remained the leading pack type for plant-based milk in this year, which is the largest category in…

The continued growth of plant-based milk and its packaging unit volumes can be attributed to a convergence of factors. Rising health consciousness and dietary preferences, along with heightened environmental awareness, are propelling the demand for…

Plant-based dairy packaging in India is accounted for only by plant-based milk, with sales of other plant-based dairy products insignificant. Smaller pack sizes of plant-based milk, such as 200ml and 236ml, are the most popular, as consumers are…

In Hong Kong, the preference for plant-based milk is on the rise, driven by a shift towards healthier and more sustainable dietary choices. Unlike traditional soy milk, deeply rooted in Chinese diets, plant-based milk varieties are gaining popularity…

The two major pack types used for plant-based milk in China are metal beverage cans and brick liquid cartons. The latter continued to gain share over the former in 2023 since brick liquid cartons provide a lightweight, cost-effective and more…

In 2022, the Vietnamese consumer goods market showed a distinct shift in packaging preferences, driven by a delicate balance between economic challenges, environmental consciousness and the desire for convenience. For example, in 2022, the Vietnamese…

In the Philippines, the packaging industry has been seeing several noteworthy trends across different product categories. In food packaging, metal food cans are the preferred choice for packaging condensed milk. With its cultural significance and…

In 2022, Thailand’s packaging industry was seeing significant activity in terms of the adoption of sustainable and eco-friendly packaging solutions. Mirroring global trends, heightened awareness of environmental issues among consumers and regulatory…

Packaging trends in South Korea showcase a dynamic landscape, driven by consumer preferences and environmental concerns. In the realm of gift-giving, there is a growing inclination, especially among the younger demographic, towards European fruit…

In 2022, packaging trends in Singapore were significantly shaped by sustainability and consumer preferences. A study conducted by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) revealed that 70% of consumers in Singapore were concerned about the…

In 2022, sustainable packaging was gaining traction across industries in Malaysia. As an illustration, 10 fmcg companies united under the Malaysian Recycling Alliance (MAREA), committing themselves to recycling 5,000 tonnes of plastic waste by the…

In 2022, heightened environmental consciousness among the Japanese, coupled with the government’s goal of reducing disposable plastic waste by 25% over the next 10 years, drove various industries to switch towards sustainable packaging solutions.…

The increased demand for convenience is a major trend in the Indonesian packaging industry. This is due to a number of factors, including busier lifestyles, rising incomes and changing demographics. Packaging companies are responding to this trend by…

In India, the demand for larger pack sizes, which offer better value for money, has surged due to inflation, especially in the wine industry, where 750ml sizes are popular for both individual consumption and sharing during social gatherings. The rise…

An increasing number of brands are incorporating eco-friendly practices into their packaging to mitigate environmental concerns. Hong Kong consumers are becoming more inclined towards brands that follow sustainable initiatives. Leading skin care and…

Packaging in China is undergoing notable shifts across various industries, driven by consumer preferences, environmental concerns and innovative design approaches. In alcoholic drinks, metal packaging, particularly metal beer bottles, has been…

Flexible plastic is the dominant pack type in meals and soups packaging in Vietnam due to its versatility, cost-effectiveness and convenience. Flexible plastic is the only packaging format used in dried ready meals, which is, by some way, the biggest…

In a humid tropical climate like the Philippines, where moisture and temperature fluctuations can degrade food quality, maintaining product freshness is of paramount importance. Aluminium/plastic pouches and folding cartons are popular packaging…

Although the pandemic put a temporary halt to the process in 2020 and 2021, dried ready meals have been gaining popularity in Thailand due to the country’s increasingly fast-paced lifestyles and ongoing urbanisation. As more people work long hours…