Major trends in food manufacturing

Food prices continue to rise and manufacturers need to focus on maintaining interest in their products in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Many of our clients are food and beverage manufacturers who are leading the way in their markets. Here are some of the major trends that we have picked up on:

Manufacturers are speaking to the health concerns of customers

As consumers become more aware of the potential negative effects of artificial flavours and colourants, manufacturers continue to focus on removing ingredients that may be seen as unhealthy. We predict that food and beverage manufacturers who aren’t sitting up and taking note of consumers’ health awareness will be losing sales in the future.

 Acquisitions and mergers

One of the most publicised international mergers of late is the Kraft-Heinz merger, but many local companies are also starting to investigate ways in which they can partner with smaller firms in their industry to make a larger impact in the market as a whole.

Teas and flavoured water production is on the rise

Widely-publicised health reports about the dangers of sugar-laden soft drinks have led to change in thinking in many beverage companies. Soft drink manufacturers are countering the possible effect of declining sales by focusing on producing teas, sparkling water and flavoured water, which contain less sugar and are seen as healthier than fizzy drink alternatives.

Product recalls have put the spotlight on packaging processes

In the food and beverage industry, product recalls can be very costly and an expensive exercise. A few prominent product recalls have led to manufacturers relooking their packaging and labelling processes, to ensure that they are meeting all of the industry requirements before any product hits the shevles. One of the ways they do this is by investing in state-of-the-art processes, and packaging equipment that minimise the risk of failure.

Acufill is one of the leading process and packaging equipment suppliers in South Africa. Contact us to find out more about industrial processing and packaging equipment in South Africa.