MWV shares food packaging insights at Shanghai forum

LEADER in packaging and packaging solutions, MeadWestvaco Corporation was a participant at the China Food & Beverage Innovation Forum held on 15 May 2014 in Shanghai. Its director for Strategy & Development for China Food & Beverage, Dr Quentin Yan presented the company’s Insight to In-Market approach used to drive innovation.

As part of the insights process to assess the food safety and quality situation in China, MWV commissioned a study to analyse over 1,000 reported food safety incidents within the last few years. The goal was to understand the underlying issues facing brand owners in China and the potential for packaging to address safety and quality issues.

“It came as no surprise when our research determined the majority of food safety incidents are related to the processing part of the supply chain. And certainly packaging is not able to impact processing,” said Dr Yan. “However, of the incidents not associated with processing, things like counterfeiting, tampering, contamination, spoiled and expired foods, packaging does have the potential to address 31% of these incidents.”

The rigours of the food supply chain should not be underestimated as brands develop packaging strategies. “Nowadays, globalisation and modern technologies have made the supply chain more intense and longer, across boarders and time, placing greater demands on packaging’s ability to protect and preserve not just the safety and quality of the product, but a brand’s image as well,” he said.

What consumers want

The Evertain?, MWV’s newest food packaging innovation, is an example of a consumer insights led packaging solution. MWV’s Packaging Matters^TM consumer satisfaction study showed preserving freshness was the number one most important attribute for overall product satisfaction (81%), closely followed by “easy to carry” (80%) and easy to reclose (75%). The Evertain family of barrier packaging, which achieves all three, is a hermetically sealable, airtight paperboard package for foods that require protection from oxygen and moisture. MWV’s patented technology combines a specially sealed inner seam with barrier coating to preserve freshness and extend shelf life.

MWV leverages its Insight to In-Market approach to drive innovative packaging solutions. The foundation of the Insight to In-Market approach lies in consumer insights. This is a proprietary methodology that converts consumer, brand and category insight into packaging experiences that drive loyalty. This unique framework also ensures a much faster path to market, which is critical for brand success in a rapidly changing environment. Insight to In-Market drives top-line growth and provides efficiencies for bottom-line improvement, offering a comprehensive strategy that delivers a meaningful competitive advantage for MWV’s brand partners.