2 Do’s And 3 Don’ts For Successful Food Packaging 

When running a food business, there’s a tendency for you to forget the small details, like food packaging, in favor of the other bigger and seemingly more important focus points. Businesses tend to overlook that food packaging plays a significant role in marketing and branding. 

Businesses that seek successful and professional food packaging give utter focus to perfecting and treating it as important as the actual product. However, creating successful food packaging might be overwhelming as there’s a lot that goes into it than simply finding the right paper, box, size, or design. This is especially true with the stiff competition in the food business industry today, and with the numerous packaging elements you can choose from. 

Fret not, since this article provides the basic dos and don’ts to help you create successful packaging for your food business.

The Do’s 

1. Do Communicate Packaging Needs With Your Supplier 

Finding your food packaging supplier is challenging, but once you’ve made it through that step, it doesn’t mean you can leave all packaging responsibilities to them. This is where good communication becomes essential. If you want to get things right from the outset, fostering good communication with your packaging supplier is vital. As you brainstorm with the supplier, lay down all your desired food packaging features without leaving any detail unsaid. 

For example: 

• What type of food goes into the packaging? Is it a hot or cold beverage, hot or cold food, soups, meals, finger food, or processed food? 
• Is the food packaging also meant to be microwavable, so customers can immediately reheat the packaged food? 
• What is the expected order volume like, along with the size and frequency of orders? 
• What material will the food packaging be made of? 

These points are only a few of many. Sit down and think of what applies to your food business, so you can communicate all packaging needs to your supplier.

2. Do Pay Close Attention To The Labels 

Labeling is a core component of product packaging. Labels don’t just include the brand name itself, but also other important points like: 

• Ingredients; 
• Allergen warning; 
• Heating instructions; 
• Expiration date; 
• HALAL certification, if applicable. 

Remember that you’re dealing with food packaging and not a non-perishable item. Food safety should be a top priority among businesses in the food industry. You wouldn’t want the health of your customers to be compromised simply because the food you’ve delivered was unsafe, expired, or didn’t have proper food labels. Hence, be particular with the labels on your food packaging.

The Don’ts 

1. Don’t Forget To Make The Food Look Appealing 

It’s easy to get all cooped up in the design process, and you may miss an important element of making the food look delicious. The right food packaging can do this, as it is the perfect foreground to making your food product stand out.  

This suggestion shouldn’t matter as much for food delivery businesses, where the competition is in how food is presented in the online pictures upon ordering. 

However, if your food business is more on the manufacturing and retail side, making the food look delicious from your packaging is imperative. Since your packaged food is displayed in shops or supermarkets, there should be extra effort to design packaging that makes the food look more enticing. Many food shoppers eat with their eyes first, so make sure it stands out among other products on the shelf. 

2. Don’t Be Stingy On The Design Process 

There are many ways to go about designing your food packaging. Some businesses like to go all out, while others prefer to keep things simple. This choice also boils down to your business type and theme. 

Food businesses like grab-and-go finger food work best with fuss-free, simple designs. However, those with processed or preserved food will do better with colorful and well-designed food packaging, as these are to be displayed in stores and supermarkets. 

The food packaging also serves as a marketing campaign among business manufacturing preserved foods. Only those with enticing food packaging get the attention of busy shoppers, so you want your food product to be striking and appealing enough. 

3. Don’t Forget To Measure The Packaging 

This may seem like an obvious reminder, but you’ll be surprised to find out how many businesses still fail to measure their food packaging to keep it attuned to the size of the product inside it. Measuring is crucial to achieving the perfect packaging size for your manufactured food. It shouldn’t be too small, but it shouldn’t be too big.

If your packaging is too big for the food product, you may be paying unnecessary costs for food packaging. Maintaining the right size keeps the packaging costs controlled, given how the packaging can also increase the price of your food products. Competitive pricing is important to capture your market, so that balance always has to be achieved. 

The Bottomline 

While the food packaging may not be the primary reason customers purchase your food, it can help influence customers to purchase your product and continue to patronize your brand. From a customer’s perspective, the food business with better packaging stands out among other businesses that seem to make no effort to their product packaging. 

Food packaging fosters a connection between the business and its customers and provides a lasting impression on them. Therefore, it is important to leverage this marketing aspect in your business to gain a competitive edge in the food industry.