28/4/2014

Healthy living is becoming an ever more popular trend with consumers, and of course confectionery is no exception. 

As many food sectors can offer a ‘healthy’ alternative to their products, portion control is being undertaken by confectionery manufacturers to try and display their consciousness of health trends, but how does this affect packaging? 

Portion Control In The UK

With recent studies conducted across Europe showing that just 3% of the confectionery market in the UK is sugar-free according to Packaging News, compared to 20% in Switzerland and 30% in Italy, the UK market is now keen to show its willingness to change. 

Brands like KitKat and Marks & Spencer have already made inroads into portion control, dividing their chocolate packaging into collections of smaller bars to try and encourage lower intake. 

With more health conscious consumers looking for information on their food packaging about how to take control of their diet as well, manufacturers also want to deliver more information through their products on the shelf than ever before. This furthers the cause of portion control, as consumers begin to understand how much they can indulge in their favourite confectionery.  

The Confectionery Packaging Coding Challenge 

As confectionery makers deliver on their portion control promises to consumers, this has a considerable impact on their packaging. 

Many will decide to use the resealable bags that have become so popular amongst brands such as Cadburys and Nestlé. This growth in the use of flexible packaging means that the packaging coding will need to react to the change, whilst also retaining the highest quality and clarity of codes. There is a range of ways in which to code on packaging such as this, and it is imperative that those who code on the products have the right equipment to deliver all the codes that are required. 

On pack messaging could also become more complex. As mentioned above, manufacturers want to display ever more information to consumers on their packaging to help them make the most informed choice about their portions. Whether this is shown on the packaging design itself or through coded information, this will have an impact on the amount of space available to print on. As brands need to present packaging that really stands out to compete in the market, the space that coders have to print on can be reduced.