Choose What’s Most Transparent

2014 may be the Year of the Horse in the Chinese Zodiac, but maybe it should be called the ‘Year of the Consumer’ instead. With technology advancing at a dizzying pace, information is now easier than ever for consumers to access; it’s no wonder that a trend for increasing transparency – especially in the food and beverage industries – is rapidly growing in popularity.

From free-range to gluten-free, labels lauding the pureness and wholeness of their products are becoming a norm instead of the exception. As the system for food and drink processing becomes increasingly more transparent, it’s important for consumers to not forget about the packaging their food comes in as well. This often over-looked element of ‘food’ is a crucial component of anyone who is aiming to eat and live as natural and purely as possible.

Gaze Into the Crystal Ball

Predicting the future is a tricky business, but some trends are easier to see coming than others. Transparency between the customer and the business (and their product) is vital as consumers are now looking to engage with brands as never before. Consumers want to connect with brands and business models rather than reflect on their own conscience. Products that have a minimal impact on the environment are rocketing in popularity amongst the consumer conscience.

One thing that also influences consumers in their quest for transparency when making their purchasing decisions is the packaging in which their food and drink is contained in. It is a safe ascertain to make; people pay close attention to the sustainability and recyclability of their packaging. Glass is a unique food packaging material in this case, being the only material that can be 100% recycled. It can be reused an unlimited amount of times without diminishing in strength or quality. If you’re looking for a product with the best transparency – it doesn’t get any clearer than glass.

Healthy Eating is So In

According to Euromonitor International’s 2013 Global Consumer Trends Survey, online consumers are more than willing to spend their hard-earned cash for food items with specific benefits, like added nutrients or food that’s ‘free’ of something considered unhealthy.

Consumers are incredibly tuned in to where and how their food gets to their plate. Harney Sushi, a restaurant in San Diego, has even come up with edible QR codes so that their customers can instantly find out detailed information about the provenance and global stocks of the fish they’ve chosen.

With all the nutrient rich foods that are popping up in supermarkets, it would be shame to negate those benefits simply by putting it in the wrong packaging. Glass has been proven to be an inert material – meaning that whatever goes inside it stays exactly the same. And really, if you’re going through all the effort in finding the best quality and most wholesome foods; why spoil it by placing it risky packaging that can leach unwanted chemicals.

Even when looking towards the future, some old adages are true – ‘Better to be safe than sorry’.