Food packaging: how and what to do to win customers over

Food packaging was created with the aim of keeping the product as long as possible and in the best conditions. This is to preserve its quality and properties and the health of consumers. Food packaging does not have a purely functional purpose but is fully part of a company’s communication strategy. How? Let’s see together how to conquer end customers through the right food packaging. 

How to choose the most suitable packaging for your business? 

The starting point is to make sure that the entire food packaging production process takes place in full compliance with the regulations in force (regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004) which have the aim of guaranteeing maximum safety and traceability of the product at Community level. We can thus summarize the 3 fundamental principles: 

• Do not endanger human health: materials must not release components into food. 
• The materials must not be subject to modification or decomposition, so as not to alter the smell and taste of the foods contained. 
• Presence of documentation to demonstrate compliance of regulations such as traceability. 

Once we have ascertained that everything falls within the rules, we can identify the fundamental characteristics for a winning packaging. 

What do you want to communicate with your food packaging? 

It is not a simple food packaging tool, as packaging is fully part of the company’s marketing strategy. The first step is therefore to understand what and how to communicate the concept of your business to end customers, both before and after the purchase phase. 

Who is your target? 

The value that makes the difference: knowing the target. Who are your company’s customers? Who is food packaging intended for? 

Here are some examples. 

• Age: are they children, millennials or adults? 

• Habits: do they go to your shop for lunch or carry it to the office? In both cases it is important to create an easy-to-use and recycled packaging. 

Choice of materials 

The choice of material, as well as the colors and shapes must be carefully selected so that the packaging can best describe your business. The cardinal principles of the choice must always be oriented between aesthetics and functionality. Both characteristics are fundamental to fully satisfy the needs and experience of the consumer. 

What are the characteristics of a winning food packaging?

Being in step with the times and knowing the trends of the moment allows you to always be on the crest of the wave. What are the characteristics that make packaging attractive and functional? 

• Ease to use: opening, usability and disposal of the package must be intuitive and easy to use. 
• Customization: a package must capture the attention of the target and at the same time convey a sense of safety and reliability of the product. 
• Transparency and origin: it is essential to report on the packaging everything that has to do with the origin of the food: nutritional values, packaging details and organoleptic characteristics. 
• Sustainability: green packaging is nowadays increasingly widespread and requested by companies in the food sector and beyond. Preferring the most environmentally friendly and therefore less polluting materials such as corrugated cardboard, in addition to representing an ethical choice, will soon become a real regulation, especially in the case of disposable objects intended for the consumption of food outside your home. 

Personalized food packaging: professional advice 

If you need advice on the design and distribution of your food packaging, Cart-One has an R&D Office thanks to which it proposes innovative and eco-sustainable packaging design solutions and real proposals for product improvement and cost reduction. For more information, do not hesitate to contact our customer service: fill out the contact form and send your request. You will receive an answer as soon as possible.