Market Trends of North America Pouch Packaging Industry
Retort Pouches are Anticipated to Witness the Highest Growth in the Market
- The market for retort pouch packaging in North America is majorly driven by the increasing demand for convenience foods and the desire for longer shelf life without preservatives. Retort pouches are designed to extend the shelf life of various food products. The key to their effectiveness is the retort process, which involves heating the pouches to high temperatures to kill microorganisms, enzymes, and others. This process ensures that the product remains safe and retains its quality for an extended period.
- Retort pouches are widely used in food packaging since they are simple to use and take up little space. Retort pouches are also becoming more popular because of their extra features, including spouts, release valves, tear notches, slider closures with end clips, resealable zippers, and handles. These pouches are typically made from flexible, multi-layer materials that provide excellent barrier properties. The layers often include a combination of polyester, nylon, aluminum foil, and polyethylene. This combination effectively blocks out oxygen, moisture, and light, which are the primary factors that can lead to food deterioration.
- Retort pouches are versatile and can be used for various types of foods, including ready-to-eat meals, sauces, baby food, pet food, and even beverages. Additionally, retort pouches are incredibly lightweight and space-efficient compared to traditional rigid packaging like cans or glass jars. This further helps reduce transportation costs and optimize storage space for manufacturers and retailers.
- In February 2023, the Canadian Government revealed its plan to introduce labeling rules for plastic packaging and single-use plastics. Unless producers have assessed these products for recyclability, the labeling rules prohibit using the chasing-arrows symbol and other recyclability claims on consumer packaging and single-use plastics. Currently, plastic packaging makes up approximately half of all plastic waste, but less than 15% of plastic packaging is recycled. This initiative was part of Canada’s plan to move toward zero plastic waste by 2030. Canadian manufacturers have sought to adopt enhanced packaging materials and systems for their products.
- As per Statistics Canada, in July 2023, the consumer price index (CPI) for processed meat was 195.3. The increasing consumption of processed meat in Canada has spurred a corresponding demand for retort pouches, as they offer convenient packaging solutions that ensure product preservation and ease of preparation, aligning with consumers' busy lifestyles.
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The United States is Expected to Hold the Largest Market Share
- The United States is witnessing a high demand for on-the-go consumption and frozen food, among others, which is driving the growth of processed food, which, in turn, is boosting the pouch packaging market.
- According to the Flexible Packaging Association, recyclable films and pouches are currently becoming more mainstream. Foreign and domestic pressures, as well as consumers’ demand for more eco-friendly options, are spurring countries to look at the issue of waste and recycling and find feasible solutions.
- The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) indicates that the developments made in the areas of production processes and material innovation have decreased the weight of some flexible packaging by approximately 50%. Moreover, pouch packaging also permits space-saving opportunities, which means that substantial ratios of products could be shipped utilizing less fuel and energy.
- The pouch packaging market in the United States has seen several innovations in recent years to meet consumer demand for convenience, sustainability, and product freshness. In June 2023, Israel-based compostable packaging specialist Tipa partnered with two of the largest packaging manufacturers in the United States, PPC Flexible Packaging and Clearview Packaging. With main US facilities in Illinois and Utah, PPC Flexible Packaging is set to add Tipa’s compostable laminates to its manufacturing portfolio to produce pouches for packaging baked goods, dry food, supplements, vitamins, and other products.
- As per Appinio data, in 2023, 24% of consumers in the United States preferred frozen food several times a week. As frozen food consumption in the country is high, there is an increased demand for pouch packaging, which offers convenient and space-efficient solutions for storing and transporting frozen foods.
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