CHICAGO — Packaged-food makers are thinking outside the bottle and can. More to the point, they’re increasingly partial to pouches.
Kitchen staples from Campbell Soup and H.J. Heinz will be joining other consumer products in pouches this year. The trend is being driven by savings on packaging and shipping costs as well as aesthetics — an upscale pouch sporting elaborate graphics offers a modernized look and premium appeal, marketers say.
John Kalkowski, editorial director of Packaging Digest, said pouches also are becoming more prevalent because technology has improved, doubling average shelf life from one year to two and cutting packaging costs 10 percent to 15 percent.
Overall pouch use in consumer products, including shampoo and pet food, has increased 37 percent since 2007, according to Mintel Group, with particular growth in snack pouches.
Campbell is looking to turn its primary business around, after years of volume declines.
