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Nearly 60 percent of all printed packaging is food

A new study from Smithers-Pira, Printing for Food Packaging, predicts a doubling of ink jet printing of food packages in five years.

Global ink sales for food packaging
Global ink sales for food packaging

Here are the numbers…

  • Worldwide in 2018, 58.7 percent of all printed packaging is food packaging.
  • A total of 394.6 billion square metres of primary food packaging will be printed in 2018.
  • Printing for food packaging will grow at 3.6 percent year-on-year across 2018-2023, compared to 0.8 percent for the overall print market,
  • Folding cartons and flexible packaging are the most lucrative formats, with market shares by value of 22.9 percent and 26.1 percent, respectively in 2018
  • The total value of food contact inks and coatings will rise from $2.02 billion to $3.20 billion in 2023, with growth fastest in UV/EB curing and water-based formulations
  • The output of food packaging on inkjet printers will more than double across the next five years.
  • New regulatory requirements are on the horizon with specific regulations on printing inks in the EU, Japan and China.
  • Asia is the largest global region for food packaging printing with a market share of 38 percent in 2018, rising to 41.3 percent in 2023.

For more information click here.

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