Greg Hrinya, Editor03.04.21
The chaotic nature of this past year has illustrated the importance of food labeling. With more people than ever eating at home, shoppers are flocking to grocery stores. Indoor dining restrictions in many parts of the country, in addition to a general unease about dining in public as the pandemic continues, have led many to spend more time cooking and preparing food for themselves. That translates to more time discerning between food products.
The value of a food label can be experienced in a host of ways. Not only must the label attract glances on the shelf, it must convey valuable information on nutrition – a must in today’s climate. Plus, the label and package must provide some form of security, as well as increasing shelf stability.
“In order to deliver the best consumer experience and reduce waste, food needs to be maintained in a specific atmosphere until consumed,” says Laetitia Kasl, senior product manager of reclosure at Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials. “Different foods need various types of atmospheres in order to stay fresh. For example, produce releases gases, which could accelerate decay if contained. On the other end, cheese needs to be in a specific mix, including carbon dioxide. Packaging should be designed based on the need to allow for ventilation or to prevent the established atmosphere from escaping.”
According to Turner Labels, a converter based in Nicholasville, KY, USA, the label can go a long way in assuring quality. Turner Labels boasts a diverse product range, with food labeling accounting for 11% of the company’s business orders.
“We believe something that helps enhance a brand’s food label is when there are exclusive factors that make that product feel as if it were made just for you,” explains Paige Tiller, digital production artist at Turner Labels. “Having design elements that highlight local community involvement, such as the sourcing of ingredients, catches the eye and makes a connection. We also feel that products that use natural felt materials, natural based colors, and have additional texture, such as embossed areas, really set that product apart from the others. It’s almost as if the consumer appreciates the extra work and effort put into the display of the label, and it speaks to the quality of the product.”
While safety and quality are undoubtedly top of mind for many consumers these days, an intricate and eye-catching label design will still generate success. “Any design that can connect with its audience will sell itself,” comments Mackenzie Erb, digital art and solutions manager at Turner Labels. “The purpose of packaging is to grab someone’s attention so your product will stand out on a shelf of dozens or hundreds of other similar products. Food designs that are most effective are those that make an emotional connection to a person, whether that is their design aesthetic, branding, or the product’s message, and communicates that clearly.”
As the label is the first encounter a consumer has with a product, shelf appeal and visual appearance are key. It’s also important not to do too much, either.
“Many great products – from global to local, boutique brands – can be victims to the sensory overload of consumers faced with rows upon rows of similar looking products,” notes Victor Gomez, director, industrial label products, Epson America. “Embellishments can provide a premium look that communicates value and helps a product stand out. Varnish, for example, can enhance the customer’s experience by strengthening the label’s focal point, providing contrast, creating half-tones, and adding texture to give life to a label. Color is also extremely important because images on a food label need to appear appetizing. And colors need to be rendered consistently. Nothing turns off a consumer like a food item that doesn’t look right, or two cans of the same product side by side on a shelf with slightly different hues to them.”
Food labels have certainly seen a boom, but business was not lagging prior to COVID-19. According to label industry market research firm AWA Alexander Watson Associates, the food end-use segment accounts for 24% of the total global label market. Within that figure, pressure sensitive labeling makes up 40% of the food market, with glue-applied a close second at 39%. Sleeves, meanwhile, slot in at third at 12%.
Specifically in North America, food labels comprise 24% of the market, AWA notes in its “AWA Global Annual Review.” Within this end-use segment, pressure sensitive labels represent the majority of labels used with a share of 46%, followed by glue applied labels at 36%.
According to Avery Dennison’s research, 64% of shoppers prefer mobile contactless pickup options, and 85% of consumers have increased their use of the curbside pickup options during COVID-19. In the near term, 90% of consumers prefer home delivery over in-store options.
Packaging is also evolving to meet the consumer’s ever-evolving needs. Brands might include multiple SKUs, including different flavors, low sodium, organic, etc. Plus, squeeze bottles may be inverted for easier pouring while also coming in a variety of sizes to accommodate all family sizes and permutations of at-home consumption.
