Foodservice Packaging Market- Key Growth Influencers and Trends Boosting Adoption

With surging demand for food ordering, the ready-to-serve packaging solutions have gained prominence than ever. The appeal of packaging type plays a vital role in shaping up consumer perceptions and is also a key element for building the brand personality. In line with a hectic lifestyle, the new-age consumers value ‘indulgence with convenience’. This is pushing the vigor of online food ordering and is also spurring the adoption of food service packaging.

The lack of time-based convenience is persuading consumers to outsource their meals, evolving as a new dynamic revealing stellar opportunities for foodservice packaging manufacturers. Manufacturers are also offering exclusive ranges of custom-made offerings with unique designs to meet the specific business requirements of end-users.

Foodservice packaging includes a broad range of products, including take-home cartons, handled drink carriers, utility trays for drive-thru, takeout and concessions, tuck top and barn-style boxes, kids' meal boxes, clamshells, convenience-based food trays and containers. Whether you’re a full-service restaurant, a takeout establishment or something in between, you need cartons that are designed to withstand the toughest foodservice conditions.

The end-user inclination toward products enhancing customers’ takeout experience is encouraging manufacturers to introduce value-added offerings. Manufacturers are also vying to offer containers safeguarding shelf life of food items, even during refrigeration. The demand for products that are stackable, leak resistant, and with a robust locking system are gaining high prominence, diversifying the product lines of manufacturers. Moreover, manufacturers are offering a wide-range of ready-made solutions with the convenience of custom-printing to suit your branding needs.

Moreover, manufacturers in the food service packaging market are also emphasizing on offering recyclable products, in line with the sustainability standards. Also, focus on quality and adherence to latest food safety guidelines are being highly focused on by the key stakeholders, in a bid to offer safest as well as sturdiest products.

Trends in foodservice packaging have started emigrating to the retail sector. So, manufacturers are set to keep a close eye on the dynamic trends of retail sector, in a bid to diversify their product lines accordingly. From the consumer standpoint, an upswing in off-site sales has been identified as one of the biggest trends. Mushrooming number of foodservice establishments and fast-food joints, apart from the traditional dine-in eateries, are registering a massive demand for food service packaging solutions, owing to spurring number of delivery and catering orders by the new-gen on-the-go consumer demographic.

Rise in number of mobile applications meant for online food ordering remains one of the prominent factors boosting adoption of foodservice packaging. Moreover, automated in-store ordering stations are also gaining momentum, which augurs well for the foodservice packaging market. Online meal delivery programs are gaining rapid traction, expanding the requirement of new and innovative foodservice packaging formats.

Alterations in preparation as well as distribution model of meals are bolstering the need for tamper-evident packaging, which is identified as prominent trend. The appearance of food service packaging is integral in framing consumer perceptions apropos of the brand and also ensures the integrity quo of the food items enclosed.

Apart from food joints and restaurants, grocery stores are also increasingly investing in innovative food service packaging formats. Grocery stores have started increasingly adding foodservice packaging formats of various styles and designs to their foodservice footprint, offering a heightened experience far-reaching beyond the aisles of non-perishable food items.

The trend of environmentally friendly, recyclable, sustainable, and compostable packaging is evolving to be a widely-embraced trend instead of just being a regular thing. The rising fad for light-weight formats and mineral filler usage in packaging is also gaining centerstage, persuading manufacturers to take into consideration while commercializing their offerings in the market place.

With rising health-consciousness among consumers from all age groups, multiple commercial as well as non-commercial foodservice joints have started investing in foodservice packaging with excellent barrier properties. The rising need to safeguard the nutritional profile of food items is further triggering adoption of efficient & effective food service packaging solutions among the end-users. Growing inclination toward ready-to-eat foods along with rising emphasis on use of convenient Eco-friendly packaging is one of the key fueling agents of foodservice packaging market growth.

Foodservice outlets will continue to offer lucrative and profit-making avenues for the manufacturers of foodservice packaging and emerge as a profitable application segment of the foodservice packaging market. Foodservice packaging is highly likely to record significant sales for application in case of alcoholic beverages and takeaway meals, fostering its growth, during the forecast timespan. The Alcoholic as well as ready-to-drink beverages are likely to register impressive growth in the foodservice packaging market, presenting profit-making opportunities for the market players.