Food packaging plays a very important role in the sale of products to customers. When shopping for food and drink produce it is the packaging that draws in your attention. There are hundreds and thousands of different products available on the market that are the same or similar. Yet we opt for the one that we are most attracted to. The bold lettering, fancy styling, creative imagery and attractive colours all mean different things to each of us, and it is these things that marketers are trying to capture in their packaging.

It is therefore vital that suppliers tailor their packaging to specific audiences whilst ensuring that it advertises and gives a good idea of the produce too. The food and drinks industry is a tough one and without a proper strategy in place you could find yourself struggling to compete with others in the industry.

For pointers on how to select the right food packaging for you see below. 

The Material

The type of food you are packaging will determine what materials you should be using. Some foods need more preservation than others and some require packaging that can withstand different temperatures and liquids. Whether you are looking for sandwich packaging, smoothie cups,

hot food containers for soup or crisp packaging you are going to need to assess your options.

To do this you will need to check out the materials barrier properties to ensure it is right for your produce. This explores a number of factors including how well it keeps out moisture and oxygen, whether or not it is strong enough to hold the food and whether or not it is suitable for microwaving, freezing or putting in the oven.

The number one use for food packaging is to ensure that food and drink produce is suitable for consumption for as long as possible. For example: packaging with little or no oxygen will slow down the speed at which food spoils. It will also help to prevent foods from losing their flavour.

Food packaging should also be able to provide a barrier between the produce and outside elements. This is important for making sure that germs, bacteria, insects and rodents are unable to penetrate the food and contaminate it.

Another aspect to consider when it comes to the material of your packaging is how easy it is to open. The last thing a customer wants to do is tackle their plastic cake container with a Stanley knife to get at its contents. Likewise you don’t want the packaging to just fall open and will therefore need to consider what is best for the item you are packaging. 

The Design:

Your packaging design is vital for the success of your produce. As mentioned earlier you can target packaging to specific audiences in order for it to sell. This requires you to take into account the type of food or drink you are selling and who will want to buy it. 

For example: chocolate flavoured cereals are something that children will enjoy eating. The packaging design should therefore appeal to children on the supermarket shelves. This means including bright colours, bold writing, animated imagery and even a mascot. Health enthusiasts on the other hand would not be drawn to this. They would instead prefer packaging that boasts organic and natural produce. This often means the use of earthy colours and imagery of fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts.

Some businesses even like to opt for bespoke packaging so that they can add their brand name and logo to it.

Information:

By law you are required to include certain information on your packaging. This is to inform consumers what the product is before they buy it. Some of these things include…

• Nutritional information – this provides information on the amount of calories, fat, sugar, and carbohydrates etc. that are present in the product.
• Ingredients – this allows consumers to see exactly what the product is made up of.
• Whether or not it is vegetarian.
• Allergy information – this shows whether or not the product contains ingredients such as nuts and milk that can cause reactions in some people.
• A barcode

You can also choose to include additional information on your packaging such as serving suggestions and recipe ideas.

Production:

Once you have chosen the type of packaging you want you will need to find yourself a good production company. This will require you to do some research around different suppliers to see if they have services suitable to your needs. It is important to find a supplier that is within your budget and that you can trust.  

Food packaging plays a very important role in the sale of products to customers. When shopping for food and drink produce it is the packaging that draws in your attention. There are hundreds and thousands of different products available on the market that are the same or similar. Yet we opt for the one that we are most attracted to. The bold lettering, fancy styling, creative imagery and attractive colours all mean different things to each of us, and it is these things that marketers are trying to capture in their packaging.

It is therefore vital that suppliers tailor their packaging to specific audiences whilst ensuring that it advertises and gives a good idea of the produce too. The food and drinks industry is a tough one and without a proper strategy in place you could find yourself struggling to compete with others in the industry.

For pointers on how to select the right food packaging for you see below. 

The Material

The type of food you are packaging will determine what materials you should be using. Some foods need more preservation than others and some require packaging that can withstand different temperatures and liquids. Whether you are looking for sandwich packaging, smoothie cups,

hot food containers for soup or crisp packaging you are going to need to assess your options.

To do this you will need to check out the materials barrier properties to ensure it is right for your produce. This explores a number of factors including how well it keeps out moisture and oxygen, whether or not it is strong enough to hold the food and whether or not it is suitable for microwaving, freezing or putting in the oven.

The number one use for food packaging is to ensure that food and drink produce is suitable for consumption for as long as possible. For example: packaging with little or no oxygen will slow down the speed at which food spoils. It will also help to prevent foods from losing their flavour.

Food packaging should also be able to provide a barrier between the produce and outside elements. This is important for making sure that germs, bacteria, insects and rodents are unable to penetrate the food and contaminate it.

Another aspect to consider when it comes to the material of your packaging is how easy it is to open. The last thing a customer wants to do is tackle their plastic cake container with a Stanley knife to get at its contents. Likewise you don’t want the packaging to just fall open and will therefore need to consider what is best for the item you are packaging. 

The Design:

Your packaging design is vital for the success of your produce. As mentioned earlier you can target packaging to specific audiences in order for it to sell. This requires you to take into account the type of food or drink you are selling and who will want to buy it. 

For example: chocolate flavoured cereals are something that children will enjoy eating. The packaging design should therefore appeal to children on the supermarket shelves. This means including bright colours, bold writing, animated imagery and even a mascot. Health enthusiasts on the other hand would not be drawn to this. They would instead prefer packaging that boasts organic and natural produce. This often means the use of earthy colours and imagery of fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts.

Some businesses even like to opt for bespoke packaging so that they can add their brand name and logo to it.

Information:

By law you are required to include certain information on your packaging. This is to inform consumers what the product is before they buy it. Some of these things include…

• Nutritional information – this provides information on the amount of calories, fat, sugar, and carbohydrates etc. that are present in the product.
• Ingredients – this allows consumers to see exactly what the product is made up of.
• Whether or not it is vegetarian.
• Allergy information – this shows whether or not the product contains ingredients such as nuts and milk that can cause reactions in some people.
• A barcode

You can also choose to include additional information on your packaging such as serving suggestions and recipe ideas.

Production:

Once you have chosen the type of packaging you want you will need to find yourself a good production company. This will require you to do some research around different suppliers to see if they have services suitable to your needs. It is important to find a supplier that is within your budget and that you can trust.