In recent years, the snack food industry has experienced exponential growth due to a shift in the eating habits of consumers. Many consumers are searching for convenient, portable snack options that allow for easy consumption on the go. Healthy snack options are becoming a replacement for meals, and as such, snack food manufacturers have had to formulate innovative, new snack packaging options to meet the evolving needs of consumers.
The Evolution of Snacking
Busy lifestyles and the need for convenience have changed how the modern world views and enjoys food. Healthier, single-serve, on-the-go snack options have changed the negative stigma surrounding snacking. With health and convenience in mind, consumers want pre-packaged and pre-portioned snacks that can meet daily nutritional needs.
Families today are seeking snack replacements that are healthy and have little to no prep work or clean-up. The most popular snack choices are high-protein snacks with ingredients such as meats, granola, and nuts. Fruits, vegetables, and flavored nutritional bars are quickly replacing snacks that have higher fat or sugar content.
Families aren’t the only demographic driving the change in the industry. Single individuals are also helping change the preferred mode of snacking. The concept of bite-sized snacks continues to grow in popularity and demand.
Snacking is growing so popular it has begun to replace complete meals. The growth of single-serve portions is a result of this trend. Due to this shift in the industry, snack packaging has evolved to become more convenient to meet the needs of consumers.
Features of Snack Food Packaging
Snacks have become accessible sources of nutrition for individuals who lead fast-paced lifestyles. Snack production companies should locate an experienced supplier to provide flexible and reliable product packaging options.
Point Five Packaging offers an extensive list of snack packaging solutions, including flexible pouches and rigid containers that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also extend shelf life. Our services are ideal for a variety of snack products, from trail mix to chips to proteins to dairy to veggies and dip. We are also able to create custom designs to fit your product and application exactly. Some features to consider when designing your snack packaging include:
- Rigid trays: Rigid PET trays are great snack containers. These can be designed to fit the product and with multi-compartments to keep ingredients separate. CPET or PP containers are great options for heat and eat snacks.
- Resealable packaging: Resealable packaging allows consumers to eat their snacks wherever they are on their own time while maintaining the food’s freshness. Resealable packaging also produces less food waste by giving the consumer the option to save leftover snacks for a later time.
- Durable packaging: Durability is an important feature in snack packaging. Consumers want packaging that is puncture- and tear-resistant so they can throw their snacks in a bag and go.
- High-quality images & graphics: The pouch or film on the tray can have high-definition colors and graphics to ensure your product stands out on the shelves.
Benefits of Snack Food Packaging From Point Five Packaging
Because consumers want their snacks to be convenient and quick, they are willing to pay a 10-50% premium for packaging that accomplishes this.
There are certain features you can include to increase on-the-go convenience such as laser-scoring to make pouches easy to open or a peel-and-reseal film to retain freshness.
Point Five offers a range of durable packing options such as stand-up pouches, rigid trays, and environmentally sustainable packaging that resists wear and tear, allowing for convenient, on-the-go snacking.
We also offer a comprehensive selection of tray/cup sealing machinery. Suitable for packaging snack items contained in trays or cups, this technology is available in automatic, semi-automatic, manual, high-capacity, and entry-level models. Depending on the model, this sealing technology is capable of producing the following seals:
- Vacuum-gas flushed MAP containers
- Vacuum skin packs
- Seal-only trays
- Pre-formed tray and cup sealing
We have the capabilities to produce sustainable packaging that runs efficiently on your machinery while ensuring it meets your end-use performance requirements. Our sustainable options include recycled packaging, most often premade pouches, bags, or roll stock, that can be recycled at store drop-off locations. We can also use recycled packaging materials that use up to 100% post-consumer recycled material.
Our state-of-the-art technology allows us to streamline packaging costs while sustaining the quality of the end product.
Snack Food Packaging Products from Point Five Packaging
Point Five Packaging understands the importance of durable, convenient snack packaging for today’s consumers. We are committed to sourcing the best materials to meet all your snack packaging needs. Please contact us, or visit our website to see how your company can benefit from our products.
Established in 2010, Point Five Packaging is a full-service food packaging supplier specializing in modified atmosphere packaging systems (MAP). We offer food packaging concepts designed to prolong shelf life, functionality, and product appeal.
Point Five leverages a network of suppliers and resources that allow us to feature the most advanced materials and packaging technologies to food processors and retailers across North America. We employ packaging and food industry veterans to optimize packaging design and enhance our customer’s operations.