Thrill of the Grill: Barbecue packaging insights for the new season

It's that time of year when family and friends get together to enjoy food and drinks – and with social distancing measures still in force, outdoor picnics and home BBQs are more popular than ever.

Prior to lockdown, Tesco revealed the average person cooked four to six meals per week from scratch – less than one meal per day. Now, the average person is cooking between 17 to 21 meals per week – four times the amount they used to.

Even as the world starts to reopen, most of us are still preparing the majority of meals at home, and this regular routine of family cooking means that people are seeking convenience – as well as variety and great taste.

So how can brands use packaging design to tempt people to fire up their grills, set out a picnic and get cooking?

Here are a few tips to consider:

Make it easy

Create a smorgasbord: When people plan a BBQ, they want to cook a variety of protein staples – so package common grilling staples together in portions for groups of five, ten or 15 people.

Take the fuss out of flavouring: Consider packaging that brings together complementary barbecue sauces or spices with your protein bases – either to cook as a marinade or add as an accompaniment.

Tool-free opening: Easy open packaging, such as Amcor’s ReCloseE2 means cooks don’t need to bring along scissors just to open packs.

Safety and hygiene first: People are more aware than ever of safety and hygiene, so make it easy to keep different items separate in multi-packs.

Fight food waste: Packaging for meat and seafood that uses a corner peel to separate layers of plastic is popular for being both attractive and conveniently resealable. It’s also worth considering shelf life; with products like Amcor’s SkinTite® the second skin film extends the product shelf life by at least 20% compared to MAP packaging, as well as enhancing meat’s flavour.

Serve up the hottest trends

While meat categories across the board are expected to grow, more consumers than ever are enjoying vegetarian and vegan alternatives.

According to Mintel’s 2018 Summer Food and Drink Trend Report, vegan barbecue is on the rise. The report found that 33% of U.S. consumers and 37% of millennials planned to buy more plant-based foods, and sales of plant-based foods are expected to grow 8.1% in the following year. For many consumers, consideration about what they’re eating sits hand-in-hand with considerations about food origin and sustainability.

More than meat on the grill: Consider meat-alternative BBQ packs with robust vegetables, cheeses or plant-based proteins.

Make more sustainable choices easy: According to Amcor’s own research, 83% of consumers say they check the pack instructions to know how to dispose of empty food packaging and what recycling bin it should go in. So highlighting more sustainable packaging could be a win.

Think about the information labels consumers might be looking for when they make their choices – highlighting food origins. And giving packaging a natural look which fits with organic products or higher animal welfare choices could appeal to shoppers.

Amcor’s Packpyrus paper tray is made from FSC certified paper, comes from renewable resources and is recyclable. It’s a good example more sustainable packaging, that also has the ‘natural look’ eco-conscious consumers want.

To help brands meet the demands of their consumers, Amcor has also designed Eco-Tite® R, a PVDC-free vacuum shrink bag that is recycle-ready. Eco-Tite® R is designed to maximise shelf-life, maintain food safety, reduce food waste and can be recycled in polyethylene (PE) plastic recycling streams that exist in several European countries. This means that more consumers will be able to recycle their meat, poultry and cheese packaging, while enjoying the benefits of longer lasting food.

Find out more about Amcor’s full portfolio of meat and seafood packaging solutions in Europe here

*Would you like to stay up to date on the latest industry trends? Sign up to receive regular information, invitations to webinars about sustainability, EU regulations and other current packaging topics. *