April 7 - «A distinctive feature of the Russian market has always been a relatively high consumption of kefir, ryazhenka, curdled milk and other fermented products. Growing demand for healthy food products is driving the fermented product consumption. At the same time the market potential remains high», says Sergey Chaplin, Tetra Pak manager.
This trend also affects Tetra Pak packaging material supplies for this segment. For instance, in 2007 alone the total volume of packaging material supplied for fermented products and cream amounted to 820 Mio packages.
Carton packaging is in the lead; its market share exceeds 50%.
Due to ease in use Tetra Brik Square, a tetrahedral square section package, is very popular for fermented products. Last year drinking yogurts were launched in this package in two volumes, 0,5 l and 1 l. Among other new products at the fermented market is tan drink in 0,5 l Tetra Top Carton Bottle, a square section carton package with rounded corners resembling a bottle in shape.
According to Tetra Pak, the fermented product market will continue to develop, bio-products and products with probiotic content will show the most intensive growth. A further expansion of the product line will accompany the consumption volume growth. For instance, a steady rise of interest in healthy food over the recent years will lead to launch of new functional products that foster, for example, cardiovascular performance, beauty preservation, etc.