Category: News & Updates

Brand and design consultancy StormBrands, has continued its partnership with Morrisons to create a new design direction for the supermarket’s ‘Free From’ range.

The new design system, for the roll out across more than 100 SKUs represents a shift in approach for the range, emphasising the products’ flavour story rather than just the removal of potential allergens such as wheat, gluten and milk.

Morrisons ‘Free From’ range has gained a loyal customer base over time and has the benefit of being merchandised together in one place creating a ‘Free From’ destination in store.

The supermarket briefed Storm to redesign and revitalise the range, which, whilst still prominent and ownable, needed to compete more powerfully against the increasingly personality-led brands entering the market.

Storm needed to define a bold and exciting new identity that offered clarity as well as being flexible enough to travel across ranges, appeal to an increasingly diverse spectrum of consumers and all while delivering a very clear and important allergen message and communicating fullness of flavour.

The agency carried out a strategic market and competitor audit and identified an opportunity to elevate the Free From range from a portfolio of products that solely removes allergens to a range that is packed full of flavour, has vibrant and inspiring meal options and delivers food freedom for all.

The new design needed to find a balance which spoke to both ‘have to’ consumers who have serious allergy intolerances and consumers who choose to eat ‘Free From’ products as part of a lifestyle choice.

Zoe Phillipson, StormBrands creative director commented: “Our new range design for Morrisons ‘Free From’ products feels like the perfect balance of trust and taste. We’ve broken free from the functional constraints of the brand and unleashed a full-on flavour extravaganza with expressive typography and a mouth-watering ingredient story. Nutritional signposting and clarity of messaging is still key, but is now delivered via a life-affirming and joyous visual language and tone of voice.”

Source:

Design and innovation agency Seymourpowell has collaborated with Republic of Fremantle to design the new premium flagship range of Aromatic Gin, Full Bodied Gin and Signature Vodka.

Western Australian urban distillery in the heart of Fremantle’s bustling West End, Republic of Fremantle, was established in 2019 and is one of the few distilleries in the world crafting their spirits from scratch, using innovative ‘grape to glass’ distilling methods to create the base spirit from locally sourced wine.

Seymourpowell’s creative solution for this flagship range garnered inspiration from the brand’s Antipodean provenance with a fresh and differentiating colour palette, and inclusion of familiar symbols of the historic port of Fremantle. Sails, lighthouse and compasses weave through the linear horizon, echoing the style of modern banknotes – treating the physicality of the bottle itself as an embodiment or symbol of currency for the Republic.

Allison Spence, creative director, brand, Seymourpowell, commented:“At the heart of the conceptual thinking, the visual storytelling was focused around the unique production method, from grape to glass. The multifaceted, complex and layered tasting notes of the product itself, are reflected in the detail of the designs.”

The symbols featured on each product are embellished in foil and are inspired by the vintage bottles found at the site during excavation at the beginning of the build. These symbols represent a bold spirit, all the while reiterating the renegade drive of the makers. Each of the icons portrayed on the bottle designs have been created to form a ‘kit of parts’ that transcend the packaging and adapt and flex across all touchpoints for the brand from website assets to signage.

The result is an intriguing multi-layered 360 design which encourages the consumer to rotate the bottle and discover more about the Republic of Fremantle proposition.

“The team at Seymourpowell tackled our brief exceptionally well, bringing the philosophy of the Republic to life by incorporating the core of our brand’s origin and offering at the heart of its visual identity,” said John McVeigh, co-founder, Republic of Fremantle. “The designs tell our story and encourages our customers to interact with the product. We wanted to develop something that celebrates our origin, unique distilling process and provenance at every pour, proudly standing out from other brands.”

Source:

Snacks brand, Eat Real, is seeking to broaden its appeal to a wider audience of health-conscious shoppers by rebranding its full range.

Under the new brand positioning ‘Relishing the Alternative’, the better-for-you snacking brand is following the growing movement around healthier, yet delicious plant-based snacking.

The new refreshed packs, designed by Bristol-based design studio Outlaw, aim to bring Eat Real’s big bold flavours to life.  By highlighting its culinary ingredients and artisanal food experiences, they call on food lovers to take pleasure in discovering alternative, healthy combinations.

Launching in May, the updated packs will extend across its full Lentil, Quinoa, Hummus and Veggie Chip ranges, starting with hero flavours including Hummus Tomato & Basil, Lentil Chilli & Lemon, Hummus Salted and Quinoa Sour Cream & Chive.

