Role of Packaging in the Retail Sector

 Role of Packaging in the Retail Sector
 SALES of packaged foods in key GCC markets such as Saudi Arabia and UAE are expected to reach over $16bn and $2bn by 2014 respectively, according to reports by Euromonitor, and the region continues to remain important growth markets for large multinational food companies. At the same time, food retail operation are on the rise. The UAE alone is currently host to some 11,000 stand alone restaurants, and this figure is expected to increase by approximately 500 per year. At the same time, there are another 216 hotels in the UAE's active development pipeline over the next few years, and they will include at least another additional 650 to 700 food and beverage outlets.
Traditional retail outlets, however, are still very much of the picture. Trade in neighbourhood stores and small outlets remain important marketing channels for suppliers looking to reach new customers with modern packaged foods, according to a survey by Nielsen and Tetra Pak (see Table 1).
In a report* focused on retailing, Tetra Pak points out that by 2025, the world's population is expected to increase from 6.4 billion to 8 billion and that the growing number of consumers "combined with migration to urban areas and rising prosperity, will influence how people choose to spend their money and how the retail food sector will evolve." Modern retail operations in the region still have a very small fraction of the trade (see Table 2), but a growing middle class in developing regions, including parts of Africa and the Middle East, will spur increased demand for food both locally and globally, the report noted. This is why the food-retailing sector in such regions is "up-and-coming" whilst in high-income countries the sector is stagnating.
Owing to the surge in fast food and quick service restaurant growth in GCC as well as the still-strong traditional retail trade in MENA, Pakistan and Turkey, demand for packaging that offers convenience, safety and brand appeal is still on the rise. Here is a selection of packaging solutions that food retailers and processors can consider for their future range of products.

'Ovenable' Packaging Solutions
Public awareness continues to grow around the risks of food poisoning from handling raw meat and fish, with a particular emphasis around reducing the number of food poisoning cases caused by Camplyobacter, which is commonly found in raw poultry.
 For more than five decades DuPont Teijin Films has been developing packaging to enhance the cooking process, and taken the unique thermal and mechanical properties of polyester film and added functionality such as shrink, formability and tailored heat-seal technology. The culmination of this work is packaging film that delivers dual ovenable packaging to fit practically any packing for any food whether fresh or frozen.
DuPont Teijin Films have recently launched a new range of oven-ready packaging solutions u s ing Mylar Polyes ter Film, which has benefits for everyone along the chain from factory to fork. The "Mylar COOK" range delivers an innovative way of cooking suitable for conventional oven, microwave oven or contact grill. The concept is simple – a range of dual ovenable films which can be used to make oven-ready pouches in practically any packaging process and with practically any fresh or frozen food stuff.
There are many other benefits of the Mylar COOK range such as reduced cooking time, improved taste and texture, portion control and the ability to cook several different meats, fish or poultry at the same time on the same equipment without the risk of cross contamination. The range allows food packers to add value and elevates fresh or frozen proteins to a meal event with the addition ofAir Max Flair KPU