Middle East and Africa Frozen Food Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

Middle East and Africa Frozen Food Packaging Market is expected to register a growth rate of 4% for the forecast period 2021-2026. Factors contributing to the growth include increasing demand for convenience by consumers, increase in disposable income and changing consumer behavior.

Key Highlights

• Some studies suggested that the virus can be passed on through cardboard and plastic, which has resulted in increased usage of single-use materials across supermarkets to wrap products, such as cling film for fruit and vegetables in the country. In addition, paper and packaging manufacturers in the region faced fluctuations in demand as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified, with potentially disruptive effects on production and revenues.
• The major categories of packaged food are bakery products and frozen processed food. Some of the emerging categories in this sector are frozen ready to eat foods. Storage life can be extended notably by making storage temperatures colder. Consumer’s expectations of food quality are rising.
• There is an increase in the frozen food packaging market with the consumer appreciation of the product quality. With the growth in the economy and changing lifestyles there is an increased demand for frozen food packaging in the Middle East and Africa and the market is expected to grow lucratively during the forecast period.
• Frozen food is a good source of nutrients, especially for people on tight budgets or with limited access to fresh foods. Can linings prevent the interaction of a food with a can’s metal. Epoxy resin, made from polymers containing Bisphenol A, has been favored for can coatings because it protects against metal corrosion and holds up to the heat extremes of sterilization.

Key Market Trends

Paper Packaging to Dominate the Market

• In April 2020, Saudi Arabia’s Asir Municipality ordered restaurants to safely and securely package meals for delivery to protect the customers from COVID-19 by delivering safe packages.
• According to Choueiri Group, 68 percent of respondents in Saudi Arabia reported an increase in their online shopping of groceries, food, and beverages compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This has increased the demand for folding carton packaging for food and beverages in the region.
• The boxes come in different types of flutes, a wavy layer of paper in the middle of a corrugated board that gives rigidity, strength, and stackability. These flutes range from A to F. The most frequently used is the C flute, which offers a good printing surface, crush resistance, and compression properties to secure products like glassware, food products, etc.
• In addition, the boxes are also classified based on board styles such as single surface, single wall, double wall, and triple wall. To meet such requirements, Gulf Carton Factory offers corrugated boxes ranging from A to F and a combination of flutes together, such as BC and EB.

Increasing demand for convenience by consumers

• Various factors, such as changing lifestyle, increasing disposable income, and rapid urbanization in developing countries, especially the growing middle-income population, are increasing the demand for bags for frozen food. The increase in population density has increased demand for packaged food in general with millenials contributing to the growth.
• After packaging, it takes time for packaged food to reach consumers across various parts of the world. The packaged food may not be fresh and might lose its aroma and taste before reaching the consumer. The threat of food being spoilt before reaching the consumer is increasing, as it would result in a loss of the capital invested in the packaging.
• To overcome this, food processing industries are investing in technologies and various new packaging techniques, such as intelligent packaging and engineering science, which help in increasing the shelf life of the product. This is reason for the increased demand of frozen food in the industry. Organizations are focusing on consumer satisfaction, apart from revenues, as it impacts the image and value in the market.
• Millennial customers generally drive the demand for frozen food packaging products, and millennials account for 30% of the total Latin American population. These people have an ardent preference for single-serving and on-the-go style food and beverage foodstuffs. As these products are usually designed to be durable, portable, and lightweight, flexible packaging is a famous option for packing such products
• The increase for frozen food is also due to increased convinience of retail stores in the region. The demand from retailers have increased significantly in the past few years.
• These products are generally designed to be portable, durable, and lightweight; frozen food packaging stands to be a famous option to pack such products. The increasing demand for snack foods, both in terms of processed foods and fresh items, is expected to govern the demand.

Competitive Landscape

The Middle East and Africa Frozen Food packaging market is moderately fragmented and consists of several major players. The major players with a prominent share in the market are focusing on expanding their customer base across foreign countries.

• Jan 2021 - Tetra Pak which has a subsidiary in middle east by the name of Tetra Pak Arabia, has launched a new collaborative innovation approach with top paperboard manufacturers to address the food packaging industry's sustainability issues. The conventional linear supply chain operating model has altered, and a new partner ecosystem model is emerging, in which the entire sector collaborates closely. This brings together not only producers and suppliers but also research institutions, universities, and start-ups in an attempt to find solutions.
• April 2020 - Mondi PLC had temporarily shut down production at the Neusiedler mill in Austria and the Merebank plant in South Africa in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support