Claire Phoenix is FoodBev Media managing editor – magazines. This is a personal blog and views expressed are her own.
The Tetra Pak event held this week in Modena Italy (home to car manufacturers as prestigious as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati) was to celebrate the launch, early next year, of the Tetra Rex carton – as a fully bio-based carton sourced primarily from sugar cane.
“Innovation has always been our heritage,” said Ivano Seimi, MD of the Modena Plant, introducing the theme of ‘Caps and closures opening new markets for sustainable growth’.
Consumer intelligence director, Michela Vallaita, spoke about the shopper and current demographic macro and mega trends. With urbanisation currently standing at 50% on a global basis and predicted to rise to 60% by 2030, it is expected that people will live in smaller spaces, with time and convenience becoming even more important.
The population of over 60 year olds is forecast to triple and apparently as a category of seniors they need ‘age friendly ‘ products but do not wish to be treated as old people.
Currently the percentage split of those over 65 is:
When it comes to lifestyle trends, research by the company has shown that 58% of consumers worry about the safety of the food they buy – ie will it make them sick? – and 78% of consumers want to know more where their food is made – ie its provenance.
When those surveyed were asked if they’d like more time or more money, not surprisingly 60% said more money. But that still leaves 40% saying they’d like more time.
‘Make my life easier’ is the biggest message from the results. Meal patterns are changing with 39% of consumers sipping a drink while on the go.
And customisation is big news too with 47% of customers wanting packs that are tailored to their nutritional needs – such as those targeting children, pregnant women, or those looking for health benefits such as low cholesterol formulations.
Apparently 38% of people around the world are concerned with the environment. With around 33% feeling guilty when doing something that is not environmentally friendly, such as not recycling a carton or bottle when they cannot find the right facilities. In this category, a substantial 74% expect companies to take environmentally responsible actions on their behalf and believe they should only use responsible materials for packaging.
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