Crown Food Europe works with big brands across the food industry to meet consumers’ needs for convenience, functionality and healthy options.
According to European Union statistics, nearly two-thirds of all households in the EU-28 were composed of one or two people in 2017. The most common type of household consists of a single person, making up one third (33.6 %) of the total number of households.This demographic trend is helping drive the popularity of single-serve portions across the food sector. With time at a premium for most consumers, convenience ranks high on their list of demands, and single-serve portions enable them to take their favourite foods with them on-the-go or put a healthy meal together in just moments after a busy day.
Canned fish is arguably one of the most versatile single-serve products available today. Whether mixed as a salad, dressed with a sauce or simply added to pasta, it’s easy to make a meal out of a single can of fish. Crown Food Europe has worked in partnership with canned fish specialist Rio Mare for several years, developing standard traditional 80g tuna cans, as well as introducing a new 160g format for tuna and 160g and 200g sizes for tuna salad. In addition to offering convenience benefits, the formats’ superior barrier characteristics protect the nutritional value of the fish.
Another driver for the interest in single-serve packaging is portion control. Mini-cans, such as those developed by Crown for Bonduelle in Europe, allow consumers to prepare foods such as soups, salads and smoothies using a measured amount of product. Bonduelle was the first processed vegetable brand in Europe to create a unique line of single portion canned vegetables – called Bonduelle “Touche de” – which can be consumed hot or cold. As overall family sizes are on the decline and the number of single person households on the rise, single-serve options also help reduce food waste.
The dessert market is also ripe for single-serve packaging innovations. Crown designed and supplied smaller printed bowls for Mont Blanc® desserts featuring its innovative PeelSeam™ technology. The combination of easy-open, sustainable packaging with a wide range of flavours helped Mont Blanc® grow market share and delight its loyal customer base. The brand also increased its appeal to new consumer demographics, including active individuals looking to enjoy their sweet treats while on the move.
Finally, the single-serve trend has had a significant impact on the man’s best friends: pets. Organic feed is becoming more popular, and single-serve portions provide pet owners with more variety in packaging formats, while also being easy to open and transport. Crown has worked closely with New Pet Food to develop multi-serve formats in a wide variety of traditional sizes, such as 200gr, 400g, 800g and 1250gr. The brand has recently adopted smaller aluminium 70g and 85g formats that have seen a significant rise in sales volume as they have quickly become popular with the consumers. New Pet Food is looking to capitalize on this growth by packaging all new products in this single serve can format.
From convenience and healthy eating to the reduction of food waste, single-serve products bring a multitude of benefits to today’s consumers. As this trend continues to gather momentum, Crown is committed to developing more shapes and sizes to ensure its customers can meet expectations in the markets they serve and continue to thrive through the use of metal packaging.
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