“Serving sizes for food and beverage packaging are reconfigured to reflect the massive shift in consumption resulting from consumers working from home or going to school remotely,” explains Gomez. “Instead of restaurant or cafeteria size packages, the same amount of consumption takes up many more, smaller portions. This overlays an already very atomized customer segmentation evident to anyone walking supermarket aisles. In a recent unscientific survey, I counted 14 SKUs in a single ketchup brand, each with its own distinctive label.”
Technically, a strong food label will meet certain requirements. “An effective food label needs to work with the packaging and packaging process. Adhesive, face and liner all need to be carefully selected based on end-use and application requirements,” notes Scott Conrad, segment manager, prime papers, Americas, UPM Raflatac.”
According to UPM Raflatac, prime labels – both comprised of paper and film materials – are very common for food labels. Hot-melts, all temps and standard acrylic adhesives are all in high demand, as well. Direct thermal solutions are commonly requested for weigh-scale applications, like in the deli, produce and bakery sections of the supermarket, for example. Linerless labels are used for takeout services, fast food restaurant and grocery store applications.
Consumers’ pallets are also becoming more refined, as they are seeking certain types of ingredients or product claims. Wild caught, gluten-free, pasture raised and organic are just a few increasingly popular terms attracting shoppers.
“Consumers are demanding more transparency in their food products,” states Avery Dennison’s Kasl. “That could mean simply being able to pronounce and understand the ingredients within a product, or in the case of some proteins, how was it raised and sourced. We have seen an increase in use cases where brands are able to show the way their products were ethically raised, prove provenance, and prove that the product is actually what the label claims it is by pairing an Intelligent Label with a block chain solution.”
As was previously mentioned, consumers are increasingly trending toward locally-sourced food products. Local farms and niche brands do not often require large volumes of labels, which makes digital printing a natural – or organic – fit in this space.
Epson offers a wide range of printers ideally suited for the food labels space. According to Gomez, the Epson SurePress 13" wide roll-to-roll presses are in operation at hundreds of print-for-pay label and packaging converters for whom food labels are an important part of their business. Plus, there are thousands of Epson ColorWorks on-demand color label printers producing food labels at businesses of all sizes, from small, home-based craft brands to global companies.
“About a third of our SurePress installations are at print-for-use or non-converter printers, some of whom produce flexible packaging items like short run heat-sealed candy bags,” remarks Gomez. “SurePress has found great success in the food label space because it can print in production-level volumes with up to six colors plus white ink and digital varnish on a wide variety of substrates like films, paper, metalized, IML and shrink sleeve.”
“We believe SKU proliferation and our HP Indigo digital press go hand in hand for areas of need such as specialty batches and rapid turnarounds,” comments Turner Labels’ Tiller. “Not only is it more cost efficient to print digitally in today’s time, but it can meet the consumer’s needs in a much timelier manner. The HP Indigo press also has amazing software that makes it easy to have alternating SKUs for products in one production run.”
With a desire for quality and transparency, smart labeling is penetrating the food labels space, too. Avery Dennison has identified RFID labeling as beneficial.
“Improved inventory management will drive efficiencies throughout the food supply chain and eliminate wasted food,” comments Avery Dennison’s Kasl. “Bringing more accurate and faster inventories into this space is allowing food to flow through distribution channels without friction. We are also seeing retailers evaluate using RFID on their products to manage inventory turns and reduce the amount of time needed to manage expiration dates on perishable products.”
Brands are also using RFID technology to authenticate their product and provide greater background into the company’s core beliefs and mission statements.
“In some higher end products, brands are also using digital triggers to show provenance and demonstrate that a product is what it claims to be,” adds Kasl.
Food safety
Whether dealing with product tampering or direct versus indirect food contact, food safety is paramount – and the label plays a vital role in the success or failure of a consumer’s health. An effective label is one that does not feature any ink migration or contamination.
