Food labels and packaging are required to meet a wide range of demands, from functional to aesthetic. The packaging must inform the customer, protect the food contents, stand out on the shelf, and more.

Content preservation and freshness are paramount. In order to deliver the best consumer experience and reduce waste, food needs to be maintained in a specific atmosphere until consumed. Various foods need a range of atmosphere types to stay fresh. For example, produce releases gases that could accelerate decay if contained. On the other end, cheese needs to be in a specific mix including carbon dioxide. Packaging should be designed around these needs.

To meet the varied needs of the market, suppliers have been tasked with engineering an assortment of innovative materials. Avery Dennison, which is based in Mentor, OH, USA, has developed core film and paper portfolios, premium papers, reclosure solutions and intelligent labels that engage consumers and reduce food waste. In line with the company’s sustainability goals, Avery Dennison has also designed multiple film and paper labels to promote recyclability and environmental friendliness.

“Last year, we launched our new hot melt adhesives: C4500 and C4510,” the company states. “Our C4500 and C4510 adhesives, compared to the previous generation of hot melts, are friendlier to the environment and maintain minimal adhesive bleed. They also help converters improve press efficiency – without compromising speed, conversion and dispensing – thanks to their lower levels of adhesive contamination and ooze. Hot-melt adhesives are used on a variety of food applications such as cheeses, meats, frozen food and more.”

These products have been optimized to meet the latest trends in food labeling. According to Avery Dennison, food consumers are seeking packaging that provides enhanced safety and hygiene, better functionality, and sustainability.

The continued fallout from Covid-19, including increased supply chain constraints, has prompted several new trends, too. Plastic is seeing wider usage, for example.

“Amid Covid-19 concerns, plastic packaging has many benefits to health and safety, convenience and even to the environment,” the company states. “Plastic packaging continues to play a leading role relative to the current and future new normal in packaging, transport, distribution, display, delivery, dispensing, storage and preservation of food.

“Plus, private label brands and packaging are stepping up their value, but not necessarily with low-cost options due to nearly six out of 10 consumers seeing private label as flavorful and healthy as national brands. The parity between the two is especially evident to younger consumers,” Avery Dennison adds. “And that’s where attention to package graphics, structure and messaging can become a strategic advantage.”

E-commerce has continued to emerge as a strong industry trend. The packaging utilized for e-commerce will often features designs and labeling that can optimize performance. This might include preventing product damage, boosting productivity, improving the consumer experience and providing safety and security, to name a few.

Transparency in labeling is important to consumers, as well. That could mean simply being able to pronounce and understand the ingredients within a product, or how the item was raised and sourced.

In the future, we can expect more of the same in this vertical. “Plastics will continue to dominate the packaging industry, with a CAGR of 2.6% through 2024, according to Euromonitor,” states Avery Dennison. “With consumer demand for more sustainable packaging and accountability from manufacturers and brands, we have an opportunity to think critically about packaging design and the lifecycle of a product. Our food solutions include methods to either reduce the amount of plastic used in packaging or enable the recycling of plastics, and we are continuing to develop further methods of promoting circularity.”