EBM

Eminence Business Media

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Difficulty in opening tinned food will drive demand for alternative types of packaging

A new survey by Canadean finds that one in five (22%) consumers consider tinned food difficult to open. With British consumers spending over £8 billion on the most convenient food products, manufacturers will increasingly adopt easier to open packs such as pouches for vegetables, soups, meat, and fish.

Young adults are most likely to look for an easier to open pack
Of British consumers, 22% find tinned food difficult to open. However, young adults are the most frustrated when it comes to opening their tinned tuna or beans: 28% of 25 to 34 year olds find tinned food difficult to open, compared to 16% of over 55s. Ronan Stafford, senior analyst at Canadean says: “Consumers want instant convenience, particularly young adults looking for a quick lunch or dinner solution. While there’s a minimal amount of time saved between opening a food can, and opening a bag or a pouch, young consumers simply don’t want the hassle of finding a tin opener or struggling with a ring pull.”

Packaging needs to reflect the growing demand for convenience in food markets
In addition to studying consumer perceptions of different packaging, Canadean tracked the influence of different motivators when consumers select what to eat. Across food markets British consumers selected over £8 billion worth of food in 2013 because it was the most convenient product. Stafford adds: “Consumers feel increasingly time-scarce and stressed, which makes 30 seconds saved in the kitchen a big deal. While food cans will remain a staple of supermarket shelves because of their low cost, I expect to see pouches and cartons grow in popularity as an easy to open alternative for office-workers and young families.”

Demand for pouches for ambient fish will almost double between 2013 and 2018
Ambient fish is one category where demand for easy-to-open packaging will drive a shift away from food cans and towards packs such as pouches. Demand for pouches in this market will grow from 8.7 million packs in 2013, to 15.1 million packs by 2018. Stafford comments: “While pouches’ market share will still be niche compared to the share held by food cans, their rapid growth shows how offering a more convenient pack format can revitalise sales among younger consumer groups. Brands such as Heinz and John West have led the way in developing new pack formats for tinned food, others will quickly follow.

Canadean provides in-depth market research across the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, including food, packaging, ingredients, soft drinks, beer, retail, foodservice, wines & spirits and cosmetics & toiletries. Canadean specialises in conducting online survey panels, producing in-depth market insight country reports through qualitative and quantitative research. Canadean surveyed 2,000 British consumers in October 2014 about their attitudes to packaging in different food categories. New packaging formats by John West, combining ambient fish with sauces, make for a more convenient product sought out by time-scarce and stressed consumer.