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The ANZ region's premier packaging innovation and design awards program, the PIDAs, will take place at Crown Casino in Melbourne the week after next (28 July), during the foodpro trade show. The sold-out event will see winners announced across industry categories, as well as recognition for individual packaging professionals.

Run by the Australasian Institute of Packaging, the awards recognise excellence across design, materials, technology and people, while also acting as the exclusive feeder program into the World Packaging Organisation WorldStar Packaging Awards. 

From fibre-based formats and mono-material structures to reuse systems and advanced labelling, the 2026 finalists point to a sector continuing to balance performance, cost and sustainability under increasing pressure.

PKN and stablemate Food & Drink Business are the official media partners of the PIDA Awards and will bring you the full winner's report next week.

Find the full list of finalists here.

Food & Drink Business

Almondco and SunRice will be inducted into the Australian Export Awards Hall of Fame in 2026 in recognition of their outstanding and sustained contribution to Australian exporting.

Food and beverage manufacturers are facing a warehouse space crisis, and most of them did not see it coming. Production expanded, storage followed and over time, an organised operation became a fragmented footprint of disconnected warehouses, rising third-party costs, and a site nobody would have designed on purpose. Swisslog ANZ director of sales, Steve Dimitrovski, examines why the space problem is structural and how automation is helping manufacturers solve it without building a new site.

NSW Food and Beverage manufacturers are invited to join an upcoming information session at the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (AMRF) to learn about funding and support available to help businesses innovate, grow and improve competitiveness.