India is the world’s largest milk producing country. In India, milk is an important food and the country produced 140 million tonne in 2014, increased by around 4% over the previous year which comprised about 17% of global production. It is expected to increase to 240 million tonne by 2020. The market worth for Indian milk products is valued around $11bn.

 Glass bottles are the first dairy packaging material for retail during mid 17th century. Today, more than 75% of dairy packaging comprises plastic. The fast pace of life and changing food preferences justify the consumer’s want for packaged food. Not only the range of dairy products has grown over time, but their shelf-life has also increased. Reason – lots of development have been done in dairy packaging to preserve dairy products from internal and external conditions. Let’s look at the basic requirements of dairy packaging followed by innovations and new product launches in the market.

The shelf-life of dairy products depends on certain intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The intrinsic factors include pH, nutrient content, presence of antimicrobial compounds, and oxidation potential of the milk. Pasteurisation, condensation, and drying are common methods to make dairy products fit for packaging and storing.

 Storage conditions and air content contribute to the extrinsic factors of dairy packaging. Plastic, laminated paperboard, glass and metal provide required isolation to the dairy products like milk, milk powder, cheese, cheese spreads, butter, ice cream, desserts and yoghurts.

The emerging trends in dairy packaging are a result of rising demand for minimally processed food; changes in retail distribution network; growth of e-commerce; and introduction of milk vending machines.

 Dairy companies are investing in packaging technologies like controlled and modified atmospheric packaging, intelligent, active, nano and antimicrobial packaging. Researchers predict that manufacturers will promote glass packaging in the next eight years because of their excellent recyclability. The following are some of the emerging trends in dairy packaging.

Biodegradable plastics: They contain additives that decay plastics under exposure to sunlight and air.

Recycled plastics: These are packaging made from used and recycled plastics. The dairy industry is also witnessing structural innovations in packaging; such as – tap-it-dispensers, multi-layered milk bags, stand-up milk pouches, to name some. For example, in November 2018, Haifa-based Copy Centre introduced renewable paperboard-based packaging cups for Tnuva’s dessert brand Yolo.

Convenience will remain an important criterion for purchase. For instance, stand-up pouches and preformed pouches are portable and lightweight, which are comfortable to use for the consumers.

From 2016-17, developed economies have been witnessing an increase in the number of new non-GMO labelled dairy products by 15% year-on-year (YOY) basis. In November 2018, Germany-based Ekosem-Agrar AG launched EkoNiva Brand in Russia specifically for fresh milk, sour milk, kefir, butter, cheese, yoghurt and semi-hard cheese. Such new convenient dairy products are projected to expand the scope of packaging in Russia and Germany over the next few years.

 The convenient dairy products range is also covering on-the-go-snack options, especially for millennials. Products like drinkable yoghurts and cheese snack packs are often packed in lightweight pouches and films. This packaging is easy to use and is disposable.