Convenience for every age group

The number of silver agers is growing consistently in western industrial nations. Business has long since identified them as an affluent consumer group. However, the demographic change towards an ageing society is presenting companies with a number of new challenges. These also include food packaging, as NVC managing director Michaël Nieuwesteeg is aware. This is concerned with much more than just difficulties in opening the packaging or labelling that is incomprehensible or written too small. According to him, the role of the wording should not be underestimated. ‘Packaging for an ageing society’ doesn’t sound attractive in any way and is often regarded as discriminatory. In order to placate the target group concerned, it is therefore better to talk of an ageing society that is experienced and matured. Sustainability aspects are also playing an increasingly important role for silver agers, not just in terms of packaging. If a constant population size is aimed at with respect to food security and other factors of life, the target group to be addressed as regards the packaging problem is calculated as encompassing people over 67 years of age.

At the same time, Nieuwesteeg points out that eliminating ambiguity in the wording is important. As an example, he cites the word ‘packaging’, which refers to both the packaging material itself and the process of packaging. Because of this, the NVC has developed a definition for the verb that is equally valid for the area of environmental risks as it is for generational change:

Definition: packaging is an activity in which an external function and a product are temporarily combined in order to enable the use of the product. The design of food packaging for a society that is ageing in the long term should offer useful and useable functions (mechanical-material, informative, emotional) for the entire population.

Two preliminary considerations become clear in this case. Firstly, the NVC is convinced that the emotional effect of packaging should also be taken into consideration. Secondly, it also believes that the group of silver agers must not form the sole focus during the development of corresponding packaging designs. Instead, innovative packaging that addresses all generations – and which offers certain convenience features as additional benefits – would be better.

When asked to provide an example, Michaël Nieuwesteeg mentions the so-called 1-2-OPEN closure for glass jars. The ingenious aspect of this is a two-piece closure mechanism in which a central element is sealed to the jar by means of a vacuum. This is joined by an outer annular thread that enables the jar to be securely re-sealed again. According to the Dutch manufacturer, the container is twice as easy to open as the usual glass jars, equating to convenience for all age groups.

Nieuwesteeg is well aware that there is no simple solution to the challenges involved in packaging, by no means least due to the food safety and mandatory labelling regulation requirements that also have to be met at the same time. Equally, he is a proponent of as many companies as possible being involved in development. He states that the NVC has therefore established an extensive timetable for 2024, including:

• Announcement of the project at Anuga FoodTec 2024, among other platforms
• Research projects on the topic with students (Netherlands and France)
• Hosting of the 32nd edition of the packaging competition De Gouden Noot ( www.degoudennoot.com )

Both analogue and digital solutions are suitable as regards the aspects of typefaces, legibility and information. The former could include large labels, colour codes and clear icons as well as brief information to ensure larger fonts and high contrasts. An increasing number of older people are familiar with modern digital media. This circumstance also offers opportunities for using QR codes, near field communication and similar approaches with a chip or code applied on the products. If these are scanned with a smartphone, the information that is important to a purchase decision can be retrieved – from sustainability aspects to ingredients and tips for preparation.

The NVC is a packaging company association whose headquarters are located in Gouda, Holland. Founded in 1953, the NVC now has 540 members worldwide. These include the packaging and filling industry (FMCG), packaging manufacturers, manufacturers of packaging machines, retailers and wholesalers, material manufacturers and recyclers, packaging design agencies and test institutions.

NVC Nederlands Verpakkingscentrum
Stationsplein 9k, 2801 AK, Gouda
+31-(0)182-512411
https://www.en.nvc.nl/