“It’s best to focus on the consumer. If you put the consumer first, you know you’re going to succeed. Who is the consumer now? The landscape is changing so fast.”

That’s Tom Miller, packaging systems development manager, General Mills, during his keynote presentation Thursday morning to kick off the conference portion of the 2016 Global Pouch Forum. Miller has been with General Mills for 17 years and he’s responsible for the company’s technological direction and strategy, equipment supplier relationships and packaging technology innovation.

“Do you design a package for the millennial or for the baby boomer?” Miller continued. “We have to get that input from the consumer.”

Some of the big trends Miller said General Mills is seeing from consumers is how they eat, how they shop and what they want. He states, for example, that about 50 percent of all eating occasions these days are snacking occasions, forcing the development of on-the-go packaging solutions.

Then, Miller points out the “death of the center store,” where sales have remained somewhat flat, while there’s been a 15 percent increase in perimeter store purchases. And finally, an additional trend is how consumers are buying their goods. He says that 30 percent of millennials do their grocery shopping online, compared to 17 percent of baby boomers. Miller pointed out more consumer trends, and cited various solutions for them. For instance:

• Sustainability: Miller says over 50 percent of global consumers and about 30 percent of U.S. consumers say that the impact a product will have on the environment affects purchasing decisions. Hence, more than two-thirds of General Mills products consist of have How2Recycle labels. Material reduction has also been a focus.
• “Snackification” has led to the development of more snack pouch formats.
• Desire for freshness: Miller says fresh foods contribute 28 percent to total store sales. Therefore, oxygen barrier alternatives have become more of a focus.

“There’s been a renewed interest from General Mills to really push the envelope and do things outside the box of how we’ve done in the past,” Miller says. “When it all fits together and it fits well, it drives great success. Have strong relationship with customer and consumer.”

More Global Pouch Forum

Global Pouch Forum was packed with other informative presentations, such as those on private equity in printing, digital printing, emergence of fresh product packaging, pouches in the perimeter of the store, value-added pouch features, yogurt in pouches and a pouch success story, among others. Another great presentation came from ProAmpac’s Sal Pelligrina, who touched on the role packaging can play in reducing food waste. Check out the video of “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver that he showed to help prove his point by clicking here. 
 

“It’s best to focus on the consumer. If you put the consumer first, you know you’re going to succeed. Who is the consumer now? The landscape is changing so fast.”

That’s Tom Miller, packaging systems development manager, General Mills, during his keynote presentation Thursday morning to kick off the conference portion of the 2016 Global Pouch Forum. Miller has been with General Mills for 17 years and he’s responsible for the company’s technological direction and strategy, equipment supplier relationships and packaging technology innovation.

“Do you design a package for the millennial or for the baby boomer?” Miller continued. “We have to get that input from the consumer.”

Some of the big trends Miller said General Mills is seeing from consumers is how they eat, how they shop and what they want. He states, for example, that about 50 percent of all eating occasions these days are snacking occasions, forcing the development of on-the-go packaging solutions.

Then, Miller points out the “death of the center store,” where sales have remained somewhat flat, while there’s been a 15 percent increase in perimeter store purchases. And finally, an additional trend is how consumers are buying their goods. He says that 30 percent of millennials do their grocery shopping online, compared to 17 percent of baby boomers. Miller pointed out more consumer trends, and cited various solutions for them. For instance:

• Sustainability: Miller says over 50 percent of global consumers and about 30 percent of U.S. consumers say that the impact a product will have on the environment affects purchasing decisions. Hence, more than two-thirds of General Mills products consist of have How2Recycle labels. Material reduction has also been a focus.
• “Snackification” has led to the development of more snack pouch formats.
• Desire for freshness: Miller says fresh foods contribute 28 percent to total store sales. Therefore, oxygen barrier alternatives have become more of a focus.

“There’s been a renewed interest from General Mills to really push the envelope and do things outside the box of how we’ve done in the past,” Miller says. “When it all fits together and it fits well, it drives great success. Have strong relationship with customer and consumer.”

More Global Pouch Forum

Global Pouch Forum was packed with other informative presentations, such as those on private equity in printing, digital printing, emergence of fresh product packaging, pouches in the perimeter of the store, value-added pouch features, yogurt in pouches and a pouch success story, among others. Another great presentation came from ProAmpac’s Sal Pelligrina, who touched on the role packaging can play in reducing food waste. Check out the video of “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver that he showed to help prove his point by clicking here.