Go to any zoo or park, and you’ll see plenty of children enjoying their pouch snack. And it’s not just food — the beverage industry has especially embraced pouches. For instance, the wine industry, which is historically extremely picky about its packaging, is launching high quality wine in pouches. There’s also plenty of pouch uses in medical products, automotive oils and more. Pouch packaging offers a diverse range of styles — both practical and artistic — for various applications and industries. Some of the most popular include stand-up, spouted and zipper pouches.
It’s safe to say that pouches are here to stay and will continue to grow in popularity due to the value they provide. In fact, the pouches market size is expected to grow by $12.92 billion from 2021 to 2026. In addition, this growth of the market will accelerate at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.37% during the forecast period, according to Technavio, a global technology research and advisory company.
The surge in popularity of pouches, and the reason many manufacturing companies opt to offer this type of packaging, can be attributed to the desire for more efficient transport. Think about it. Would you rather carry a glass bottle everywhere or a lightweight pouch? Pouches typically weigh about 80% less than other types of packaging. This characteristic not only contributes to reduced transportation costs when it comes to shipping product, but it also aligns with cost-effectiveness due to the utilization of fewer materials.
Furthermore, pouches offer an additional advantage. They not only use a reduced amount of material for production, but also excel at optimizing space utilization. This is evident in stand-up pouches, where the actual contents make up nearly 90% of the total product volume. You’re getting more bang for your buck, and you’re using a more sustainable, greener packaging material since pouches allow for more product to be transported in just one load, which can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
According to Technavio, the need to extend the shelf life of food items and lower their waste has resulted in the emergence of resealable flexible plastic packaging. The ability to re-seal or close something when it’s not quite depleted keeps pouches competitive against plastic bottles and jars. With a growing need to keep things fresh, it’s safe to say that pouches will continue to grow and adapt to our ever-changing needs and wants.
Mars Food & Nutrition
Mars Food & Nutrition has launched its latest innovation—Ben’s Original 10 Medley plant-based pouch. This nutrient-dense option is set to fit nicely into your busy schedule. The new product offers a simple and delicious way to save time, boost protein and fibre, and answer the question, “What’s for dinner?”
Angie Madigan, Vice President of Marketing for Mars Food & Nutrition North America, shared, “Our Ben’s Original team is thrilled to provide consumers with another simple and delicious way to get more plant protein and fibre in their diets through our new Ben’s Original 10 Medley product.” Each pouch of Ben’s Original 10 Medley is packed with at least 10g of fibre from various sources and an additional 10g of protein, making it an ideal choice for maintaining a balanced diet while supporting gut health.
What sets Ben’s Original 10 Medley apart is not just its nutrient content but also its flavor and versatility. Whether you’re in a hurry, looking to create a quick meal, or reinventing leftovers, this product has you covered. All it takes is 90 seconds in the microwave, or you can enjoy it directly from the pouch. With four mouthwatering flavors to choose from, there’s something to suit every palate:
- Chinese Style Five Spice: A delightful blend of brown rice, barley, and an assortment of vegetables and spices.
- Smoky Southwest: A fusion of barley, brown rice, and a spicy mix of beans, peppers, and herbs.
- Caribbean Style: A taste of the islands with barley, brown rice, and a medley of Caribbean-inspired ingredients.
- Tomato & Herbs: A garden-fresh mix of barley, brown rice, and Mediterranean flavors.
To help launch the new plant-based pouches, Ben’s Original has teamed up with renowned chef Shenarri Freeman, famous for her vegan Soul Food creations. Chef Shenarri shared, “I’m excited to help showcase Ben’s Original 10 Medley through unique, convenient, and balanced recipes.” Together, they’ve crafted four distinctive recipes that make the most of this nutrient-packed product:
- Broccoli “Fried Rice” with Ben’s Original 10 Medley
- Smoky Southwest Tacos with Ben’s Original 10 Medley
- Tomato Cucumber Salad with Ben’s Original 10 Medley
- Caribbean Style Wrap with Ben’s Original 10 Medley
Kaneyoshi
Seafood-processing company Kaneyoshi is capitalizing on the quirks of Japan’s recycling and tax systems to increase sales of its plastic-packaged consumer products. At the FOODEX in Kansai trade show, held over the summer in Osaka, Japan, Kaneyoshi displayed its line of seafood packed in plastic pouches. It’s seeking to capitalize on growing consumer calls for shelf-stable, yet still high-quality food products. Kaneyoshi Quality Control Manager Masaaki Osugi exhibited the pouch-packed seafood, which comes in a variety of flavours, including mackerel stewed in miso soup, Arabesque greenling with basil, conger eel, and saury, under the company’s Kaneyu brand.
“Retort packs are becoming popular for their convenience,” Osugi said. “They’re easy to throw away.” That ease is extremely important to Japanese consumers, according to Osugi, because Japan’s recycling system picks up plastic more often than it does other materials. In most areas, trash services collect canned products just twice a month, while the service collects plastic weekly. As fish products can begin to smell the longer they’re left out – and often take up more space in canned form – consumers have prioritized products packaged in plastic, such as the company’s retort packs, that they know are condensable and will only be in their homes for a short time.
