Plastic food containers market set to grow
three per cent annually to $12.6 billion (€14.5bn) in 2005, reports
US market research company Freedonia Group.
Demand for food containers in the US is forecast to grow more than three per cent annually to $12.6 billion (€14.5bn) in 2005, reports US market research company Freedonia Group.
Advances will be encouraged by an increase in population base, greater use of higher value packaging and consumer demands for convenient prepared foods. Further growth will be constrained by competition from flexible packaging, increased food consumption away from home, and saturated foodmarkets.
.Freedonia reports that the packaging product mix will be influenced by trends toward value-added packaging, accentuated by high impact graphics and greater barrier properties.
The study, called Food Containers, reveals that plastic food containers offer the best opportunity, expanding 5.5 per cent per annum to $3.6 billion (€4.16bn) in 2005. This will create a market for 2.7 billion pounds of resin.
New hot-fill applications, such as jams and jellies, are being penetrated due to improvements in heat resistance and barrier properties. The lastest plastic inroads are being made into baby food markets, where glass jars hold an entrenched position.Paperboard will remain dominant in many traditional applications due to itsstrength, stiffness, competitive pricing structure and a favorable environmentalprofile.
Improved graphics capabilities and stronger moisture barriers will also aid growth. Nonetheless, further advances will be threatened by competition from flexible packaging. Folding cartons will provide the best opportunity although more rapid growthis expected for aseptic and gabletop cartons.Metal and glass containers will exhibit the slowest food container growth.
Lackluster metal can growth will be attributable to saturated fruit and vegetable canmarkets and consumer perceptions of the nutritional inferiority of canned versus freshproduce. Best opportunities will reside in pet food and nutritional supplement markets.Continued market losses are anticipated due to plastic' s weight, design andperformance advantages.
The last bastion of glass containers, namely jars, is also beingthreatened by enhanced grades of polyethylene terephthalate.Sauce and condiment markets will present the best opportunities for foodcontainers. Plastic and glass bottles and jars dominate the packaging of products suchas ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pasta sauces, jams, jellies and peanut butter. Goodgrowth is also expected for baked goods and grain mill products such as pet food. Fruitand vegetable markets will exhibit the slowest growth as a result of competition fromfresh and frozen produce packaged in flexible packaging.
