Now Get Your food delivered in paper products

With the ban on single-use plastics from October 2, diners are sure to find innovative packaging solutions for their food deliveries. India’s food services delivery business is one of the fastest-growing segment of the Rs 4-lakh-crore food and beverages industry and this is sure to be badly hit if eco-friendly packaging material is not used.

Paper is one of the most preferred packaging material for food items. We all are aware that classic corrugated boxes work best for transportation of food items from the producers or the agriculturists. Right from fruits and vegetables to eggs — all are transported in corrugated boxes or trays. This is because of its inherent strength and antimicrobial properties. Even canned foods use corrugated pads for transit packaging. Corrugated boxes, anti-slip papers, pallet papers, etc are also used for safe transportation of food stored in glass bottles or cans. Milk, juices are other liquids are packaged in paperboards.

And this is not the end of paper being used for food packaging. With the ban on single use plastics, paper will see much wider use. Instead of plastic bags, your food will now be delivered in paper bags or cloth bags. You can also expect to see more use of paper cups and bowls, clay pots, bamboo utensils, etc. Get ready to see paper straws, edible waffle cups, etc.

Even the bigwigs in food manufacturing have started going green. In Japan,

Nestle has started using paper wrapping package instead of plastic for its KitKat products. What’s more? The customers can use the packaging to create beautiful origami. Bottled water is also on the verge of packaging transformation. Companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are eyeing aluminium cans for water.

Talking of India, Sikkim has been fighting against plastic use since 1998 and in 2016, they banned plastic bottles in all government departments and programmes. The state has also banned the use and sale of disposable items made from polystyrene foam. Many states are following suit.

So, there seems to be a huge demand for paper and paper products in the coming months. This means that there will be newer opportunities for printers too.

Happy printing!

Sonal Khurana
sonal@smediagroup.in