“Migrants can migrate from one layer to another, such as a surface printed layer to the non-printed food-contact surface, which is later on brought into contact with food,” states David Hiserodt, business unit head of Narrow Web CUSA at ink manufacturer Siegwerk. “There are risks in consumer health as it can change the flavor, odor or performance of the product. All packaging inks should be formulated and manufactured in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice.”
While Siegwerk does not offer printing inks for direct food contact, Hiserodt adds that the FDA is solely concerned that a sufficient barrier for migrants is in place and that no component of the ink or coating materials will become a food additive. He also notes that the FDA does not have specific guidelines for printing inks or coatings for non-direct food contact applications.
Giving consumer protection is the highest priority when dealing with food labels. Siegwerk adheres to strict standards, complying with the latest legislation and fulfilling the resulting statutory requirements in order to guarantee the highest level of consumer protection. Risk and exposure assessment are carried out in accordance with internationally recognized scientific principles.
Siegwerk offers a variety of food labeling products, depending on specific market demands. These ink-related products include opaque whites, coatings, primers, adhesives and metallics that are suitable for use on indirect contact for food labels. “Globally in the narrow web sector we see growth in the LED applications for food packaging, and in the United States and Canada we see a strong demand of water-based technologies,” says Hiserodt.
Epson, which produces its own inks, has invested in systems and hygienic processes to produce ink and meet internationally recognized European, as well as United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Good Manufacturing Practice standards.
“Epson SurePress and ColorWorks inks are made using food grade hygiene management, implementing Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) risk assessment at each stage of production,” says Gomez. “Epson’s SurePress and ColorWorks printers are used worldwide by converters and end users for the food and beverage industry. Of course, it is ultimately the responsibility of the food packaging manufacturer to ensure that the overall packaging construction is used properly. But our customers can deliver jobs with confidence knowing the Epson printers they have installed in their manufacturing facilities are compliant with Food Contact Materials regulations.”
Food safety can also extend to restaurants and grocery stores using measures to increase consumer confidence in product quality. “We have seen food delivery and restaurants/fast food companies utilize labels to seal their packaging to give confidence to their customers that they were not opened or altered after they left the store,” explains Kyle Strenski, business director, food, HPC and beverage, Americas, UPM Raflatac.
“More meals are being delivered than ever before, and there are even states beginning to mandate tamper-evident closures on all deliveries from third-party services – California is the first to mandate this with the Fair Food Delivery Act,” adds UPM Raflatac’s Conrad. “While people will return to eating in restaurants again and food deliveries will decrease, I believe the need for pressure sensitive labels will continue. Consumers have gotten used to third-party services, and if these services are required to use tamper-evident methods to seal food delivery vessels, this will continue to drive demand for pressure sensitive labels.
Even though regulations and nutritional information are a requirement for food labels, Turner Labels’ Tiller believes that does not need to detract from the overall vision of the package. “We encourage getting creative with how you display regulations on the label,” she says. “Something that can seem so mundane and informational can have a very cool twist on how it’s laid out. That makes the overall label feel a little less text heavy and boring, resulting in a more visually pleasing to the eye product.”
Turner Labels’ Erb adds, however, that consumers tend to overlook information that they see repeatedly on food labels, which would include nutritional facts and any USDA regulations.
In addition to consumer safety, there has been a strong push for inks used in these applications to protect the environment and contribute to a circular economy.
“Inks and coatings play an important role in the recyclability of packaging,” Hiserodt comments. “One solution is deinking, where the right selection of inks and coatings ensure that only product residues are removed during the washing process but no color is discharged into the washing water. Good deinking properties of inks and coatings improve the recyclability of packaging and therefore support the transformation of packaging waste into a new valuable resource according to a circular economy.”
“More and more consumers are demanding sustainable packaging solutions, which brands are racing to meet,” says Conrad. “This means that sustainable labeling solutions should be factored into this demand. Sustainable labeling solutions include those that enable recycling, incorporate recycled content, or reduce the carbon footprint of the packaging.”
