Overview of the food packaging market

THE PACKAGING market is growing ever so fast, and the good news is that as it grows new technologies are being developed to the benefit of food and beverage producers looking for efficiency and speed, anti-counterfeit labels, and even aesthetics. Forecasts below go beyond 2018.

Blow-fill-seal technology market

In its report on the blow fill seal technology market, Future Market Insights (FMI) estimates the global market to reach US$3.122 million in 2017, and to reach $7.208 million by the end of 2027, registering a CAGR of 8.7%. Global sales consumption of blow fill seals this year is likely to reach 6.645.5 million units, and 14,143.3 million units by the end of 2027.

FMI says the sector is overwhelmed by certain challenges including finding the balance between cost and quality, of how to maintain high quality standard manufacturing facilities and employ the most skilled workforce. Another challenge is how to reduce the cost of the final product.

The APEJ region is anticipated to register a CAGR of 8.3% in terms of revenue over the forecast period and represent total incremental opportunity of $763 million.

Palletizing robots

More and more companies are relying on the power and convenience that palletizing robots provide in compiling of products on a pallet. In fact, the global market is projected with a value of US$ 1,500 million well up to 2022.

Pallet wrapping functions are an important part of the workflow at the end of the packaging line, before the product gets transported and distributed to different places. Thanks to numerous advances in robotics, the palletizing robots of today have the ability to lift heavy weights and at a greater height due to their long arms.

Hybrid palletizing robots in particular now feature simpler user interfaces, thankfully are easier to operate. New developments have made these machines more cost effective and efficient to use for handling delicate products.

Packaging labels

By 2020, global demand for labels is expected to increase 4.1% annually to 58.8 billion square meters in 2020. Freedonia says APAC will exhibit the fastest growth. Food and beverage processing applications will account for about 30% of global label demand.

Food and beverage companies require clear, tamper-proof labels – providing data such as product manufacturing date, location, batch number, as well as the expiry date – to secure their products as these shipped across the globe. Hence a major trend in the market is the increasing use of barcode technology, according to Research and Markets. The research firm adds that barcodes are the most predominant track and trace technology for identifying products.

One driver in the market is increasing demand for sleeve labels. The reason for the high growth rate is that sleeve labels are inexpensive, being made only from a low-cost material, PVC. Apart from this, sleeve labels eliminate the requirement for colored containers and offer new and innovative advertising prospects. Heat shrink labels hold the largest share of the sleeve label market and are widely used for the labeling of beverages, including water, soft drinks, and juices.

On the downside, the market is beset by increasing prices of raw material including paper, plastic resins, adhesives, additives, and wood pulp.

Biodegradable packaging

The biodegradable packaging market will grow at a CAGR of around 14.8% over the next decade to reach approximately $19.1 billion by 2025. This segment includes several categories including flexible paper, box-board, kraft paper and corrugated fiberboard, Poly-3-Hydroxybutyrate (PHB), cellulose-based plastics, polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), starch-based plastics, polycaprolactone (PCL), and polybutylene succinate (PBS).
According to Research and Markets, the trends leading to this forecast are rising conscientious population, stringent government regulations and recent technological developments in biodegradable packaging.