News & Tips Blog

How Do Co-Packers Support 2023 Food Trends?

Eira Braun-Labossiere February 08, 2023




Like fashion, we know that food, beverage, and even pet industries, experience trends.

How do co-packers relate to and support these shifts from year to year? A co-packer must be nimble and adaptable but at the end of the day, what matters most is whether co-packers already have the necessary experience under their belt. Do trends affect secondary co-packers too? Let’s look at some examples.



Food Trends

One of the various trends identified in the food industry has to do with the cooking processes. Why is this?

Consumer packaged goods companies are using far less water — and is some cases none at all — to reduce shipping costs, greenhouse gas and to conserve water.

Secondary food co-packers can easily work with “just add water” types of products because they are shelf stable. This type of food does not require any special temperature accommodation and can be re-packed into multi-packs or variety packs (for example) with relative ease.


Beverage Trends

Another fast-growing category is low-alcoholic or even non-alcoholic/zero proof drinks typically found in the liquor space.

A co-packer having the traditional licensing in place to handle liquor is still an advantage when working with these products. The cans or bottles are still processed in a similar fashion to their alcoholic counterparts.

It is worth noting that while the new no or low proof beverages are growing in popularity, manufacturers may release only small runs at a time for consumer trials in the market.

While most co-packers have minimum production runs, some specialize in supporting smaller businesses or smaller runs (or both). These kinds of re-packers show a vested interest in supporting their clients’ brand growth and are worth seeking out.


Pet Food Trends

Within the last few years, there has been an exciting movement in Canadian-made pet food: the increasing export market.

We are experiencing a boom in our country and in Western Canada this is most evident in BC and Alberta.

ResearchMarkets.com has recognized pet treats being particularly popular, with no indication of slowing down:

Dog and cat treats have displayed the fastest growth in the last five years, and the same growth rate is forecasted to continue until 2026.

Secondary co-packers make a perfect partner for dry or canned (shelf-stable) pet food. Imagine how much easier (and faster) it could be to get pre-pack displays to market with the use of a contract packager. While they’re at it, co-packers can also palletize ongoing orders intended for export.


Select a Classic Co-packing Partner

Whatever trend your product is experiencing in its market space, find a trusted co-packer that will stick with their expertise while understanding how to adapt and adjust to new requirements that may apply.  Bullseye Packaging Services is poised to work with any of the above trends.

Bullseye’s sister company, Recurve Solutions, supports small runs and/or small businesses.


Ready for a quote? Contact us today: sales@bullseyepackaging.ca

With special thanks to Shenuka Wickramasinghe, AWESOME Program Manager at the Saskatchewan Food Centre.

Attending her recent webinar “Food Trends for 2023 and Beyond” inspired us to reflect on how trends may or may not affect a partnership with a secondary co-packer, like us.

(Further trend resources can be found in the links within the blog above.)