Demand for meat, poultry, and seafood packaging is forecast to increase 3.1% per year to $8.6 billion in 2025:
- Continued expansion of the case-ready meat, poultry, and seafood segment will drive demand for traditional packaging items such as film, trays, absorbent pads, and bags.
- The importance of a longer product shelf life will support demand for high-barrier film products.
- Consumer preference for convenience-oriented products – e.g., easy to open, resealable, portable, microwavable, and single-portion – will support gains for products such as pouches, cook-in bags, and vacuum skin packaging.
The fastest growing products in the meat, poultry, and seafood packaging market include plastic types such as:
- brick packs, due to their leak resistance, transparency, and transportation cost savings stemming from their efficient cube format
- chub packaging, due to its low cost, good freezer protection, ability to extend shelf life and retain flavor, and significant shipping and material cost savings
- pouches, due to their convenience, resealability, ability to hold smaller portions, and good graphics capabilities
- vacuum skin packaging, based on its ability to maximize shelf life, resist leaks, reduce material consumption, and improve presentation
These trends and more are in the new Food Packaging study from The Freedonia Group. This study examines the US market for food packaging, defined as primary and secondary packaging materials sold to food manufacturers, primarily for products targeted at retail or foodservice markets. Historical data are provided for 2010, 2015, and 2020, with forecasts for 2025. Also provided is an analysis of key industry players.