Keeping its pioneering roots at the forefront, the new design highlights both its flavour combinations and better-for-you credentials, including vegan and gluten-free.

All Eat Real products remain free from artificial colours, flavours and ingredients, with the Hummus and Lentil ranges containing 30% less fat than regular potato chips.

The rebrand coincides with the redevelopment of the Hummus Chips range, in which four of its flavours are now HFSS compliant thanks to a reduction of its salt content by more than 50%.

Eat Real marketing director, Helen Pomphrey explained: “Eat Real has become pioneers in better-for-you thanks to its unusual ingredients layered with bold, unexpected flavours inspired by the combinations you find in your own cooking.

“We’ve found that Eat Real’s flavours are a key driver to consumer purchase, as more people opt for delicious, yet healthy alternatives.

“|Using bright bold colours and showcasing our mouth-watering ingredients on-pack, the new look and feel is set to bring excitement to the range, whilst also bringing the bold flavours to life.”

Source:

Hybrid polypropylene cup in test would help move the restaurant chain beyond virgin petrochemical-based plastics to sustainably renewable sources.

McDonald’s is testing a new type of clear drinking cup that’s a move away from fossil fuel petrochemical sources to a circular economy model. The cups will comprise an equivalent of 50% post-consumer recycle (PCR) content and 50% biopolymer resins. The latter includes collecting and reusing the restaurant chain’s own cooking oil to create a closed-loop circular system. The chain refers to the dual blend as a “power couple” of sustainability.

McDonald’s is using a mass balance method to measure and track recycled and biobased inputs being used in a process that also mixes traditional fossil-fuel sources.

The project was led by HAVI,  which engaged the expertise of a team of industry expertise from Pactiv Evergreen, Neste, INEOS, and LyondellBasell.

“Each partner provided a piece of the puzzle that made this test possible,” the company said in a statement.

Available in 28 of the chain’s restaurants in Savannah, GA, the sustainable cups are recyclable after use. According to the McDonald’s release, Savannah patrons “just rinse and recycle the cup after use at home or in any recycling bin.”

Barely discernible difference.

“McDonald’s regular cups are made from virgin polypropylene (PP),” Richard Longden, group communications manager, INEOS, informs us. “These new circular clear PP cups are intended to be nearly identical to the McDonald’s cups customers have been using.”

According to McDonald’s, consumers “probably won’t notice any difference between the two, but behind the scenes, there’s plenty to get excited about.”

The buzz starts with the cups’ advanced recycling content.

“Advanced recycling converts waste plastic back into its raw materials for use again in next generation plastic production,” Longden explains. “The INEOS process is certified by ISCC Plus through its mass-balance attribution method. The mass-balance methodology allows certified entities to measure and track recycled inputs that are combined with traditional fossil-fuel sources.”

ISCC Plus is an independent multi-stakeholder organization providing a globally applicable certification system for the sustainability of raw materials and products. 

“This certification of INEOS’s plants validates ISCC Plus objectives are met and enables the development and offering of a wide range of olefin and polymer products derived from recycled waste plastics,” Longden points out.

Mike Nagle, CEO INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, says “we believe the future of packaging materials needs to become more circular wherever possible. Working together with our customers, we can help them to meet their pledges and commitments in this area. To take plastic waste back to virgin plastic is the ultimate definition of recycling and will create a truly circular approach.”

Source:

https://www.packagingdigest.com/beverage-packaging/mcdonalds-plastic-cups-use-advanced-recycling-bioplastics

As consumer demand for takeout and on-the-go foodservice continues to explode, restaurants and other food delivery services need more from their packaging to meet or exceed elevated post-pandemic expectations.

Two decades ago, most food takeout-and-delivery was still centered around two main cuisines — pizza and Chinese food. Certainly, there were other outliers, but those two options had dominated most of the delivery scene for decades. But over the past five to 10 years, and especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant and on-the-go eating industries have witnessed a seismic shift in the way people consume food.

Today, food delivery is a market behemoth, with a global worth more than $150 billion, according to data from McKinsey. That market has more than tripled since 2017 and, in the United States alone, it has more than doubled since the pandemic began. This follows years of steady 8% annual growth.https://0c8f92d1a348dfb4fa44c5ce67051a80.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

And while dine-in continues to have a large share of a restaurant’s revenue, digital ordering and delivery have grown nearly 300% faster than dine-in traffic since 2014. Even restaurants that hadn’t traditionally offered food delivery — including high-end dining — were forced to adapt during the pandemic and have since maintained these delivery options as consumers look for more flexibility in the way they consume prepared foods.

