Health check shows food packaging sector is robust

Hans Werner Rienhard, deputy managing director of Messe Düsseldorf, told FoodProductionDaily.com that the success of Interpack this year is a strong indicator that the packaging sector is up and running again after the investment dip in 2009.

He notes a sold out show with 2,700 exhibitors from 90 countries and equipment sales being chalked at a faster rate than at previous events. Rienhard also reports a hike in demand from food manufacturers for quicker turnaround on equipment delivery times.

Convenience is a strong innovation driver in the food packaging category, he continued, with the increasing number of single households influencing the greater number of smaller pack sizes seen at the show, citing innovation from Multivac in this regard.

General product piracy along with an increasing amount of global food and drink adulteration are also on the radar of packaging equipment and material suppliers, added Rienhard, with examples of technology to address counterfeit goods on display.

And he stressed that packaging’s role in controlling food waste is a dominant theme of the show.