Zurich, Switzerland- and Melbourne, Australia-based packaging company Amcor is making a push to encourage adoption of peel-off end solutions in the canned seafood market, citing research showing consumers find them easier and safer to use.
With a surge in canned foods as shoppers sought out goods with longer shelf-lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, Amcor said now is an optimal for companies that produce canned seafood to look into a switch to packaging considered more user-friendly by consumers.
“Changes to the way we shop, cook, and eat have created potential for canned food brands to tap into new audiences and increase purchases among existing consumers,” the company said. “[Yet] across every market, people avoid buying canned foods because they are concerned about the safety and accessibility of opening mechanisms.”
Amcor recently conducted a survey of more than 1,500 consumers in five European countries and China to better understand the opportunities available to canned seafood suppliers. Of those surveyed, 16 percent regularly purchased canned fish, and 6 percent occasionally purchased other types of canned seafood. The survey, conducted online, found consumers trusted the safety of canned foods but struggled with the opening process, finding it unsafe or difficult.
The survey found 74 percent of consumers would buy more canned goods if the cans were easier to open, and switching to a safer opening process would lead 75 percent of consumers to purchase more canned goods, according to Amcor Market Insight Analyst Sarah Schoorl
“The potential for increased sales is greatest in Spain, Italy, and China, where over 80 percent of the consumers we surveyed said that these factors would positively impact their decision to buy canned foods,” Schoorl said.
Amcor’s AluFix and CanSealPro solutions are two such options, according to Amcor Film and Foil Marketing Director Nicola Maffi. Secondary benefits of switching to such “peel off end” products include a higher-end look to the product and sustainability benefits of using less aluminum per can, he said.
The survey results reflected those suppositions, the company found in its survey.
“Our research has shown that the benefits of a safer, easier opening for canned foods is wanted by consumers, and that making this change alone could significantly drive sales – especially with younger audiences,” the company said.
Photo courtesy of Amcor
