Shrinking Chinese households drive demand for convenient packaging

Packaging for Chinese consumers needs to meet the needs of busier, smaller households, according to Canadean. The one child policy has seen the average Chinese household shrink to 2.8 people, while the family structure has changed to a new ‘4-2-1 composition’: four grandparents, two parents and one child.

Canadean says this new family unit will drive demands for family packs, such as those containing three servings. Smaller households are also seeking out smaller pack sizes to reduce waste and improve cost effectiveness.

Families in which both parents work are now common, so Chinese consumers are increasingly demanding ready-to-eat and on-the-go options, Canadean says.

Traditional paper and board packaging is likely to give way to more convenient rigid and flexible plastic packaging, particularly in the food sector, Canadean predicts. Plastic offers a greater protection against perishing, allowing food to last longer than paper and board packaging does, according to Canadean Analyst Kirsty Nolan.

“This is beneficial for smaller households as they don’t get through food as quickly as larger households do. It also means less frequent shopping trips and greater product durability,” Nolan said.

Canadean forecasts that the number of flexible plastic packs in the Chinese food market will increase by 55 billion from 2013 to 2017. Within the flexible plastic packaging sector, bags and sachets are expected to record the fastest growth, owing to the demand for single-serve, convenient foods such as pasta and noodles.

“Building on convenience, packaging that suits the needs of frozen, chilled, microwaveable and ready-meal foods will witness greater demand because these are ready-to-cook or ready-to-eat products which complement a busy lifestyle,” Nolan said