US meat, poultry, seafood packaging market to reach $9.7 bn by 2017

Meat, poultry and seafood packaging demand in the US is expected to increase 3.2% annually to $9.7 billion in 2017, a new study from the Freedonia Group shows.

Gains will be driven by increased meat, poultry and seafood production, Freedonia says, along with accelerated foodservice revenue increases. The shift to case-ready packaging will have a positive effect on the market, as well as heightened demand for single-portion and smaller-sized products from one- and two-person households.

Freedonia anticipates that flexible packaging demand will outpace that of rigid packaging, as a result of solid prospects for pouches and high barrier film. Rigid packaging growth will be limited by maturity and/or competitive drawbacks in corrugated boxes, metal cans, folding cartons and paperboard sleeves.

Poultry’s popularity will see poultry packaging applications achieve the fastest growth through 2017. Meat will continue to be the largest application, but growth will slightly trail the overall average. While seafood applications are expected to accelerate from their 2007–2012 performance, advances will lag behind the overall average due to increasing seafood imports.

The ready-to-eat market will record the fastest growth, Freedonia says, driven by an expanded variety of prepared food as time constraints lead consumers to seek out meal options that eliminate or reduce preparation time. Gains in the fresh and frozen market will be fuelled by the growing significance of case-ready packaging and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) to extend the shelf life of fresh meat, poultry and seafood. In the processed market, advances will reflect an increased emphasis on higher margin items that are designed to offer convenience.

The full report, Meat, Poultry, & Seafood Packaging to 2017, is available here.