Dr. Claire K. Sand

President

Ameripak

One area I saw dominating was seamlessness for the consumer. That’s an added convenience because the consumer doesn’t have to think about the packaging to appreciate the product. That’s a goal in packaging; it means we’re doing our job and delivering the product in the right state.

But, this year, many foodservice packaging submissions went beyond this to appeal to consumer emotions. They went beyond the logistically dominated packages needed for limited-service—and into the consumer emotion of “whimsy.”

That’s a major move forward in this industry. There are so many logical needs that must be met by operators that packaging appealing to people’s emotions is often encumbered. This year, simple graphics, solutions, and shapes produced a trend toward whimsical foodservice packaging.

Greg Sanders

Associate Publisher

QSR Magazine

I don’t think we’re seeing anything particularly new in packaging right now. It’s really just a continuation of what we’ve seen the past couple of years. That’s not a bad thing—you don’t have to shatter the earth every year, as long as you’re meeting consumer needs.

Speaking of which, grab-and-go is clearly still king in the convenience category. In fact, I would argue that convenience in packaging today simply means portability. If the customer can’t eat your fries or chicken nuggets—with condiments—cleanly and comfortably in the car, then you’re just not trying hard enough.

In terms of aesthetics, an upscale look remains the big push. In some ways, that’s become ho-hum; upscale represents the standard, not a change. Even so, it’s clear that almost everyone wants to look, for lack of a better term, fancy.

Perhaps the most impressive and important thing about foodservice packaging as illustrated by this year’s competition is that operators clearly understand how to take advantage of packaging to represent their brands. Bottom line, that’s what it should be about.