This could lead to further regulation down the road, Strenski hypothesizes. “In the next couple of years, I predict there will be more regulations around requirements for packages to use recycled or responsibly sourced bio-based material, eliminate unnecessary packaging, and improve the quality of recyclate when the package is recycled.”
The pandemic surge
With many customers stocking up on supplies during the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it came as no surprise that food products were among the first to be snatched off the shelves. In some cases, there are still food products that are limited in grocery stores. This surge in demand necessitated a boom in label orders. While some industries, notably automotive and luxury goods, took a temporary hit, food
labeling soared.
“The pandemic, as horrible as it has been, provided increased business for our industry,” notes Turner Labels’ Erb. “It has been a blessing to us as employees and members of our community that we still have jobs and have been able to provide for our customers and consumers in such a difficult time.”
“The pandemic caused a spike in consumer demand,” comments UPM Raflatac’s Strenski. “People have not been able to go out to eat and therefore purchase more food from the grocery store or online for delivery. We have seen food delivery and restaurants/fast food companies utilize labels to seal their packaging to give confidence to their customers that they were not opened or altered after they left the store.”
As Turner Labels’ Tiller adds, “There will always be a need for food labels. Labels that were not in high demand, such as additional marketing on blank to-go boxes and safety seal labels for sanitary purposes surrounding food, allow for additional details to ensure the safety of the products, allowing the brand to provide purpose and confidence.”
The pandemic could very will cause several long-lasting effects in the food labels space. Flexible packaging usage has surged in the foods space thanks to many factors. An appealing design and the ability to grab on the go are just two benefits.
“Non-rigid materials have a bright future in food packaging. The sheer variety of constructions and customizable forms allows for innovative design that stands out – which is critical in a crowded supermarket shelf,” states Epson’s Gomez. “In a market that is turning ever more to e-commerce, the lighter constructions are often easier and cheaper to pack and ship.”
The presence in e-commerce is another potential advantage. “E-commerce is continuing to grow as consumers continue to limit their exposure to public spaces,” explains Avery Dennison’s Kasl. “We are starting to see permanent adoption of online purchasing as consumers become more familiar with these models and the benefits
they offer.
The value of a food label can be experienced in a host of ways. Not only must the label attract glances on the shelf, it must convey valuable information on nutrition – a must in today’s climate. Plus, the label and package must provide some form of security, as well as increasing shelf stability.
“In order to deliver the best consumer experience and reduce waste, food needs to be maintained in a specific atmosphere until consumed,” says Laetitia Kasl, senior product manager of reclosure at Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials. “Different foods need various types of atmospheres in order to stay fresh. For example, produce releases gases, which could accelerate decay if contained. On the other end, cheese needs to be in a specific mix, including carbon dioxide. Packaging should be designed based on the need to allow for ventilation or to prevent the established atmosphere from escaping.”
According to Turner Labels, a converter based in Nicholasville, KY, USA, the label can go a long way in assuring quality. Turner Labels boasts a diverse product range, with food labeling accounting for 11% of the company’s business orders.
“We believe something that helps enhance a brand’s food label is when there are exclusive factors that make that product feel as if it were made just for you,” explains Paige Tiller, digital production artist at Turner Labels. “Having design elements that highlight local community involvement, such as the sourcing of ingredients, catches the eye and makes a connection. We also feel that products that use natural felt materials, natural based colors, and have additional texture, such as embossed areas, really set that product apart from the others. It’s almost as if the consumer appreciates the extra work and effort put into the display of the label, and it speaks to the quality of the product.”
While safety and quality are undoubtedly top of mind for many consumers these days, an intricate and eye-catching label design will still generate success. “Any design that can connect with its audience will sell itself,” comments Mackenzie Erb, digital art and solutions manager at Turner Labels. “The purpose of packaging is to grab someone’s attention so your product will stand out on a shelf of dozens or hundreds of other similar products. Food designs that are most effective are those that make an emotional connection to a person, whether that is their design aesthetic, branding, or the product’s message, and communicates that clearly.”