Look and taste go hand-in-hand.

So, now what? Despite the pandemic’s eventual turn into its endemic phase, it seems clear that food delivery, takeout, and on-the-go dining will continue to increase in market share in the near- and long-term future. Added convenience and the ability for delivery to reach new consumers where they live have truly changed the game. Restaurants and other food establishments will have little choice but to adapt to ensure their takeout and delivery options can meet the dine-in experience they’ve worked so hard to perfect.

In this rapidly growing market, staying competitive requires much more than offering delicious (and consistently delicious) food flavor at a competitive value. What used to be a mere afterthought, food presentation and packaging are now becoming the biggest factors in providing customers with a dependable, high-quality delivery, takeout and on-the-go eating experience.

From Michelin Star-winning restaurants and global food chains to local eateries and food trucks, food packaging has quickly become one of the most talked about aspects of food delivery and takeout. Without a proper food packaging strategy, restaurants and food retailers risk sending their customers away with a product that doesn’t accurately reflect the quality, taste, and effort that goes into the food they prepare.

Today, restaurants and other food retailers will need to keep a number of factors top of mind when it comes to the meeting the exploding demand for takeout and on-the-go foodservice. Here are five keys to developing a sound food packaging strategy in 2022 and beyond.

1. Choose food packaging that enhances, not detracts from, your brand and your menu.

With more restaurants and food establishments getting into the takeout and delivery game than ever before, the stakes have no doubt gotten higher. Gone are the days when restaurants and takeout spots could drop their foods in a hinged Styrofoam container, hand it off to the delivery driver, and call it a day. There is simply too much competition when it comes to takeout and delivery to “pack it in” when it comes to packaging.

Unfortunately, restaurants and food retailers lose a significant amount of control between the time the food is prepared and when it eventually reaches the customer’s home. Whether it’s the material, the color, the structure, the size or the shape, food packaging plays a critical role in maintaining the food’s same beautiful look-and-feel from restaurant to the kitchen table. When working with your packaging vendor, choose options that fit your menu, portions, and overall aesthetic you’re working to achieve.

2. Use food packaging that’s designed for food type and temperature.

Packaging can and should improve the aesthetic of takeout and delivery. Those food retailers that understand this will have a selection of packaging options designed for hot foods vs. cold foods and liquids vs. solids.

With the increase in delivery and demand placed on delivery drivers and apps, having food packaging that maintains food’s temperature and integrity as long as possible after it leaves the restaurant is becoming even more important. Reputations are on the line now, and there’s nothing worse than ordering takeout or delivery and getting home to see the food packaging is soggy because it doesn’t have vents to help to manage moisture or the food’s temperature became too cold or too warm because packaging doesn’t fully close and/or wasn’t meant for that specific food type.

3. Go with sustainable packaging, but choose wisely.

Let’s face it — food packaging is a visible representation of a restaurant or food retailer’s sustainability efforts. For many consumers, the idea of getting sustainable packaging is no longer a nice-to-have — it’s a necessity, with 55% of Americans saying they are “extremely or very concerned about the environmental impact of product packaging.” And while many consumers may not choose takeout or delivery for the first time based on your sustainable packaging, it can be a reason many become repeat customers. Even local and state regulations have forced restaurants and food retailers to ditch their old destined-for-the-dump packaging in favor of more environmentally friendly options.

Today, there are many options to choose — from paper products made with recycled content and fully compostable pulp products to plastic options that can be recycled as well. As recycling acceptance continues to grow, it still requires diligence from all parties in the value chain to understand what materials your local markets actually accept. Composting infrastructure is limited in many areas, but it does continue to grow and presents another option for customers.

When working with your packaging vendor to choose products, make sure to consider current and future end-of-life scenarios to make the most impact in the markets where you operate. It is always important to ensure that the fitness-for-use of the product is achieved while balancing sustainability goals. In some cases, compostable options may be what’s best; in others, simply going with easily recyclable plastic containers, like polyethylene terephthalate (PET), may be the way to go.

