Four Trends Impacting the Packaged Food Market

By Moira Stein, Insights & Strategy at Berlin Packaging

Making meals at home continues to be popular as consumers look to save costs and meet their health and taste preferences, creating opportunities for packaged food brands. However, rising prices leave packaged foods vulnerable in the event of future increases. Consumers are expected to continue spending on essential categories, but they may reduce volumes in non-essential categories, trade down, swap ingredients, or reduce spending on premium products. It is increasingly important to appeal to discerning and budget-conscious consumers. This article explores some trends impacting the packaged food market.

Demographic Changes

As birth rates decline, younger generations are shrinking while older consumers are growing.

These demographic shifts pose issues for children’s food categories, causing brands and products traditionally targeting kids to expand or re-invent themselves for older consumers. Euromonitor notes, “Categories like breakfast cereal and carbonated soft drinks have seen a rise in new brands that offer flavors and packaging that seem very child-orientated, but with ingredient lists and nutrition labels that are very much aimed at adults.” There is also an opportunity for products with fiber, potassium, and B vitamins and those that help older consumers manage chronic conditions like hypertension, heart disease, or diabetes.

Accessible packaging can help drive brand loyalty among aging consumers with conditions like arthritis, dexterity limitations, vision impairments, and more. Ergonomic container shapes, easy-grip closures, tactile markings, larger font sizes, and more appeal to older generations. According to an Arthritis Foundation Survey, 72% of consumers would switch brands if there were a product or package that was easier to use. The Foundation and Target have partnered to create guidelines to help packaging designers and engineers create easy-to-use packaging.

Kellogg added NaviLens technology to several of their cereal packages. Their press release states, “Consumers can locate the boxes from several feet away, navigate to them, and hear their names, package sizes, and nutritional information.” Image courtesy of Berlin Packaging.

Health Labeling

Health and wellness have been influential trends in packaged food for years, but the drivers are changing. The growing popularity of GPL-1 weight-loss drugs will likely cause significant shifts in food consumption. While U.S. use of these medications is currently relatively low (estimated at around 6%), increased adoption will have long-term impacts on packaged foods, including decreased demand for indulgent products, preference for smaller portions, and increased interest in lean proteins. Nestle’s Vital Pursuits brand was developed for people taking GPL-1 drugs, with a smaller serving size and bold protein callout.

Prominent packaging claims, overt nutritional information, and clear health benefit callouts are important to consumers increasingly focused on diet to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other groups are taking steps to help Americans better understand food and beverage labels. The agency’s recalibration of the “healthy” labeling criteria and introduction of a front-of-pack nutrition label offer the potential to reshape food product development while empowering consumers to make more informed dietary choices.

To qualify for the “healthy” label claim under the new labeling rule, a food product must contain a certain amount of food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups, such as fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes, fat-free and low-fat dairy, and lean game meat, recommended by the Dietary Guidelines. The food product also must meet specific limits for added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium. The voluntary regulation went into effect on February 25, 2025. Brand owners have three years to comply. There is no maximum or minimum type size for using the term “healthy” on packaging.

Alongside the revamped “healthy” criteria, the FDA is considering a standardized Front-of-Pack (FOP) labeling system designed to provide quick, at-a-glance nutrition information. The proposed FOP nutrition label, also referred to as the “Nutrition Info box,” provides information on saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars content in a simple format showing whether the food has “Low,” “Med,” or “High” levels of these nutrients and their percent Daily Value (DV). It complements the FDA’s iconic Nutrition Facts panel, which gives consumers more detailed information about the serving size, calories per serving, and the nutrients in their food. If the proposal becomes law, it will require food manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual sales to add a Nutrition Info box to the front of most packaged food products three years after the final rule’s effective date. Brand owners with less than $10 million in annual sales will have four years to comply.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other groups are taking steps to help Americans better understand food and beverage labels. Image courtesy of Berlin Packaging.

Farm-to-Fork Sustainability

Consumers care about sustainability more than ever, and packaged food brands can demonstrate their commitment to the environment in various ways. According to Euromonitor, “Today’s savvy consumers are invested in the product’s journey, not just the result. Prioritizing sustainable sourcing, local production, and sustainable farming practices proves a vital commitment to tackling food insecurity – a standout selling point.” They note that retail sales of packaged food products with at least one sustainability claim grew at 7% CAGR 2020-2023.

There is growing interest in locally sourced products, organic formulations, plant-based diets, and sustainable packaging. Through the use of eco-friendly packaging practices like recyclable materials (e.g., paper and pulp-based, glass, metal, and certain types of plastic), renewable materials (bio-based resins), post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, refillable and reusable models, light-weighting, component reduction, and compostable materials, brands can help reduce waste and drive the circular economy. These sustainable and circular packaging strategies lengthen product lifecycles, reduce waste, lower the use of virgin materials, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and return nutrients to the soil.

Wholesome Agave is fair trade certified and packaged in a bottle made with 30% plant-based PET. Image courtesy of Berlin Packaging.

Disruptive Packaging

With an increasingly crowded marketplace and the growing influence of social media and digital shopping channels, food packaging needs to disrupt and engage now more than ever. Studies show that brands have only a few seconds to capture a consumer’s attention as they scan the retail shelf or scroll through an e-commerce site. According to a Nielsen, 64% of consumer decisions to try a new product are influenced by the visual appeal of the package. Unique packaging can attract attention and disrupt the eye in a sea of sameness.

Some brands push the boundaries with unexpected packaging unique to their product categories. Marketing and venture capital consultant Michael Miraflor calls the trend “chaos packaging,” and it was recently featured in a Wall Street Journal article. “Packages that cause some kind of cognitive dissonance are more likely to capture the attention of shoppers than traditional boxes, bottles, and cans, Miraflor said. That appeals to brands, particularly as advertising becomes more expensive [and] suppliers battle for shelf space.”

Secondary packaging is often the first interaction consumers have with a product, but it can be overlooked and under-valued by companies. There is a lot more to secondary packaging than paper cartons. It can take many forms and use many materials, including flexible pouches, paper tubes, rigid boxes, shrink sleeves, and carrier packs. Effective and innovative secondary packaging can improve shelf impact, create unique and memorable user experiences, elevate brand perception, and add value.

Spiceology is an example of disruptive packaging. Their BBQ-inspired spice rubs are sold in aluminum cans – typically used for beverages. Image courtesy of Berlin Packaging.

About the Author

Moira Stein, Insights & Strategy at Berlin Packaging, has spent 20+ years working in brand marketing, with a focus on strategy and design. For the past five years, she has helped Berlin Packaging’s customers leverage consumer and category insights to develop strategic package design solutions that create impact and drive sales. Moira has experience across a variety of sectors, including food & beverage, personal care, and home care. Her clients have included large CPG companies like SC Johnson, Kraft, and ConAgra Foods, as well as small distilleries, wineries, and start-ups.