With the coronavirus crisis bringing about major changes in grocery purchasing behaviour across the world, consumer concerns about food safety would appear to have overtaken the recent drive towards greater environmental sustainability in the fresh produce aisles.
In the latest episode of Fruitbox, Fruitnet's new podcast interview series, Chris White asks StePac’s chief technology officer Gary Ward, a leading expert on fruit and vegetable packaging trends, how these two competing concerns might eventually be resolved.
Ward, who works as chief technology officer at fresh produce packaging specialist StePac based in Israel, says that prior to coronavirus consumers had become extremely wary of packaging and wanted less.
Whether or not that attitude changes in the longer term remains to be seen, but for now it seems demand for the protective qualities of packaging – in the fruit and veg market at least– is increasing, he explains.
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