4. Consider the customers’ at-home plating experience.

These days, the assumption should be that customers will eat their food delivery or takeout directly out of the package and won’t spend time putting it on a plate of their own. With that, restaurants and food retailers should also assume that the way they put food in its packaging is the way people will see it as they eat it. Now, for something delivered family-style like a pizza that almost always goes on a plate, this might not matter as much. But for an individual serving multi-course meal or higher-end dining experience where customers are eating directly out of the packaging, this is crucial to think about.

Fortunately, the reality today is that high-end dining delivery doesn’t need to mean high sacrifice when it comes to presentation. As part of maintaining that dine-in experience after the food leaves the restaurant, the food packaging design and selection plays a critical role in a customer’s enjoyment of the food. Be sure to go with table-ready packaging that allows the kitchen to present the food to customers as if they were at the restaurant themselves.

5. Manage different food packaging options with space and cost constraints.

Understandably, after seeing the points above, it can be easy to think that to provide the best takeout and delivery experience requires a dozen or more different types of packaging to fit every restaurant’s individual menu item. Not so.

The best food packaging vendors will work with your specific menu and customer needs to develop a shortlist of options that can be used in a variety of different ways, without sacrificing the way food looks or how the packaging performs. Think options that work for both hot and cold foods or selecting a single base tray that fits multiple lid options — high domes for big sandwiches and salads and flat lids for less hefty items. Finding the right packaging mix is key to success and the right packaging partner can help.

With tight kitchen spaces and even tighter budgets, it should take only a handful of different packaging products to fit a restaurant’s full menu or a larger food retailer’s array of hot and cold options. Those suppliers that try to push too many custom designs aren’t looking out for the best interests of the restaurant and/or food retailer.

If there’s anything restaurants and food retailers have learned over the past few years, it’s to always be adaptable and responsive to whatever is thrown their way. Those food retailers that adjust the quickest will be more able to stay competitive in this changing landscape. The world of food delivery and takeout has changed dramatically in just a short period of time, and it’s never been more valuable than it is now to partner with trusted leaders in the food packaging space.

Source:

https://www.packagingdigest.com/foodservice/5-packaging-keys-happy-foodservice-customers

Sustainable, rolled-edge tray from Cascades is designed for optimal rigidity, and no packaging equipment changes are required.

The sustainable packaging offerings of Cascades, based in Québec, Canada, expand with the launch of the recyclable Cascades Fresh Performa rPET rolled-edge tray. The 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) food tray is compatible with existing high-speed packaging equipment.

A life-cycle assessment of the trays conducted by Groupe AGÉCO shows that greenhouse gas emissions are 69% lower when producing the new rPET trays vs. manufacturing virgin PET trays.

The sustainable packaging offerings of Cascades, based in Québec, Canada, expand with the launch of the recyclable Cascades Fresh Performa rPET rolled-edge tray. The 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) food tray is compatible with existing high-speed packaging equipment.

A life-cycle assessment of the trays conducted by Groupe AGÉCO shows that greenhouse gas emissions are 69% lower when producing the new rPET trays vs. manufacturing virgin PET trays.https://3b8c046b5f7d93d8bfc08b20a1a7310a.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

In addition, the tray design enables minimal use of materials while ensuring ideal rigidity. Corner ribbing provides stiffness and minimizes the risk of warping.

The design also features rolled edges, which prevent film overwrap from tearing. This, in turn, helps prevent food waste and the need for rewrapping.

Cascades

Cascades promotes the product as the first tray with rolled edge technology made of 100% rPET in North America.

How2Recycle has prequalified the 100% rPET tray as widely recyclable in Canada and recyclable in limited communities in the United States. How2Recycle is project of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.

“This latest innovation is the fruit of our continuous efforts to find more sustainable solutions and develop a truly circular economy for food packaging. We would like to thank our early-adopter customers for their trust,” said Luc Langevin, president and COO of Cascades Specialty Products Group, in a prepared statement.

Available in several sizes and colors, tray complies with FDA and Health Canada requirements.The product is manufactured at the Cascades Inopak plant in Drummondville, Québec, which is a Safe Quality Food Institute-certified facility.

Cascades Inopak has benefitted from infusions of more than $30 million targeting development of packaging made from 100% recycled PET flakes. The investments are part of Cascades’ plan to grow as a North American leader in environmentally friendly packaging.

In development for three years, the 100% rPET tray aligns with Cascades’ Sustainability Action Plan commitment to make all its packaging products recyclable, compostable, or reusable by 2030.

Source:

https://www.packagingdigest.com/food-packaging/recyclable-100-rpet-food-tray-debuts-north-america