Tipa exhibited at two of the flag ship food and packaging trade shows that took place in the United States this September: The Natural Products EXPO EAST in Baltimore from September 17 – 19 and PACK EXPO in Las Vegas from September 28 – 30. These are some of the major trends.
Natural Products Expo East is the East Coast’s largest natural, organic and healthy products event.
- Paleo/Vegan products or “Pegan” as it’s been coined (a paleo and vegan mashup containing no dairy, grains, or animal ingredients)
- Foods good for the gut including probiotic rich foods, fermented foods and products with added probiotics
- Foods with fewer ingredients/simple and nutritious ingredients, i.e. “Clean Labels.”
- Cutting back on added sugar in foods and replacing it with nuts, coconut, seeds and other spices
- Traditional products (e.g. yogurts) with non-traditional/savory flavors like butternut squash, carrot and parsnip
- Chia and flaxseeds have been the super stars in past Expo Easts, but now hemp is coming to the forefront, particularly for energy bars
- Pasta made from chick peas
- Snacks made from seaweed
- Fermented foods/kimchi
- Cold brewed teas
- Jerky, in many varied forms
- Reducing the impact of products and packaging on the environment, e.g. using clean energy and compostable packaging.
- Telling the back story of where products come from as well as who they are manufactured by.
PACK EXPO is United States’ premier packaging event and offers valuable, hands-on and convenient learning opportunities right on the show floor as the industry’s most recognized experts share knowledge of breakthrough technologies and the latest regulations.
- Flexible packaging as a replacement for rigid materials. Films are becoming more functional, economical, ecological, and in some cases, antibacterial and also compostable
- Sustainability efforts for materials and machines impact a range of areas, from source reduction as a result of vertical the rmoforming technology to renewable content
- Operational flexibility and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). The expression “Do more with less” translates into shorter runs, operator turnover, cost control and maximizing OEE
- Collaborative designs allowing robots and operators to work side-by-side
- Portability and individual servings for on-the-go consumption are driving demand for multifunctional closures
- Retail-ready packaging, both primary and secondary
- Thwarting counterfeiting and facilitating regulatory compliance are central objectives for pharmaceutical manufacturers
In a previous blog we had predicted that this September would be one to remember, and it was!