Western Europe

Spreadable cheese has been growing in popularity among French consumers as it is convenient to use and easy to spread. This has therefore been boosting the packaging unit volumes of thin wall plastic containers, as they are the primary pack type used…

Consumers continued to indulge in chocolate confectionery as a small, affordable treat, providing a sense of comfort and mood enhancement. The decline in the usage of aluminium foil in chocolate confectionery packaging can be attributed to several…

The demand for organic products for babies and children, including those labelled as gluten-free or allergy-free, is on the rise in France. This trend is particularly evident in the strong performance of powder special baby milk, including…

PET jars, which have long since become the main pack type in this category, continued to gain share in nut- and seed-based spreads in 2023. PET jars are valued for their shatterproof and non-reactive properties, ensuring the safety of the contents.…

Ketchup is a staple fixture in British households and, despite the advantages offered by glass bottles, such as premium look and feel, product safety, impermeability and eco-friendliness, other packaging solutions, and particularly PET bottles, have…

In July 2023, Sainsbury's, one of the UK's largest supermarket chains and also one of the leading players in processed meat and fish, launched a sustainability programme to reduce plastic waste for its chilled processed meat. It replaced plastic…

Metal food cans account for the greatest pack type share in processed fruit and vegetables packaging in the UK. Metal food cans are used to package the largest category in unit volume terms, shelf stable fruit and vegetables, due to their excellent…

In the UK, the 1,000ml pack remains the most popular size in the packaging of plant-based milk, and therefore also plant-based dairy as a whole, given milk’s dominance of the overall category. Consumers in the UK are now familiar with plant-based…

Plastic pouches are seeing strong growth in dried ready meals and are therefore gaining share in this category. Major brands are using plastic pouches for their dried ready meal products due to their lightweight nature and compact size, which make…

The UK’s dairy packaging market is dominated in unit volume terms by HDPE bottles and thin wall plastic containers. HDPE bottles dominate milk packaging, and are also gaining share in yoghurt, due to their robust barrier credentials. Milk is a…