Home from Interpack

18 May 2011 – Interpack, as expected, proved to be a huge event, with approximately 2,700 exhibitors from about 60 countries. The event covered 174,000 square metres of space, although thankfully I didn’t have to walk around all 19 halls, with the majority of exhibitors relevant to confectionery and bakery markets being located in halls 1-4.

The main issues exhibitors were focusing on were safe and hygienic processes; consumer demands and, of course, sustainabilty.

The importance of safety and hygiene has always been a main focus of manufacturers to ensure consumer health is in no way compromised. Interpack offered a variety of solutions in the field of hygienic design and optimised cleaning processes.

Consumer demands on confectionery packaging are subject to social change and changing consumer behaviour. Consumer lifestyles have become busier and hence the popularity of eating snack products on the go has risen. Also, the population is ageing. The elderly may have trouble reading small labels or find it harder to open specific packaging. Exhibiters at Interpack addressed these socioeconomic trends by showcasing new and innovative machinery and facilities are required.

Sustainability is a relatively new issue for manufacturers to consider and many exhibiters were exhibiting more energy efficient processes and more simple packaging solutions that use less material.