5 hot trends in nuts and dried fruits packaging

It’s official: healthy is no longer boring. Healthy snacks are now a growing market, with nuts and dried fruits particularly well-positioned to meet changing consumer habits and trending diets (think Paleo, Whole-30, veganism and vegetarianism). Nuts and dried fruits also offer the advantage of fitting multiple consumption options throughout the day – from meal complements to on-the-go snacking. Here, we outline which packaging trends you should be looking out for in the months ahead.

1. PACKAGING THAT OFFERS ENHANCED VISUAL APPEAL FOR THE IN-STORE AND ONLINE BUYER

As e-commerce gains on traditional in-store visits, packaging’s ability to stand out becomes more important than ever before – when consumers cannot pick up and inspect products on their computer screens, your pack’s image needs to look its absolute best. For in-store shopping, the format itself is also crucial: opting for small, display-ready pouches with Euro-hole for hanging allows the product to be placed in multiple locations in stores - near cashiers or the beverage aisle, as examples – which can be hugely profitable. Regardless of marketplace, it’s worth remembering that younger consumers are typically less brand loyal than their older counterparts, which means they often make decisions purely based on the packaging design itself. Look out for natural appearing, attention-grabbing graphics that combine matt and gloss lacquers. Transparent product windows are great too, especially for high-value items like fresh nuts and colourful food like dried fruits.

2. A BIGGER FOCUS ON THE HEALTH-CONSCIOUS CONSUMER

Consumers continue to be more health-conscious than ever before. They want tasty, better-for-you snacks and they want them to be easily apportioned; dried fruits and nuts are logical substitutes for sugary options. To maximise this significant business opportunity, look for packaging that provides increased portion control, as well as shelf and appetite appeal via clear windows, selective colour pallets and paper effects that signal quality, healthy products to consumers.

3. PACKAGING WITH IMPROVED ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIALS

The pressure is on brands to produce more sustainable flexible packaging and to work toward ensuring channels exist for consumers to easily add such products to the recycling stream. Look for pouches that reduce the carbon footprint of the packaging through light weighting and metal-free laminates. Amlite metal-free high barrier laminates, for example, eliminate the need for traditional metallised barriers and improves carbon footprint by up to 40%. Longer term, Amcor’s goal is widespread recycling of flexibles packaging through collaborative initiatives like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy and the CEFLEX and MRFF recycling projects.

4. A MORE RELEVANT OUT-OF-HOME SNACKING EXPERIENCE

Snacking on-the-go represents a habit of the future, and as a clean and portable food, nuts and dried fruits offer easy snacking. In fact, nuts are the fastest growing on-the-go category. Whether you’re in the car, on the train or at the park, packaging that’s designed to use in any setting represents an enormous opportunity for nuts and dried fruit brands, and those with on-the-go packs will benefit most from the trend. Look out for packages that are longer and thinner, making them easier to hold, and the nuts and fruit easier to consume.

5. PACKAGING THAT MAKES LIFE SIMPLER FOR THE CONSUMER

Recent research summarised in Packaging Digest suggests that when you ask consumers why they choose one food product or package over another, the answer is always the same: convenience. Thus, easy-to-open, easy-to-close, easy-to-access and easy-to-share packages represent the stars of the future. No scissors – just a clean tear without any product overspill.

APPLYING THE TRENDS
Paulina's inspiration round up that demonstrate these trends

ON-THE-GO: LONG AND SLIM
A craft paper look, natural colour pallet and a clear window that lets consumers see the nuts inside. The metal-free high barrier material also boosts the pack’s sustainability profile.

ON-THE-GO: LOW AND STABLE
This mini stand-up pouch offers 100 grams ready-to-go. The unique stable base and wide opening make it easy for snacking in the car, at the desk, on the table.

RECLOSABLE STAND-UP POUCH
This 200 gram reclosable stand up pouch makes it suited to multiple occasions – meal complements, cooking and snacking.

Amcor’s packaging experts can advise on pack formats, like our award-winning PushPop; high-barrier materials that meet the specific needs of nuts; tactile paper-effects like AmPaper and materials that are recycling-ready or offer a lower carbon footprint like AmLite.

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Contact us to connect with our nuts and dried fruit packaging experts. Or find out more about our full offering for snacks, sweets and nuts 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, regulations and other current packaging topics. *