Even though the pouch packs hit all the boxes of what Japanese consumers are looking for, when the company first introduced the pouches, they were not an immediate hit. However, they started to gain traction as a hometown tax return item. Japan’s furusato nozei, or hometown tax system, is a tax incentive scheme to support smaller, cash-strapped municipalities in Japan. It allows taxpayers to donate money to local governments in areas where they don’t live in return for residence tax cuts. Taxpayers often receive a thank-you gift, most of which are food products, and in Hokkaido seafood is a leading item – with the pouch packs being a particularly popular.
Kraft Heinz
Kraft Heinz is launching a pouch for microwave use that replicates products cooked in an oven or on the stove by adding crispiness, marking a key step by the food and beverage giant as it works to accelerate innovation across its portfolio. Developed in less than a year, it will be rolled out by Kraft Heinz to five new products across four iconic brands by the end of next year. The first product, Lunchables Grilled Cheesies, can create a crispy outside and melty cheese inside in a minute. It will hit shelves this month and mark the 35-year-old brand’s inaugural presence in the frozen category.
The technology, called 360Crisp, uses material with strategic venting and varied heat points to ensure proper cooking throughout the food. It is designed to avoid problems that plagued prior heating systems used by other manufacturers where the crust was burnt and the inside was left cold after microwaving.
Net sales at Kraft Heinz, the maker of Oscar Mayer, Ore-Ida and its iconic ketchup, totalled $26 billion in 2022. The food and beverage manufacturer has targeted innovation as “the single biggest driver” as it aims to boost net sales by $2 billion by 2027, Alan Kleinerman, vice president and head of disruption at Kraft Heinz, said in an email to Food Dive. He noted 360Crisp is viewed as an “important innovation” in achieving that goal. In 2022, Kraft Heinz created a process it calls One Innovation Engine aimed at reimagining product development and incorporating breakthrough technologies, such as 360Crisp, into its portfolio.
”The things we are doing today would not have been possible at Kraft Heinz even a couple of years ago,” Kleinerman said. “We are constantly exploring how we can bring consumers more convenient options to meet their evolving needs.” The CPG giant identified Lunchables Grilled Cheesies as a growth opportunity after finding 79% of U.S. households actively purchase frozen foods, and that kids’ snacking is a key driver of expansion within the frozen category. Kleinerman said in many cases consumers “face a trade-off” when it comes to quality, convenience and taste in the frozen aisle. Kraft Heinz saw an “opportunity to develop an innovation platform that shatters this notion,” he added.
Executives at Kraft Heinz also observed that even though Lunchables is largely associated with lunch as its name implies, 60% of consumers turn to the product as a snack. Grilled Cheesies will be available in both Original and Pepperoni Pizza. “As current frozen kid-friendly sandwich options fall short in texture and preparation, we chose to offer a nostalgic family favorite that many kids ask for after school, on the weekends and beyond – empowering them to quickly and conveniently prepare it themselves in the microwave,” he added.
The frozen Grilled Cheesies is the latest in a series of innovations for Kraft Heinz. In May, the company introduced a frozen version of its signature Macaroni & Cheese. It followed that up two months later after its Maxwell House brand debuted its first innovation in nearly a decade with a Iced Latte with Foam. Lunchables, best known for offerings such as ham and cheese as well as pizza with pepperoni, also has been a prominent source of innovation for Kraft Heinz.
Earlier this year, Lunchables announced its entrance into schools with two products that met National School Lunch Program guidelines. It also has partnered with Fresh Del Monte Produce to enter the produce aisle for the first time with its new fresh fruit products featuring pineapple, clementines, grapes and apples.
McVitie’s
Pladis has unveiled McVitie’s Digestives Milk Chocolate Minis, a bite-sized version of its popular biscuit brand. The new variety has launched in Tesco in a multipack format containing five 19g bags at an RRP of £1.25. It will be launching in convenience stores and wholesalers this autumn, alongside an 80g sharing pouch version, also with a £1.25 RRP. Its launch comes as McVitie’s Milk Chocolate Digestives are worth £108.8m in retail, having grown annually by 23.1%.
“McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives are loved by so many households across the nation, who stock their cupboards with this biscuit bestseller time and time again,” said Aslı Özen Turhan. “However, we recognise that we need to continue to evolve our range to attract new shoppers – including through our bestselling lines – by creating convenient new offerings that will appeal to a new generation of biscuit snackers.
“McVitie’s Digestives Milk Chocolate Minis does just that. Our multipack, which contains five individually wrapped snack packs and just 94 kcals per serving, is ideal for lunchbox moments, whilst our pouches are perfect for on-the-go or sharing with loved ones – at a time when the ‘togetherness’ trend is hotter than ever.”
Pladis is also set to expand its offering in the treats subcategory of biscuits with the launch of McVitie’s Blissfuls. Blissfuls comprise of a baked McVitie’s biscuit encasing a Belgian milk chocolate cream centre, topped with a biscuit lid. Launching in Caramel and Hazelnut varieties in a 228g sharing bag (pouch) with an RRP of £2.59, Blissfuls are initially available in Sainsbury’s from the first week of January, before expanding to wider availability including convenience and wholesale throughout January and February.