The Flexible Future of Grab-and-Go Snacks

September 22, 2024|Flexible, Food, Markets, Materials

According to recent studies, consumers consider value for money their number one priority when shopping for snacks. © Jack F – stock.adobe.com

Flexible Packaging and the Next Generation of Convenience

By Steve Halford, Product Development Technologist at Parkside

No one understands the nonstop hectic pace of modern life better than you, the packaging industry professional. But packaging is far from the only industry where the relentless pace makes workers feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day.

In fact, a survey by food brand Frito Lay found that the average consumer only has 52 minutes per day to cook and eat a meal.¹ It’s no wonder that over nine in 10 people are replacing traditional meals with snacks and convenience food at least once a week —whether intentionally or by falling victim to those unfortunate ‘snaccidents.’²

Naturally, the pressure is on snack brands and their supply chains to create more convenient products that today’s time-poor consumers can enjoy — and packaging is absolutely critical to this goal.

No Time to Buy

Factors such as the increased spending power of millennials and the urbanization of living spaces mean that the number of consumers who could be considered ‘time-poor’ is bigger than ever, according to market data experts Data Intelligence.³ Studies have also shown that, as sales of convenience foods rose during the pandemic, consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables fell in favor of quick and tasty comfort food.⁴ And, post-pandemic, the return of the work commute is also eating into consumers’ free time.

However, as rampant inflation crunches disposable incomes around the world, it seems reasonable to assume that the convenience afforded by ready-to-eat meals and snacks, which tend to command a higher price point, will need to be balanced against price for many consumers. While the market continues to grow, it may become more volatile and price-sensitive, as consumers still consider value for money their number one priority when shopping for snacks.⁵ There are big opportunities on offer – but also big challenges to overcome.

The Flexible Future of Grab-and-Go Snacks

Packaging is central to overcoming those challenges. In many cases, it’s the thing that puts the ‘go’ into on-the-go food, enabling us to carry it with us as we grab a quick bite on the way to work.

This means lighter weight, easily portable packaging formats will grow in prominence as a way for brands to serve the ‘snackification’ trend. This also supports efficient portion control, which benefits businesses looking to preserve their margins as ingredient costs continue to rise, and consumers who are increasingly looking to snack more healthily.^.6 Flexible packaging helps tick all of these boxes, as small pouches, bags and flow wraps can easily be slipped into bags or pockets to create snacks that are truly grab-and-go.

Innovations in easy-open and reclosable packaging can also help consumers snack more conveniently. For example, a laser scribing system can score individual layers of material with micron-level precision. This can be used to create clean-tearing, integral openings on flexible substrates. And, when combined with an adhesive layer, these openings can be reclosed without any need for additional glue lines, stickers or zippers.

Convenience redefined

Convenience doesn’t just apply while the consumer is eating, however. Increasingly, packaging must be easy to recycle or compost to meet the needs of today’s consumers. Study after study shows that consumers feel strongly about the impact of packaging on the environment, and are willing to pay more for packaging that minimizes this impact.⁷ Not only that, but a survey by Pro Carton found that climate change was the number one concern facing consumers today, beating the rising cost of living into second place.⁸The same report also found that consumers believe recycling more is the best way to combat climate change.

All of this adds up to a clear demand for circular packaging that’s as easy to dispose of as it is to pick up – but it must not compromise on the kind of convenient functionality that consumers expect.

While there are still challenges when it comes to recycling plastic packaging of most formats — often stemming from a lack of modern recycling infrastructure. Innovations in paper-based flexible packaging present an exciting route forward for sustainable snack packaging. Paper-based materials are much more widely recycled than plastics, and treating paper-based materials with different lamination techniques can enhance their functional properties without compromising their recyclability.⁹

For example, it is possible to use a vapor deposition of aluminum to create a metallized paper laminate that contains so little metal, it can be recycled in regular paper waste streams. This can be used to create a truly convenient pack with benefits that extend far beyond the snacking experience.

The ideal convenient snack can now be sold in lightweight packaging that is easy to pick up, easy to use, easy to dispose of – and easy to recycle back into the value chain. The next generation of convenient packaging is already here – and it’s flexible.

About the Author

Steve Halford is a Product Development Technologist at Parkside. Parkside is an innovative packaging solutions provider specializing in compostable, recyclable, paper-based and innovative plastic flexible packaging solutions for the food, tobacco, personal and household care sectors. Established for over 40 years, the company is a global supplier with manufacturing sites in both the UK and Asia and is headquartered in Normanton, West Yorkshire. For further information, please visit our website www.parksideflex.com.