May/June 2021 - 24

PMMI THE ASSOCIATION FOR PACKAGING AND PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES
Consumers seeking healthy snacks
turn to produce
H ea l t h y
food
options are reaching
the heights where
labeling it a fad no
longer applies.
Regardless of food
By Sean Riley
Senior Director,
Media and Industry
Communications,
PMMI
type, consumers are
the primary drivers for
healthier food options,
including snacks, with
bakery and snack
product packaging
trends revealing a
growing demand for smaller portions,
particularly for more nutritious salty
and savory snacks.
Consumers are leading increasingly
busy lives, and when it comes to fruit
and vegetables, they are generally
looking for freshness, good taste and
convenience.
One senior packaging engineer
cited in Trends and Advances in Food
Packaging and Processing, a report
from PMMI, The Association for
Packaging and Processing Technologies,
said, " Anything with a 'healthy halo'
for snacks is growing. "
Availability is the secondary driver
of healthy snacks. With the rising
urbanization and changing lifestyles
of consumers, convenience stores have
expanded to include healthy options.
As single-serve healthy options grew
in use, more prominent, traditional
outlets for produce began embracing
the smaller, packaged format. Retailers
like Walmart and even Amazon are
asking for smaller packages that allow
them not only to meet demand but also
to stack more on the store shelves.
Trending up
The packaged fruit snacks market
is projected to grow by $2.54 billion
during from 2020 to 2024, progressing
at a CAGR of 9% during the forecast
period, according to research from
24 MAY/JUNE 2 0 21
Technavio as referenced in PMMI Snack
Foods - Packaging and Processing
Market Assessment and Trends.
Nuts/seeds, bars containing fruit and
combo snacks are among the fastestgrowing
categories, with single-serve
representing lower portions, fewer
calories and an overall healthier
experience. These segments are
expected to account for 27% of the
market share by 2024.
Packaging solutions
These single-serve portions can be
tricky to package, often containing
combinations of meat, cheese, nuts,
fruits, veggies, dips, etc. Consumer
packaged goods companies (CPGs)
in the produce sector need flexible
equipment that can deal with a variety
of different packages and package
formats. The packaging implications
include growth in flexible pouch
filling machinery (especially form/
fill/seal equipment) and shelf-ready
secondary packaging machinery for
single-serve fresh fruit, growth in flow
wrappers for bars and an expansion in
rigid tray filling and sealing equipment
for combo snacks. Fast filling operations
are also needed to deal with the growth
of single-serve.
Ironically, resealability has also
grown in use with single-serve
packages. Consumers seem to want the
smaller portion but do not necessarily
intend to eat all in one sitting. This
is particularly true with produce as
consumers seek for the product to
remain as fresh as possible for as long
as possible. An added zipper or slider
provides assurance that the produce
maintains this freshness.
Offering vetted suppliers, PACK
EXPO Connects is an easily searchable
marketplace of over 700 leading
solution providers in a diverse range
of industries, serving as a resource
for the most advanced packaging
innovations. For more information
and to access the solutions, visit
www.packexpoconnects.com. Next
up in the PACK EXPO Portfolio of
Trade Shows is PACK EXPO Las Vegas
2021 (Sept. 27-29). More details to
follow in the coming months. In the
meantime, for more information, visit
www.packexpolasvegas.com.
Duda creates sustainable packaging program
Duda Farm Fresh Foods has
established a sustainable packaging
program to outline goals and look for
new opportunities to reduce packaging's
impact on the environment.
The program strives to streamline
current packaging systems, increase
consistency across the organization and
reduce the amount of packaging materials
used while maintaining high standards of
food safety, product quality, freshness
and shelf life.
By 2025, Duda Farm Fresh Foods aims
to " achieve 90% recyclable, reusable, or
industrial compostable primary packaging.
Achieve an average of 20% recycled
content in primary packaging. "
In addition to the Sustainable Packaging
Program, Duda Farm Fresh Foods continues
to invest in its people through the recent
opening of its seasonal employee housing
in Greenfield, California. The company
has partnered with Avila Construction and
Elkhorn Packing to bring a vaccination clinic
directly to the housing site as well.
Duda Farm Fresh Foods produces
conventional and organic vegetables, leafy
greens and citrus.
http://www.packexpoconnects.com http://www.packexpolasvegas.com
May/June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2021
