The Future of Injection Molding in Food Packaging for the United States

Abstract

The injection molding process has been used for many years to produce food packaging in the United States. It is important to understand the forces in both the food industry and packaging industry to determine the role of injection molding in the future. Food manufacturers are responding to consumer and retailer demands to develop new products and packages that address a wide variety of needs. Innovation is a key for the future of both food and packaging manufacturers. European companies continue to lead their counterparts in the United States with the development and implementation of new packaging materials and processes. Plastic remains the fastest growing packaging material as it can be formatted in both flexible and rigid packaging forms. Flexible packaging and its many variations are growing and amassing increased market share due to their price and available features. The demand for inexpensive packaging, and increased used of packages that can provide barrier properties threaten the future of injection molding. Continued development of materials, and processing equipment as well as the use of in mold labeling and integrated tamper evident packaging are opportunities for injection molding. The environmental issues associated with packaging will have an increasing effect on the United States food and packaging industries with growing consumer awareness. Packaging manufacturers should expect increasing competition from Asia.