As the label is the first encounter a consumer has with a product, shelf appeal and visual appearance are key. It’s also important not to do too much, either.
“Many great products – from global to local, boutique brands – can be victims to the sensory overload of consumers faced with rows upon rows of similar looking products,” notes Victor Gomez, director, industrial label products, Epson America. “Embellishments can provide a premium look that communicates value and helps a product stand out. Varnish, for example, can enhance the customer’s experience by strengthening the label’s focal point, providing contrast, creating half-tones, and adding texture to give life to a label. Color is also extremely important because images on a food label need to appear appetizing. And colors need to be rendered consistently. Nothing turns off a consumer like a food item that doesn’t look right, or two cans of the same product side by side on a shelf with slightly different hues to them.”
Food labels have certainly seen a boom, but business was not lagging prior to COVID-19. According to label industry market research firm AWA Alexander Watson Associates, the food end-use segment accounts for 24% of the total global label market. Within that figure, pressure sensitive labeling makes up 40% of the food market, with glue-applied a close second at 39%. Sleeves, meanwhile, slot in at third at 12%.
Specifically in North America, food labels comprise 24% of the market, AWA notes in its “AWA Global Annual Review.” Within this end-use segment, pressure sensitive labels represent the majority of labels used with a share of 46%, followed by glue applied labels at 36%.
According to Avery Dennison’s research, 64% of shoppers prefer mobile contactless pickup options, and 85% of consumers have increased their use of the curbside pickup options during COVID-19. In the near term, 90% of consumers prefer home delivery over in-store options.
Packaging is also evolving to meet the consumer’s ever-evolving needs. Brands might include multiple SKUs, including different flavors, low sodium, organic, etc. Plus, squeeze bottles may be inverted for easier pouring while also coming in a variety of sizes to accommodate all family sizes and permutations of at-home consumption.
“Serving sizes for food and beverage packaging are reconfigured to reflect the massive shift in consumption resulting from consumers working from home or going to school remotely,” explains Gomez. “Instead of restaurant or cafeteria size packages, the same amount of consumption takes up many more, smaller portions. This overlays an already very atomized customer segmentation evident to anyone walking supermarket aisles. In a recent unscientific survey, I counted 14 SKUs in a single ketchup brand, each with its own distinctive label.”
Technically, a strong food label will meet certain requirements. “An effective food label needs to work with the packaging and packaging process. Adhesive, face and liner all need to be carefully selected based on end-use and application requirements,” notes Scott Conrad, segment manager, prime papers, Americas, UPM Raflatac.”
According to UPM Raflatac, prime labels – both comprised of paper and film materials – are very common for food labels. Hot-melts, all temps and standard acrylic adhesives are all in high demand, as well. Direct thermal solutions are commonly requested for weigh-scale applications, like in the deli, produce and bakery sections of the supermarket, for example. Linerless labels are used for takeout services, fast food restaurant and grocery store applications.
Consumers’ pallets are also becoming more refined, as they are seeking certain types of ingredients or product claims. Wild caught, gluten-free, pasture raised and organic are just a few increasingly popular terms attracting shoppers.
“Consumers are demanding more transparency in their food products,” states Avery Dennison’s Kasl. “That could mean simply being able to pronounce and understand the ingredients within a product, or in the case of some proteins, how was it raised and sourced. We have seen an increase in use cases where brands are able to show the way their products were ethically raised, prove provenance, and prove that the product is actually what the label claims it is by pairing an Intelligent Label with a block chain solution.”
As was previously mentioned, consumers are increasingly trending toward locally-sourced food products. Local farms and niche brands do not often require large volumes of labels, which makes digital printing a natural – or organic – fit in this space.
Epson offers a wide range of printers ideally suited for the food labels space. According to Gomez, the Epson SurePress 13" wide roll-to-roll presses are in operation at hundreds of print-for-pay label and packaging converters for whom food labels are an important part of their business. Plus, there are thousands of Epson ColorWorks on-demand color label printers producing food labels at businesses of all sizes, from small, home-based craft brands to global companies.
