Intelligent packaging: Towards smarter and sustainable food distribution

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• September 23, 2022

Insight summary

The rising concern over food waste and the demand for sustainable packaging are driving the shift towards intelligent packaging (IP), a technology-enhanced solution for safer, longer-lasting food. Intelligent packaging offers benefits like informing consumers about food quality and ethical sourcing, while also encouraging recycling and reducing environmental impact. This shift towards IP not only promises to transform how products are packaged and tracked, but also aims to foster a more eco-friendly and informed consumption culture.

Intelligent packaging context

Food waste is one of the most worrying issues in developed nations. According to the nonprofit Feeding America, more than 80 percent of Americans throw away packaged food because they misunderstood the expiration dates. Additionally, younger Millennials and Gen Z consumers demand more sustainable food packaging. According to sustainable packaging company Trivium, consumers under 44 years old are willing to pay higher prices for biodegradable packaging that won’t add to the plastic crisis. 

One of the more promising solutions to food waste and other environmental concerns related to food packaging and distribution is IP. This packaging has features that allow it to interact with their environment or the products inside. These enhancements might include adding sensors to track conditions inside the package, using tags to identify the product or contents, or incorporating interactive displays.This form of packaging combines technology and materials research to help food manufacturers satisfy ethical consumers and reduce their contributions to landfills.

In 2022, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University developed a smart packaging material made of corn protein, starch, biopolymers, and antimicrobials. This packaging kills bacteria, protecting the food inside. When thrown away, the material will naturally decompose. In one of their experiments, the team used the packaging to wrap strawberries; they discovered that the fruits stayed fresh for seven days compared with four days in plastic packaging. 

Disruptive impact

Intelligent packaging could mean getting more information about the product consumers are buying, tracking their food’s journey from farm to table, and knowing that the food they’re buying is ethical. Intelligent packaging can accomplish these benefits through sensors that alert the consumer if a product is about to expire or color changes that indicate if the food has spoiled. Additionally, interactive displays can show videos or images of what’s inside the packaging.

Aside from providing consumers with timely and relevant information, IP can encourage them to recycle. An example is the Deposit Return Scheme in Germany, Norway, and Sweden, where consumers are refunded when they return empty packaging by scanning the barcodes in kiosks.

For manufacturers, IP can mean increased efficiency in the production process, as well as easier tracking of products and spoilage. Packaging can include barcodes or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags which can help manufacturers (and consumers) see the entire supply chain for that particular product. Intelligent packaging can also help companies improve their products’ environmental footprint.

For example, food may stay fresher for longer, and the containers can be made from biodegradable, reusable, or recyclable materials. A possible solution is the development of biodegradable polymers from agro-food waste, which breaks down the packaging over time. Such technology might create a more sustainable, versatile, and efficient waste-based food packaging economy wholly removed from the fossil fuel business. With these technological advancements in IP, the research firm 360 Market Updates highlighted that the intelligent packaging market is expected to expand to USD $68 billion by the end of 2025. 

Implications of intelligent packaging

Wider implications of IP may include: 

• Startups that use technology, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), to create smart packaging that updates consumers and recycles itself after usage. 


• More consumers demanding the elimination of plastic packaging and actively boycott non-sustainable companies.


• Companies required to provide more transparency about their products’ journeys from farm to table and overall production process. 


• Governments mandating a switch to IP to reduce landfill waste and encourage citizens to recycle.


• Plastics being replaced by more reusable, biodegradable, or plant-based materials.


• Consumers benefiting from increased safety and reduced food waste, as IP can signal spoilage or contamination.


• Retailers adopting real-time inventory tracking through smart labels, optimizing stock levels and reducing overhead costs.


• Enhanced public health policies, with governments utilizing data from IP to monitor and control foodborne illness outbreaks.

Questions to consider

• How else can intelligent packaging change how you consume and store food?


• How might intelligent packaging extend past the food industry?