How will food packaging continue to evolve in 2026 and beyond?
This article explores how continued advancements in materials, best practices, and design techniques are opening up new possibilities for food manufacturers to deliver a superior customer experience. Now, the rise of GLP-1 drugs may alter the behavior of consumers and drive further change for manufacturers.
From improving sustainability to catering to Gen Z cravings, and keeping up with the growing popularity of fresh grab-and-go food products, packaging design will continue to play a key role in meeting changing market needs.
What’s Next in Food Packaging Design?
The fundamentals of food packaging design remain the same as ever: protect food from spoilage and the outside elements, provide a shape and size that fits consumers' needs, communicate key information about the product, and provide appetizing aesthetics that boost shelf appeal and elevate branding. As we explore below, food packaging design in 2026 and beyond will face the challenge of aligning these long-standing goals with fast-growing priorities like rising costs and sustainability.
With food products ranging from soups to fresh salads to frozen meats, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for food packaging. Effective food packaging design requires recognizing which materials and features best serve the unique needs of each individual food product.
Trend One: Promoting Shelf Life for Fresh Foods and Beyond
Keeping food fresh, tasting its best, and free from spoilage is always a primary goal for food packaging, and particularly so in the face of today’s booming fresh food market. The fresh food packaging market will be worth $132B by 2034. Convenience stores and national chains are piling on more fresh assortments to attract shoppers, and consumers are all on board: 82% of shoppers say convenience is what drives their fresh food decisions.
Depending on the food product, a number of different design considerations may be important to shelf-life, including:
- Air and/or water-tight design to prevent spills or contamination.
- Non-permeable materials that minimize oxygen exchange. Limiting spoilage due to ethylene gases can not only help protect the food inside but also prevent foods like fruit and vegetables from spoiling nearby produce.
- Tamper-resistant design to protect food on the shelf and during the delivery process. Packaging Technology Today notes that “the paradigm shift towards contactless delivery methods, driven by the rise of e-commerce, continues to reshape packaging strategies...Doorstep drops and locker systems are now commonplace, emphasizing the need for packaging that ensures both security and tamper-evidence.”
More broadly, the materials used in food packaging can directly contribute to fresher food and extended shelf life. For example, the popular plastic PET repels microorganisms. When food products call for additional steps to prevent spoilage, food preservation techniques like high-pressure processing can kill or deactivate the microorganisms that cause food to go bad. Our article here takes a deeper look at the HPP process and how it works.
Trend Two: Refined Food Packaging Branding
Food product packaging is not only functional but also an aesthetic representation of the underlying brand. More manufacturers are recognizing that packaging provides a unique opportunity to reach new audiences and function as part of an integrated strategy for brand storytelling.
Unique, colorful, and personalized designs can help boost shelf appeal, help a brand stand out amongst competitors, and ultimately contribute to a satisfying customer experience. Italian Food News provides a helpful breakdown of stylistic trends here, including bold characters, eye-catching typography, distinctive shapes, and rustic aesthetics.
It is also important to recognize that effective food packaging branding concerns are deeply intertwined with all of the trends discussed in this article. For example, customers will rely on packaging labels to evaluate the sustainability and nutrition of their purchase, and keeping food fresh is important for presenting the brand in a positive light.
Trend Three: Resin Tariffs Add to Cost Pressure
September 2025’s resin tariffs shook up the packaging world, and the aftershocks are still being sorted out for plastic packaging supply chains. Some domestic producers have been forced to hike prices, while converters and CPG brands will bear some of the cost pressure. Expect this complex dynamic to continue unfolding in 2026. Planning, pricing, and predicting volumes will remain difficult to navigate.
As cost pressure from resin tariffs persists, manufacturers will be compelled to scrutinize material use more closely than ever. In many cases, the most effective response will require not only renegotiating supply contracts but rethinking packaging design itself to reduce resin intensity, optimize formats, and eliminate unnecessary material wherever possible. Helpfully, this economic pressure naturally converges with the next trend, sustainability. Material efficiency is both a direct cost-saving measure and a strategic imperative that aligns directly with broader efforts to reduce waste.
Trend Four: Incorporating Sustainability in Food Product Packaging Design
“As time moves on from the outbreak of COVID-19, sustainability pressure is building once again. Manufacturers and retailers of fast-moving consumer goods continue to innovate new packaging formats to improve circularity, particularly focusing on recycled content such as post-consumer resin.” – McKinsey & Company Report on Sustainability in Packaging
From consumer preferences to public policy, pressure continues to build for more sustainable options in food packaging design. Sustainable food packaging options can help both:
- Reduce the total amount of waste circulating in the environment. Learn more about closed-loop recycling in our article here.