“About a third of our SurePress installations are at print-for-use or non-converter printers, some of whom produce flexible packaging items like short run heat-sealed candy bags,” remarks Gomez. “SurePress has found great success in the food label space because it can print in production-level volumes with up to six colors plus white ink and digital varnish on a wide variety of substrates like films, paper, metalized, IML and shrink sleeve.”
“We believe SKU proliferation and our HP Indigo digital press go hand in hand for areas of need such as specialty batches and rapid turnarounds,” comments Turner Labels’ Tiller. “Not only is it more cost efficient to print digitally in today’s time, but it can meet the consumer’s needs in a much timelier manner. The HP Indigo press also has amazing software that makes it easy to have alternating SKUs for products in one production run.”
With a desire for quality and transparency, smart labeling is penetrating the food labels space, too. Avery Dennison has identified RFID labeling as beneficial.
“Improved inventory management will drive efficiencies throughout the food supply chain and eliminate wasted food,” comments Avery Dennison’s Kasl. “Bringing more accurate and faster inventories into this space is allowing food to flow through distribution channels without friction. We are also seeing retailers evaluate using RFID on their products to manage inventory turns and reduce the amount of time needed to manage expiration dates on perishable products.”
Brands are also using RFID technology to authenticate their product and provide greater background into the company’s core beliefs and mission statements.
“In some higher end products, brands are also using digital triggers to show provenance and demonstrate that a product is what it claims to be,” adds Kasl.
Food safety
Whether dealing with product tampering or direct versus indirect food contact, food safety is paramount – and the label plays a vital role in the success or failure of a consumer’s health. An effective label is one that does not feature any ink migration or contamination.
“Migrants can migrate from one layer to another, such as a surface printed layer to the non-printed food-contact surface, which is later on brought into contact with food,” states David Hiserodt, business unit head of Narrow Web CUSA at ink manufacturer Siegwerk. “There are risks in consumer health as it can change the flavor, odor or performance of the product. All packaging inks should be formulated and manufactured in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice.”
While Siegwerk does not offer printing inks for direct food contact, Hiserodt adds that the FDA is solely concerned that a sufficient barrier for migrants is in place and that no component of the ink or coating materials will become a food additive. He also notes that the FDA does not have specific guidelines for printing inks or coatings for non-direct food contact applications.
Giving consumer protection is the highest priority when dealing with food labels. Siegwerk adheres to strict standards, complying with the latest legislation and fulfilling the resulting statutory requirements in order to guarantee the highest level of consumer protection. Risk and exposure assessment are carried out in accordance with internationally recognized scientific principles.
Siegwerk offers a variety of food labeling products, depending on specific market demands. These ink-related products include opaque whites, coatings, primers, adhesives and metallics that are suitable for use on indirect contact for food labels. “Globally in the narrow web sector we see growth in the LED applications for food packaging, and in the United States and Canada we see a strong demand of water-based technologies,” says Hiserodt.
Epson, which produces its own inks, has invested in systems and hygienic processes to produce ink and meet internationally recognized European, as well as United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Good Manufacturing Practice standards.
“Epson SurePress and ColorWorks inks are made using food grade hygiene management, implementing Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) risk assessment at each stage of production,” says Gomez. “Epson’s SurePress and ColorWorks printers are used worldwide by converters and end users for the food and beverage industry. Of course, it is ultimately the responsibility of the food packaging manufacturer to ensure that the overall packaging construction is used properly. But our customers can deliver jobs with confidence knowing the Epson printers they have installed in their manufacturing facilities are compliant with Food Contact Materials regulations.”
Food safety can also extend to restaurants and grocery stores using measures to increase consumer confidence in product quality. “We have seen food delivery and restaurants/fast food companies utilize labels to seal their packaging to give confidence to their customers that they were not opened or altered after they left the store,” explains Kyle Strenski, business director, food, HPC and beverage, Americas, UPM Raflatac.
