Packaging

The most heavily used pack type in plant-based dairy products is the brick liquid carton. This is because brick liquid cartons are the main pack type in the biggest category of plant-based milk. Brick liquid cartons provide a longer shelf life and…

Total plant-based dairy packaging maintained growth in 2022, with increases across all categories, although slower rates of increase were seen than in the previous two years. In 2022, brick liquid cartons remained the most significant pack type for…

Plant-based dairy packaging volumes continued to see strong growth in 2022, due to the rise in consumer demand for plant-based products due health, ethical, or environmental reasons. Swedish consumers are particularly conscious of the impact their…

Plant-based dairy packaging volumes continued to rise in 2022, as a wider range of these products became available, and more consumers were open to trying these products. The growth of plant-based yoghurt, for instance, was attributed to changing…

Plant-based milk packaging, which dominates overall demand for packaging within plant-based dairy in the Netherlands, experienced further growth in retail unit volumes in 2022, due to a growing trend towards alternative diets and lifestyles driven by…

In the UK, the 1,000ml pack remains the most popular size in the packaging of plant-based milk, and therefore also plant-based dairy as a whole, given milk’s dominance of the overall category. Consumers in the UK are now familiar with plant-based…

Overall, plant-based dairy recorded another year of healthy unit volume growth in its packaging in 2022. Growth is being driven by the rising demand for non-dairy alternatives from vegans/vegetarians and other consumers embracing healthier eating…

Flexible plastic and folding cartons are the main pack types used for packaging frozen processed potatoes in France. However, folding cartons have been gaining share from flexible plastic for a number of years, in part because of sustainability…

In Germany, total packaging volumes of processed fruit and vegetables declined in 2023, with falling units across all categories. The decline in shelf stable fruit and vegetables in 2023 was primarily due to the growing consumer preference for fresh,…

With shelf stable fruit and vegetables accounting for more than two thirds of packaging units in processed fruit and vegetables, and metal food cans being the dominant pack type in shelf stable fruit and vegetables, metal food cans is also the…

In 2020, packaging volumes for processed fruit and vegetables saw an exceptionally strong rise as consumers stocked up during the first year of the pandemic. In 2021, volumes fell as the impact of the pandemic eased, and a declining trend continued…

After seeing exceptional growth in 2020, packaging volumes of processed fruit and vegetables declined in Sweden in 2022, as consumer habits returned to normal following the pandemic. When the pandemic emerged, fears of viral transmission kept…

Total processed fruit and vegetables packaging volumes returned to growth in 2022. However, while frozen processed fruit and vegetables returned to growth, shelf stable fruit and vegetables maintained its decline, as sales continued to normalise…

The growth of shelf stable fruit within processed fruit and vegetables packaging in retail unit volumes in the Netherlands towards the end of the review period was attributed to changing consumer lifestyles and preferences. Dutch consumers are…

Metal food cans account for the greatest pack type share in processed fruit and vegetables packaging in the UK. Metal food cans are used to package the largest category in unit volume terms, shelf stable fruit and vegetables, due to their excellent…

Frozen processed fruit and vegetables packaging recorded double-digit percentage growth in its unit volumes for the third year in a row in 2022 in Turkey. This was due to a growing awareness of the nutritional benefits of frozen fruits and…

The major pack type used for chilled processed meat in France is thin wall plastic containers. Thin wall plastic containers are popular thanks to being lightweight, durable and relatively inexpensive. After thin wall plastic containers, other plastic…

In 2023, flexible plastic remained the dominant packaging choice for processed meat and seafood in Germany, with its most significant packaging volumes in chilled processed meat. This is due to its effective barrier properties against air, moisture,…

In 2022, packaging volumes of thin wall plastic containers used in chilled processed meat increased as they are durable and cost-effective. Moreover, the heightened awareness of food safety and hygiene standards saw manufacturers adopting packaging…

After seeing dynamic growth in 2020 during the pandemic, total packaging volumes of processed meat and seafood turned to decline in 2021, and volumes continued to see a slight fall in 2022, although remained above the pre-pandemic level. Flexible…

Processed meat and seafood saw dynamic volume growth in Sweden when the pandemic emerged in 2020, as consumers sought to stock up on food that they could store, to avoid the risk of viral transmission. From 2021 onwards, however, as consumers resumed…

After a disrupted couple of years due to the pandemic, processed meat and seafood packaging returned to a more stable performance in 2022, although volumes remained well above the pre-pandemic level. Processed seafood saw stronger growth in packaging…

The ongoing dynamic retail unit volume growth recorded by packaging for meat and seafood substitutes including tofu within processed meat and seafood packaging at the end of the review was due to the rising popularity of plant-based and vegetarian…

In July 2023, Sainsbury's, one of the UK's largest supermarket chains and also one of the leading players in processed meat and fish, launched a sustainability programme to reduce plastic waste for its chilled processed meat. It replaced plastic…

