Latest News From SPECIAL REPORT: Packaging

Reusable Packaging Container (RPC) provider IFCO has unveiled its comprehensive ESG (Environment Social Governance) 2025 strategy to thrive in the circular economy. 

A track and trace system is the answer to encourage reusable packaging, according to researchers at  Lancaster University and the University of St Andrews in the United Kingdom.

Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern Food Corp. has upped its commitment to reusable plastic containers (RPCs).

Hantsport, Nova Scotia-based CKF Inc.’s Earthcycle brand of compostable and recyclable packaging has expanded its range of sustainable options.

Produce shippers and packaging suppliers have faced shortages and higher prices of some packaging materials.

Innovations in material availability and handling technology are making the quest for sustainable packaging more realistic, several industry leaders say.

The use of fresh produce as a canvas for consumer messages continues for fresh produce suppliers.

Consumers are far from “over” their preferences for packaging established during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Paper-based packaging and bags have seen big growth in the last year, produce leaders say.

The pace of packaging innovation didn’t stop because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sustainability and plastic-free will be two packaging trends to watch in 2022, industry leaders report.

The Packer asked industry leaders about what new packaging innovations have caught their eyes in the past year.

Now in its second year, the COVID-19 pandemic has given a boost to packaging sales, marketers agree.

Many unanswered questions still hang over the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, but the health crisis, which froze some food sales outlets and forced major alterations in others,  also changed consumer buying habits.

What is the biggest change in packaging coming in the next five years?

Eliminating the use of wax cartons is one way that Lakeside Organic Gardens is answering the call for more sustainable packaging.

BASF and the Fabbri Group have developed what they call a sustainable solution for cling film used in fresh-food packaging, according to a news release.

A slight majority of consumers polled by The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2020 survey say they would pay a premium for fresh produce packed in containers made from recycled materials.

Produce suppliers are taking hard looks at packaging in terms of costs, materials and environmental concerns.

Hartsville, S.C.-based Sonoco Corp. has acquired three other packaging companies in the past 18 months.

Read a few quick updates from companies that manufacture packaging for the produce industry, as well as from a couple grower-shippers with packaging news.

Produce marketers credit controlled-atmosphere and pouch technology for having extended product shelf life.

Packaging is anything but a static part of the produce supply chain, said Steve Lutz, regional vice president for the U.S. West and Canada with the Newark, Del.-based Produce Marketing Association.

Packaging gives the opportunity to tell a brand story, to cement branding with consumers, to create a visual connection between the product and product qualities and the package.

More specialty and branded offerings in the produce department have come with more specialized packaging.