April 2, 2025 – The food packaging industry ensures product safety, quality, and consumer satisfaction. Beyond its functional purpose, with growing awareness of sustainability and the need for transparency, packaging innovation shapes purchasing decisions and reflects brand values, making it a vital connection between manufacturers and consumers. Innova’s 360 research into the emerging food packaging trends reshaping the global market, from eco-friendly materials to smart technologies that enhance engagement and trust.
This article is based on Innova’s Global Packaging Trends: Beyond Sustainability in Food & Beverage report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
Consumer Preferences in Food Packaging Trends
Brands strengthen their connection with consumers through packaging materials and on-pack information. Packaging highlights product protection, safety, convenience, and usability. On-pack information ensures traceability, nutritional transparency, consumer engagement, and brand identity. This level of disclosure builds trust and reinforces brand credibility.
Consumer trend research shows that product quality and nutrition are key factors in choosing food and beverage brands. The top three packaging functions are persevering food quality, easy to store, and extended shelf life. 42% of consumers are willing to pay more for packaging that preserves quality, in the past year. However, rising costs have reduced consumers’ willingness to pay a premium, prompting brands to explore leeway, high-quality packaging options.
The top aspects of packaging in meat products and meat alternatives categories are preserving quality, product protection, and label information and claims. In contrast, convenience leads in the beverage and snacking categories. In the food packaging industry, brands prefer glass materials the most for meeting consumer’s desired packaging functions including food safety, product protection, design, and personalization. Other leading packaging materials include cardboard, plastic, aluminum, and paper. Consumers prefer glass, cans, and biodegradable plastics for beverages, while bioplastics for refrigerated and frozen products.
Protection and Safety Trends
Food packaging trends show that consumers increasingly show interest in packaging innovations that prioritize safety and convenience, such as recyclable materials, self-heating or cooling capabilities, built-in freshness sensors, and even edible packaging. Brands reflect their interest by adopting technologies like modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP), barrier coatings, and tamper-evident solutions. Launches with MAP technology show a 10% CAGR growth over the past four years, highlighting the demand for packaging that preserves quality and extends shelf life.
Plastic is the commonly used packaging material across the globe, followed by carton and glass. Aluminum shows strong growth as a high barrier material with 9% CAGR during the same period.
Convenience and Usability Trends
Consumers seek convenience in packaging only after quality and safety. Easy to store, open and consume on the go are their top priorities. This on-the-go packaging trend increases pressure on brands to address concerns about excess packaging and waste. In usability, self-heating and cooling packaging capture global consumers’ interest. For instance, 24% of consumers in Asia are familiar with self-heating and/or cooling for products, including beef rice noodles, sausage and rice, and seafood hotpot noodles.
Traceability and Nutritional Transparency
Consumers actively seek labels to gain nutrition, shelf-life, claims and transparency information. Clear labels build trust between consumers and manufacturers. In the food packaging industry, brands include QR code, smart labels, or inclusive codes into packaging providing access to in-depth information. These digital innovations drive on-demand ability to dive deep into products and increase engagement. For instance, Omie uses on-pack code to share additional product information including earnings, scorecard ratings and ingredient details.
Front-of-package nutritional warnings vary across the globe, with only a limited number of countries requiring this mandatory label. For example, Canada implemented these labels but require only from next year, while other countries are currently developing policies. Countries like Mexico, Peru, Israel, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina implemented the front-of-package nutrition labels only within the past five years.
Top Brands in the Food Packaging Industry
Brands collaborate with other companies or industries in launching limited editions, elevating consumers engagement and brand identity. For example, Coca-Cola partners with Marvel, featuring 30 Marvel characters in their beverages. While other companies endorse engagements by including QR codes that synchronize with consumers’ favorite music/songs on popular music apps.
What’s Next in Food Packaging Trends?
Packaging is evolving to address the demands of modern consumers who value authenticity, safety, and innovation. While traditional materials like glass remain reliable, they present limitations. Emerging materials and technologies are stepping up to offer solutions that balance consumer preferences, product safety, and convenience.
Connected technologies like QR codes and smart labels can enhance brand interaction by offering consumers access to company information, promotions, and product stories. These tools can help to strengthen trust by enabling transparency and ingredient traceability throughout the supply chain. In the food packaging industry, the use of innovative packaging materials can improve product protection without the limitations of glass. For instance, modified-atmosphere packaging and barrier coatings can provide tailored solutions to preserve freshness, prevent contamination, and maintain integrity.
Mandatory front-of-package labeling policies are expanding globally, pushing brands to reimagine their packaging designs to meet compliance while conveying values effectively. Rebranding and packaging refreshes can help brands align with evolving consumer preferences and regulatory demands. Smaller packages with ergonomic features can address the needs of older adults and others seeking ease of use, highlighting inclusivity in design.
As the demand for convenience and sustainability packaging increases, brands are likely to focus on aiding technologies in meeting consumers’ demands for product quality and safety.
This article is based on Innova’s Global Packaging Trends: Beyond Sustainability in Food & Beverage report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
