Packaging insiders all agree: flexible packaging has revolutionized the consumer products industry. But of all the industries that have adopted these packaging methods, the one that has seen the most opportunity as a result is undeniably the grocery market.
Because flexible packages offer superior protection from outside contaminants, products like standup pouches are particularly well-suited to house food products. With one simple walk through a supermarket, you'll be able to see all the different ways flexible packaging has impacted the grocery market. For example:
Beverages
The beverage industry has a lot to gain from flexible pouches. Capri Sun® did it years ago and saw tremendous success as a result - hardly a child in America does not equate the Capri Sun brand with a nifty little foil pouch! Because so many beverages are marketed to children, flexible packaging is especially well-suited to this category because their unique construction enables them to be printed using advanced printing techniques - all of which can make your logo and graphics really stand out from the competition.
Produce
It may be hard to believe, but flexible packaging has also had a tremendous impact on the produce industry. Pre-washed salads, vegetables, and fruits can all be marketed in flexible packages, and consumers especially like the ability to re-close produce packages for easier storage and to help extend the life of the product. Packaging insiders agree that the produce market probably has the most to gain, more so than any other industry, by adopting flexible packaging for their products.
Refrigerated Products
In the refrigerated meat, dairy, and even the frozen foods aisles, flexible packaging is being used to offer consumers something they didn't have before: the ability to re-close a package (with a tight seal) via a zip seal zipper once it has been opened. Shredded cheeses are probably the most obvious example of flexible packaging at work, but even manufacturers of frozen foods are starting to pick up on the trend and more and more often you're seeing flexible pouches with re-closeable zip seals in the freezer aisle. The ability to re-close a package once it has been opened is extremely appealing to consumers, especially when it comes to refrigerated foods that are more susceptible to spoilage once they're opened.
Snacks
There is no question that manufacturers of snack products have truly claimed flexible packaging as their own. Nuts, crackers, cookies, and dried fruits are just some of the products that are now being offered in flexible pouches. And merchandisers couldn't be happier: what once had to be in a can or box can now stand on a shelf or hang from a peg - which frees up all sorts of space and puts smiles on retailers' faces!
In closing, flexible packaging is just a portion of the overall packaging industry. However, with advances such as those listed above, it is clear that flexible packaging will soon have a more dominant piece of the packaging industry "pie".