The Rise of Single-Serve Food and Beverage Packaging

Single-serve food and beverage packaging continues to gain popularity as snack products and single servings of meals are becoming more prevalent in the food and beverage landscape. This packaging option offers convenience to individuals constantly on the go with packed schedules.

Let’s take a look at what single-serve food packaging is and what this trend means to consumers.

What Is It?

Single-serve food packaging is an innovative packaging solution that offers ready to eat single servings of food products. Snacks, drinks, and other food and beverage favorites are energizing consumers in a convenient way, and the demand for convenience with single-serve packaging is on the rise. This packaging allows consumers to stock up on their favorite snacks and meals and eat them on the go.

Why it Matters?

Why does single-serve packaging matter? Single-serve packages have a variety of benefits for consumers including but not limited to:

1. Convenience
2. Freshness
3. Dietary Awareness
4. Waste Reduction

All of these factors have a major appeal to everyday consumers. Now more then ever individuals are placing importance on elements such as convenience and dietary awareness. Everyone ranging from busy families on the go to people dealing with the everyday chaos of life can take advantage of the handiness that single-serve products provide! Single-serve packaging provides portability and on-the-go functionality. In addition to this, with an emphasis being placed on leading healthier lifestyles, single-serve products provide the health and wellness many are looking for. Portion and calorie control are much easier for on-the-go consumers to calculate, which offers convenience.

According to Convenience Store News, “With one- or two- person households representing 61 percent of all U.S. households, packages sized to serve one or two people have become a big trend in packaging.” In addition to this, smaller-footprint stores are also influencing single-serve packaging. With the growth of smaller households this will continue to increase in popularity.

How does single-serve packaging align with 2016 packaging design trends? According to Packaging Innovation here are a few ways they connect:

1. Convenience is a crucial factor in packaging
2. Transparency is vital because consumers want to know everything about their product
3. Small size packaging is expected to be popular in 2016
4. Packaging will be catered to millennials
5. Sustainable packaging will continue to be important

The Popularity of Single-Serve Packaging

Single-serve packaging will most likely increase in popularity with consumers wanting convenience, and portions that fit their needs, and food that can be consumed on the go with busy lifestyles. As millennials gain more buying power and have a greater say in the way products are manufactured and packaged they will undoubtedly want fresh and healthy foods that are contained in eco-friendly packaging.
Many believe reading foods labels when they shop is very important when it comes to their family’s health and wellness. With consumers analyzing labels and the FDA’s Nutrition Facts label guidelines in place, this may inspire even more single-serving packs.
With food packaging labels constantly evolving because of design style changes and social changes we can help with your labeling needs. Contact EPI Labelers, powered by Pro Mach, to get the best labeler application for you operation! Contact us today 717.235.8345 or email sales@epilabelers.com.