Packaging trends are already coming out for 2020. It makes sense, since they stem from the previous year’s designs, shifts in consumer demand and what the market is working on in the corporate realm.

Sanitary design and cleanability offer opportunities for improving the bottom line. Complying with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) for equipment and utensils lowers the risk of expensive product recalls and the consequent damage to brand reputation.

Baby Boomers living longer than previous generations, coupled with the increase in healthcare options and affordability in emerging economies around the world, are contributing to the increasing demand for disposable instruments in the healthcare industry.

The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) commissioned PTIS, LLC to provide a holistic view on the sustainability benefits that flexible packaging offers. The resulting report, “A Holistic View of the Role of Flexible Packaging in a Sustainable World,” achieved this goal.

The fight is still on — agriculture and dairy industries vs. plant-based food and beverage companies over the terms “burger,” “milk,” “cheese” and others.

Three experts from around the industry weigh in on the latest trends, technologies and practices that brands can leverage to effectively tackle multiplying stock keeping units (SKUs) and bolster efficiency, sustainability, security and brand experience through customization and personalization.

Blister Packaging for Certain Immediate Release Opioid Analgesics for Treatment of Acute Pain – Docket No. FDA-2019-N-1845 as it relates to opioid packaging, and recently passed Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients (SUPPORT) Act, passed in late 2018.

I  have dogs — three to be exact. And not much is more important to me than my dogs’ health. Yet here we are with another — major — potential pet food recall. Sixteen brands are under the FDA’s watchful eye; most are grain-free versions but the players are some of the higher-end (and more expensive) brands.

OMAC and OPC Foundation jointly released a PackML OPC UA Companion Specification in 2018 — a nearly two-year effort to standardize how PackML information should be modeled in OPC UA. Since its release, technical solution providers have started to create real implementations of the specification.

PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2019, co-located with Healthcare Packaging EXPO 2019, is the year's most comprehensive packaging event on the continent. The shows will offer the latest packaging technologies to help manufacturers improve operations and stay competitive.