Pandemic influences demand for packaging

One reality of the COVID-19 pandemic is that consumers and retailers have demanded more plastic packaging, and that has caused some adjustments on the part of suppliers.

While sustainability sensibilities are pushing suppliers to reduce packaging, consumer demand during the pandemic has tended to increase the volume of produce sold in packaging as opposed to bulk, said Roger Pepperl, marketing director for Stemilt Growers LLC. 

“We need to find better ways to do that with paper.”

COVID-19 has escalated the dialogue on sustainability in packaging, said Dan Davis, director of business development for Starr Ranch Growers, Wenatchee, Wash. 

“The consumer trend towards packaged product has made the discussion more imperative. Whether due to time constraint of being in store, food safety concerns, or whatever it may be, consumers are buying more bagged or packaged product. So it is now more imperative than ever to make sure we’re doing all we can to limit the footprint of these packages,” Davis said.

“As food safety becomes even more paramount through these times, it is likely that packaging will increase in areas where it previously did not exist,” said Kristin Yerecic, marketing director of Yerecic Label, New Kensington, Pa. 

“That makes our mission of contributing positively to that package’s life cycle even more important.”

COVID-19 has made sustainability more relevant than ever before while also presenting new challenges to being sustainable, said Patrick Flynn, chief marketing officer for Hazel Technologies Inc., Chicago. 

“Most people prioritize immediate safety over sustainability. Many food packaging trends have shifted toward perceived safety and away from sustainability. That being said, COVID-19 has highlighted the global need to deliver nutritious food to consumers as efficiently as possible.”

There have been no complaints about packaging since the COVID-19 pandemic began, said Mac Riggan, director of marketing for Chelan, Wash.-based Chelan Fresh.  

“All of a sudden, it tells me that safety is trumping sustainability,” Riggan said.

Consumers may be motivated to buy produce that is protected from touch. 

“I think that has changed our industry,” he said, suggesting that the progress toward sustainable packaging may be slowed.

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