Packaging for appeal
Q: How have packaging materials for food and beverage products changed recently?
More than ever, packaging materials in the food and beverage industry are influenced by the requirements of the end consumer.
Ask any packaging company and they’ll tell you that broad changes occurring within Australian society are shaping the packaging requirements of their customers.
This starts with the shape and purpose of food and beverage packaging.
With more Australians identifying themselves as ‘time poor’, food packaging is now less about containment alone with more emphasis being placed on convenience.
This trend has seen ‘heat and eat’ packaging gain a solid foothold in the market.
Convenience also stretches to easy-open packaging – a legitimate consideration for a country with an aging population.
Another change is the large number of consumers who are thinking ‘green’.
Australians rightly want packaging that has the smallest possible environmental impact, including a clear recycling path and reduced volume.
Obviously these wishes sit comfortably alongside the ideals of the National Packaging Covenant.
Q: What are food and beverage manufacturers demanding in packaging materials?
Today food and beverage manufacturers are asking for a little bit of magic – and in most cases that’s just what they’re getting!
We’re being asked to provide stronger, high quality packaging solutions with unique design work that will attract the consumer’s eye, and yet this packaging must also be lower cost, lower volume and be delivered in short production runs to assist speed to market.
Flexibility is the key and at CHH Packaging Australia we’ve dedicated a lot of resources to ensuring we can meet these requirements.
For example, our pre-press design company Montage Graphics uses the latest in digital computer-to-plate technology and has just installed a new Kodak proofer.
With the quality of packaging and design work so important, our customers can now proof their jobs on the actual board used for the final product.
Q: What are the latest solutions in packaging materials that would appeal to food and beverage manufacturers?
One of the largest challenges facing packaging companies today comes from the pressure on the supply chains of food and beverage manufacturers and the major retailers.
The solution everyone’s chasing is one-touch or shelf-ready packaging.
To drive costs out of the supply chain there is a huge push for packaging that is aesthetically appealing for consumers, yet still sturdy enough to be moved directly from pallet to shelf.
Although this may add to the cost of primary packaging, the reduction in secondary packaging for protective purposes saves money in the long run.
It also realises an obvious environmental benefit.
With this in mind, Carter Holt Harvey’s vertical integration is a plus for our customers.
Our world-class Pulp & Paper operations provide a wide range of carton board perfectly suited to food and beverage applications.
Our recent investment in the Whakatane paper mill in New Zealand also allows us to draw on board that is lighter weight and stronger than ever before.
Rick Holman is national sales manager for CHH Packaging Australia. For more information, contact Rick on (03) 9768 5718, or email: rick.holman@au.chh.com
31-Jan-2005