The report, by Freedonia, provides processors with an insight into the trends underway in high visibility packaging.
High visibility packaging consists largely of clamshells carded blister cards, windowed, and skin packaging. Demand for this type of packaging is expected to grow by 5.1 per cent annually in the US, reaching $8.5bn by 2010, from $6.6bn in 2005.
Food is expected to account for half of the high visibility packaging demand, based on its use for baked goods, prepared foods and fresh produce.
Clamshells and carded blister packs are favored by retailers as they showcase products on the shelves, while deterring theft and tampering, according to Freedonia. Both types together represent 58 per cent of all high visibility packaging use in 2005.
Increased consumer expenditure on food prepared or eaten away from home -- which tends to be served in convenience sizes -- as well as a general trend towards smaller serve units, are also expected to drive high visibility packaging demand.
Consumer demand for packaged fresh and prepared foods using clamshell packaging -- which is regarded as upscale, robust and suited for large or heavy products -- is expected to drive sales up by 5.3 per cent a year to reach $2.7bn by 2010, the analyst stated.
Meanwhile the demand for windowed packaging is expected to increase at a below-average rate of 3.2 per cent each year to reach sales of $1.9bn in 2010.
Freedonia attributes the slower growth mainly to a decline in use of windowed cartons for baked goods.
High visibility packaging has experienced considerable growth in the US since the turn of the century. In 2000, sales of high visibility packaging were $5bn, rising at an average rate of 5.5 per cent to $6.6bn in 2005.