Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the packaging industry. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked startups developing packaging solutions that improve food safety.
Global Startup Heat Map highlights 5 Top Packaging Solutions Impacting Food Safety out of 85
The insights of this data-driven analysis are derived from the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 2.093.000+ startups & scaleups globally. The platform gives you an exhaustive overview of emerging technologies & relevant startups within a specific field in just a few clicks.
The Global Startup Heat Map below reveals the distribution of the 85 exemplary startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research. Further, it highlights 5 packaging startups that we hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. You get to explore the solutions of these 5 startups & scaleups in this report. For insights on the other 80 packaging solutions impacting food safety, get in touch.
Click to download
SoFresh offers Anti-Spoilage Packaging
Because it spoils, a large fraction of food goes to waste in the supply chain as well as while sitting on the shelves in supermarkets and homes. Moreover, food spoilage adds to the already massive carbon footprint of the agricultural and food sectors. This is why startups are developing new packaging solutions that prevent or delay spoilage. By keeping food fresh and safer longer, these solutions lower food waste as well as emissions.
US-based startup SoFresh provides anti-spoilage packaging. Its solution covers food in food-grade natural extracts that emit controlled active vapor inside the packaging film. By preventing mold growth, it increases travel life, shelf life as well as increases the timespan for safe consumption. The startup’s packaging does not impart new scents or flavors, making it suitable for bread, cheese, and berries, among other food items.
Novipax creates Absorbent Packaging
Fresh meat, seafood, and produce often take on new scents or tastes during transport or storage. This happens for a number of reasons, such as the growth of microbes as well as the presence of moisture or liquids. To prevent this, packaging startups incorporate absorbents in their solutions. In addition to improving safety, absorbent packaging also preserves the visual appeal of food items.
Novipax is a US-based startup that manufactures absorbent packaging. Dri-Loc, one of the startup’s packaging solutions, features a highly absorbent core and sealed-edge technology that keeps food fresh. The startup also provides other packages and active absorbents for liquid food and juices. Novipax’s solutions keep fresh produce and other food products safe and enhance their shelf-life.
Packtin provides Biopolymer-based Packaging
Single-use plastics commonly find application in food packaging due to their affordability and versatility. However, chemical compounds in plastics packaging leach into food items and negatively impact consumer health. Moreover, single-use plastics are also a major pollutant of the environment. To address food safety and sustainability concerns, startups are using biopolymers to develop alternative packaging solutions.
Italian startup Packtin produces packaging from natural-based formulations. It utilizes food industry byproducts such as tomato peels and spent sugar beetroots to extract biopolymers and active compounds. It then upcycles these molecules to create biodegradable packaging and edible coatings. Together, Packtin’s solutions improve the shelf-life and safety of food products.
W-Cycle makes Safe Compostable Packaging
As alternatives to plastics, startups are innovating with a range of biodegradable and compostable packaging solutions. As these solutions utilize agricultural or food byproducts, they generally do not pose any health risk to consumers. Moreover, packaging startups engineer their surface properties to further improve food safety. Further, the packaging can be binned together with food leftovers without the need to separate packaging from food.
Israeli startup W-Cycle develops compostable packaging for the food industry. Its patented process utilizes biomass feedstock to manufacture SupraPulp, a sustainable alternative to plastic. The non-coated packaging is omniphobic and completely liquid- and oil-proof. This way, it keeps food safe across a wide range of temperatures and is suitable for packaging frozen foods, ready-to-eat meals as well as fresh meat and produce.
Innoscentia enables Food Safety Labeling
In supermarkets, large quantities of fresh produce go to waste as managers do not have visibility into which individual food items will last longer than others. Active packaging solutions address this gap by displaying the status of food quality. Traditionally limited to ingredient information, food labels now provide real-time updates on food conditions as well. Such solutions use sensors to monitor food safety, spoilage, and palatability.
Innoscentia is a Swedish startup that advances food safety packaging through food labeling solutions. The startup’s labels use sensors to provide instant updates about the shelf-life and safety of food items. Innoscentia offers both digital and analog labels according to the needs of food companies. In addition to improving safety, the startup’s solutions help retailers and customers reduce food waste.
Discover more Packaging Startups
Packaging startups such as the examples highlighted in this report focus on Biodegradable Packaging, Automation, Nanotechnology as well as Digital Printing. While all of these technologies play a major role in advancing the packaging industry, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. To explore more packaging technologies, simply get in touch to let us look into your areas of interest. For a more general overview, you can download our free Packaging Innovation Report to save your time and improve strategic decision-making.
