The Four Roles of Food and Beverage Packaging

Food and Beverage Packaging is important to showcase your pretty box on a retail supermarket shelf. It is a fundamental part of a successful new product launch. Did you know below food and beverage trends?

• As per market research, the number of domestic food and beverage recalls has doubled since 2008.
• An estimated 73 percent of all purchasing decisions in the Indian market are made at the retail shelf.

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Food and Beverage packaging might be confusing for food entrepreneurs, so here are some packaging tips from Corpseed Ites Pty Ltd.

for starting a new food-related business or an existing food-operating business looking to increase the success of their new product launches. We hope this will provide some packaging ideas you can use in your food business.

What Is the Key Role of Packaging

The consumer's experience with your product is significantly influenced by its packaging:

• Was it easy or difficult to open the pack?
• Was the product kept fresh and healthy by the materials it was packaged in?
• Was the product in complete shape as intended or broken into small pieces?
• Was the product dirty?

Below are the four key functions of packaging that need to be incorporated into new product launches:

• Product Protection – protection/transportation/handling/distribution. Strong primary and secondary packaging is necessary to safeguard the product from these hurdles. 
• Product safety –reduces food recollections/hazards/traceability
• Product Freshness - appearance/taste/freshness/quality/cleanses/fragrance
• Brand image (What is brand expansion) – Marketing/marketing channel/Convenience/shelf appeal/branding/brand integrity/availability

Let’s elaborate on each packaging function in detail.

Key Function 1:-The importance of Product Protection Is to Keep Food Safe in Transportation, Handling, Distribution, on shelves, and till the time of consumption

The packaging industry is continuously looking for advanced packaging solutions to ensure that the product needs gets from premises to the consumer in the same condition as when it left premises–completely fresh and intact.

Commonly used materials for packaging are glass, rigid and flexible plastic, aluminum, and cardboard, sometimes in combination.

To safeguard your product throughout the supply chain requires close attention to your primary packaging – packages used to pack the individual, sellable unit - and secondary packaging - typically corrugated box or pallet wrap, used to pack several individual products for shipment and/or displays.

Packaging material examples are:

• Bag-in-box packaging methodologies are used for both food (cereal) and beverages (wine)
• Aluminum is ideal for cans of soda and to give food containers a premium look and touch.

Good Packaging Ensures Product Safety and Eliminates or Reduce Food Recalls and Hazards as Well as Helps with Traceability in Supply Chain

Food product recalls are killing for all brands, it potentially destroys a brand's credibility, reduce product sales, and probably result in a lawsuit.

Food product infection can occur at any point in the supply chain. As your food or beverage business begins to grow, it is very important to keep control over your supply chain. Sometimes inks and coatings used on packaging material might migrate into food products.

There are packaging and labeling laws governed by FSSAI to protect human health. Every food business operator must obey these rules while packing products.

Right Packaging helps to increase Product Freshness, it also attracts product appearance, preserves Taste, increases Shelf Life, and maintains product Quality

Regardless of how good your food product recipe is, if it doesn't taste fresh, the probabilities are you've lost a potentially loyal consumer.

The time when your product is packed until the time it is consumed can vary from days to years. The consumer often keeps a product at home for some period of time before consuming it fully, it's mandatory to have effective packaging to maintain freshness beyond the sell-by date.

There are new innovative technologies allowing food manufacturers to extend a product's shelf life and better control product freshness. Some are mentioned below

- flexible packaging such as flow-wrapped candy bars are having a much longer shelf life than foil and paper packaged ones. Some foods and beverages require a barrier, such as meat products, require breathability in their wrap to have a long shelf life.

- Resealable packaging is typically in the form of a zipper, lid, or label closure, resealable packaging helps maintain product freshness by locking out air and adds convenience for the consumer. This packaging is ideal option for products meant to be consumed multiple times.

Brand image (What is brand expansion) - Marketing/ marketing channel /Convenience/shelf appeal/branding/brand integrity/availability

Every year, thousands of food and beverage products launch in the market. Almost 73 percent of purchasing decisions are made at the retail shelf, which means packaging plays a critical role in the success of your product.Packaging allows you to communicate product information directly with the consumer. Using the right size, shape, colors, and materials in your product packaging definitely enhances the consumer's experience with your product which, ultimately, will help build brand image and reach. Hiring a packaging designer is a good option to start with

Conclusion

Food entrepreneurs must recognize that packaging is their front interface with consumers. It's an investment that can make a difference. In short, it’s always wise to have the best packaging design and techniques to make your product stand high in the market.