- Reduce the consumption of energy and other resources in the manufacturing process to mitigate the impact of climate change.
Alternative materials for food packaging are the subject of Intensive research and development work, with potential future options including food packaging made from seaweed, algae, and other biodegradable materials.
While these new materials have exciting potential, advances in recycling have also opened economical options for reducing waste using traditional packaging materials such as paper and plastic. For example, post-consumer regrind (PCR) plastic, available in different forms like rPET, is already a proven, food-safe option that can be flexibly adapted to different packaging needs by using different portions of PCR and “virgin” (non-recycled) plastics.
Many food manufacturers are already working proactively to incorporate greater quantities of PCR material (even up to 100%). Moving forward, PCR and other sustainability solutions for food packaging will only become more critical to meeting customer desires and regulatory requirements.
Manufacturers also have an opportunity to reduce material use directly through smart, sustainable packaging design. For example, Lacerta’s Seal N’ Flip™ line moves lidding film to the bottom of the package, a format that uses up to 50% less plastic than comparable clamshell containers. This reduction in material doesn’t just lower environmental impact; it can also translate into meaningful savings, up to 25% cost reductions. Made from a post-consumer recycled (PCR) blend and designed for seamless integration into standard lidding film equipment, Seal N’ Flip aligns with the growing emphasis on circularity, efficiency, and waste reduction.
Trend Five: GLP-1 Demands Food Packaging Alignment
The market for GLP-1 agonist drugs (named for a glucagon-like peptide hormone which they imitate in the body) like Ozempic has already grown at a rapid pace. Now that GLP-1 drugs have demonstrated promise for general weight loss in addition to conditions like Type 2 Diabetes, this growth is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. On a month-to-month basis, Ozempic can now drive up to 5% of total prescriptions in the United States, and 1-in-8 US adults have tried a GLP-1 drug.
The economic impact for the food industry? Analysis by the accounting firm KPMG projects that “the best-case scenario for food and beverage companies anticipates an estimated $48 billion reduction in consumer spending every year for the next decade, compared to what consumers would have spent before GLP-1s came on the scene.”
Evidence already suggests that the widespread use of these drugs could markedly shift consumer behavior. Survey research from the consulting firm EYParthenon suggests that GLP-1 users:
- Tend to eat fewer snacks like chips and candy bars, more healthy alternatives, with some respondents reporting sweet/salty snack consumption down by 40 to 60%.
- Increase fruit and vegetable consumption by 80%.
- Increase protein consumption by 65%.
- Consume up to 30% fewer calories overall.
These datapoints show that a potential slowdown in overall food sales will also manifest as a shift in how consumers spend. GLP-1 adoption could accelerate trends already reshaping the market, including the rise of fresh, protein-rich, and health-oriented grab-and-go items. For food manufacturers and retailers, aligning with these changes will require more than just reformulating products, but rethinking packaging to support portion control, promote freshness, and appeal to consumers prioritizing both nutrition and convenience.
Trend Six: Gen Z Purchasing Power Increasingly Drives the Market
As Gen Z hits working age, they will shape an increasing share of the food market. They already control $450B in spending power, and evidence suggests that they crave fresh, convenient, transparent, Instagram-worthy packaging.
60% of Gen Z prefer snacking to traditional meals, so smaller formats, single-serve options, and premium-quality ingredients, along with taste and affordability, are key to appealing to their “snackification” habits. Brands from Whole Foods to Starbucks are on alert to discover what makes Gen Z tick. As this generation’s buying power grows, expect packaging roadmaps to bend and twist to meet their high standards for design and sustainability.
Learn More About Custom Packaging Design for Food
All of the trends highlighted in this article will create new challenges and opportunities for food manufacturers. While innovative packaging design will be crucial for keeping up with changing consumer preferences, it will also create new opportunities to elevate quality (and even develop whole new categories of products).
Facing this need for multi-faceted advancements in package design, more and more manufacturers will find value in custom packaging. While it requires some planning and foresight, a custom design process is the best way to balance complex design concerns ranging from recyclability to opacity. An experienced custom packaging vendor should be able to provide hands-on support from ideation to final production, streamlining the customization process.
Explore how Lacerta works with customers to deliver custom plastic packaging solutions, backed by end-to-end support including prototyping, production, and final release.