“More meals are being delivered than ever before, and there are even states beginning to mandate tamper-evident closures on all deliveries from third-party services – California is the first to mandate this with the Fair Food Delivery Act,” adds UPM Raflatac’s Conrad. “While people will return to eating in restaurants again and food deliveries will decrease, I believe the need for pressure sensitive labels will continue. Consumers have gotten used to third-party services, and if these services are required to use tamper-evident methods to seal food delivery vessels, this will continue to drive demand for pressure sensitive labels.
Even though regulations and nutritional information are a requirement for food labels, Turner Labels’ Tiller believes that does not need to detract from the overall vision of the package. “We encourage getting creative with how you display regulations on the label,” she says. “Something that can seem so mundane and informational can have a very cool twist on how it’s laid out. That makes the overall label feel a little less text heavy and boring, resulting in a more visually pleasing to the eye product.”
Turner Labels’ Erb adds, however, that consumers tend to overlook information that they see repeatedly on food labels, which would include nutritional facts and any USDA regulations.
In addition to consumer safety, there has been a strong push for inks used in these applications to protect the environment and contribute to a circular economy.
“Inks and coatings play an important role in the recyclability of packaging,” Hiserodt comments. “One solution is deinking, where the right selection of inks and coatings ensure that only product residues are removed during the washing process but no color is discharged into the washing water. Good deinking properties of inks and coatings improve the recyclability of packaging and therefore support the transformation of packaging waste into a new valuable resource according to a circular economy.”
“More and more consumers are demanding sustainable packaging solutions, which brands are racing to meet,” says Conrad. “This means that sustainable labeling solutions should be factored into this demand. Sustainable labeling solutions include those that enable recycling, incorporate recycled content, or reduce the carbon footprint of the packaging.”
This could lead to further regulation down the road, Strenski hypothesizes. “In the next couple of years, I predict there will be more regulations around requirements for packages to use recycled or responsibly sourced bio-based material, eliminate unnecessary packaging, and improve the quality of recyclate when the package is recycled.”
The pandemic surge
With many customers stocking up on supplies during the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it came as no surprise that food products were among the first to be snatched off the shelves. In some cases, there are still food products that are limited in grocery stores. This surge in demand necessitated a boom in label orders. While some industries, notably automotive and luxury goods, took a temporary hit, food
labeling soared.
“The pandemic, as horrible as it has been, provided increased business for our industry,” notes Turner Labels’ Erb. “It has been a blessing to us as employees and members of our community that we still have jobs and have been able to provide for our customers and consumers in such a difficult time.”
“The pandemic caused a spike in consumer demand,” comments UPM Raflatac’s Strenski. “People have not been able to go out to eat and therefore purchase more food from the grocery store or online for delivery. We have seen food delivery and restaurants/fast food companies utilize labels to seal their packaging to give confidence to their customers that they were not opened or altered after they left the store.”
As Turner Labels’ Tiller adds, “There will always be a need for food labels. Labels that were not in high demand, such as additional marketing on blank to-go boxes and safety seal labels for sanitary purposes surrounding food, allow for additional details to ensure the safety of the products, allowing the brand to provide purpose and confidence.”
The pandemic could very will cause several long-lasting effects in the food labels space. Flexible packaging usage has surged in the foods space thanks to many factors. An appealing design and the ability to grab on the go are just two benefits.
“Non-rigid materials have a bright future in food packaging. The sheer variety of constructions and customizable forms allows for innovative design that stands out – which is critical in a crowded supermarket shelf,” states Epson’s Gomez. “In a market that is turning ever more to e-commerce, the lighter constructions are often easier and cheaper to pack and ship.”
The presence in e-commerce is another potential advantage. “E-commerce is continuing to grow as consumers continue to limit their exposure to public spaces,” explains Avery Dennison’s Kasl. “We are starting to see permanent adoption of online purchasing as consumers become more familiar with these models and the benefits
they offer.