Processed meat and seafood continued to record positive unit volume sales growth in Turkey in 2022, driven by the relative affordability of processed products compared to fresh ones. With inflation rates soaring in the country in 2022 as the value of…

The overall ready meals category reacted in two ways during 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the restrictions aimed at containing the spread of the virus, first hit France. Most categories saw a boost to their sales and therefore also…

With the COVID-19 pandemic seeing consumers spending a lot more time at home, and with consumer foodservice outlets closed for extended periods, this boosted demand for some products in ready meals. For example, with consumers preparing and eating…

Chilled ready meals continued to record strong unit volume growth in its packaging in 2021. While consumers in home seclusion had been looking for easy options to cook and eat a year earlier in 2020, as consumer mobility increased in 2021, home…

COVID-19 drove a significant increase in demand for ready meals packaging in 2020, with further strong growth seen in 2021. Spending more time at home than usual led to a spike in the retail volume sales of ready meals owing to the ease and…

The positive growth registered in ready meals packaging during 2020 can be attributed mainly to the spike seen in demand for ready meals within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the requirement for all consumer foodservice outlets…

As the number of consumers dining at home increased during lockdown, meal kit producers experienced a surge in demand. As a result, packaging unit volumes of folding cartons and flexible plastic used in dinner mixes recorded explosive growth in 2020.…

While dinner mixes was already the most dynamic category in ready meals packaging prior to the pandemic, it received a major spike in its demand in 2020, as the COVID-19 restrictions boosted demand for these products. With consumers in home seclusion…

As consumers had been spending more time at home during the pandemic, but were wearying of preparing their own meals or were still working, even if from home, and had less time for meal preparation, they were increasingly opting for frozen ready…

Increasingly popular in Western Europe, among Millennials and Gen Z who are most influenced by climate impact, refillable and reusable solutions continue to expand across the beauty, home care, food and drinks industries. The recurrent themes of…

Exotic flavours are seeing growing demand among French consumers seeking new taste experiences. This trend is driving increasing interest in products like barbecue and chili sauces, compared to more traditional table sauces such as ketchup and…

Total sauces, dips and condiments packaging volumes continued to fall in Germany in 2023. However, not all categories saw the same negative performance. In 2023, the packaging volumes for cooking and table sauces were on the rise, driven by several…

Glass continues to be the leading pack type in sauces, dips and condiments. Glass packaging has been rooted in Italian cuisine for decades, often associated with natural, healthy and home-made products. These pack types are also regarded positively…

Sauces, dips and condiments packaging volumes returned to slight growth in 2022, stabilising after a couple of years of pandemic-related disruption. Increases were seen for most categories and pack types. In 2022, PET bottles gained pack type share…

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in Sweden, fears of contracting the disease and restrictions on mobility in the country led to an increased interest in home cooking. Sauces, dips and condiments consequently saw dynamic growth in packaging…

Sauces, dips and condiments returned to growth in packaging volumes in 2022. Sauces packaging saw growth, which was attributed to fact that these are a versatile and essential component of meal preparation in the country, often used in various…

In a repeat of 2021’s weaker performance, the decline in retail unit volumes of sauces, dips, and condiments packaging in 2022 in the Netherlands was due to a stabilising of demand following the stockpiling witnessed in 2020 due to pandemic-related…

Ketchup is a staple fixture in British households and, despite the advantages offered by glass bottles, such as premium look and feel, product safety, impermeability and eco-friendliness, other packaging solutions, and particularly PET bottles, have…

Even after the restrictions on mobility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic had been withdrawn, Turkish consumers retained a strong interest in home cooking, partially bolstered by high inflation rates in the country. This interest drove an increase…

Following the arrival of COVID-19 in France, local consumers were faced with lockdown and curfew restrictions for much of 2020. Combined with the closure of consumer foodservice for much of the year, this meant that consumers spent much more time at…

Glass continues to be the leading pack type in sauces, dressings and condiments with a strong showing in product areas such as pickled products, dips, mayonnaise, ketchup, barbecue sauces and tomato pastes and purées. Glass packaging has been rooted…

Cooking ingredients was continuing to register above-average growth in 2021, as the home-cooking trend remained in place and consumers continued to experiment with a plethora of dishes, although growth slowed compared to the previous year, with a…

COVID-19 boosted demand for sauces, dressings and condiments packaging during 2020, as it led to consumers spending more time at home and preparing and eating more meals there. This boosted demand for a number of pack types in this category. While…

Sauces, dressings and condiments recorded strong sales growth in Switzerland during 2020 as the unprecedented situation that unfolded over the course of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic discouraged consumers from going out. This led to a huge…

With consumers spending more time at home than usual in 2020, they were increasingly turning to home cooking due to the various COVID-19 restrictions, including foodservice closures. The outbreak of COVID-19 also increased consumer interest in health…

Overall sauces, dressings and condiments packaging recorded a surge in its unit volume growth in 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers across the country shifted to working and studying remotely, with extensive lockdown periods…