From recyclable packaging and digital coding to smarter automation and AI-powered compliance, foodpro 2026 highlighted an industry focused on practical solutions that improve efficiency, support circularity and help manufacturers prepare for the future.
After four days walking the exhibition floor at foodpro 2026, this was my main take-away: innovation in food packaging is at its best when its addressing multiple challenges simultaneously – such as reducing waste while improving productivity, strengthening traceability while simplifying compliance, and delivering more sustainable packaging without compromising performance or manufacturing efficiency.
What I saw at foodpro was a showcase of practical innovation, with many of the most compelling developments focused on helping manufacturers implement change rather than simply introducing new products. Here are a few highlights...
Sustainability moves beyond material substitution
Packaging sustainability, not surprisingly, remained a dominant theme, but the conversation has evolved well beyond replacing one material with another.
AllRound Packaging showcased its allCirc ready-to-recycle retort pouch, replacing the complex multi-material structures traditionally used for retort applications with a polyolefin-based construction designed to retain the barrier performance manufacturers require while improving recyclability.
COPAR highlighted locally manufactured fibre-based ready meal trays produced at its Bathurst facility. Combining wheat straw and hardwood fibre with a lightweight barrier liner engineered to remain below the critical plastic weight threshold, the design allows the entire pack to be recycled without consumers needing to separate the liner.
Confoil expanded its mono-PET offering with a lightweight dual-ovenable lidding film designed to complement its tray range, while Pac Food demonstrated a lined sugarcane tray featuring a tear notch that simplifies separation of the liner from the compostable fibre tray at end of life. Both developments reflect growing attention to designing packaging with disposal and recovery in mind.
Sealed Air also addressed adoption barriers with its LiquidPure recycle-ready dairy bladder. Rather than requiring processors to invest in new dispensing equipment, the mono-material pack incorporates a universal self-sealing cap compatible with existing systems, making the transition to a more recyclable format considerably easier.
Meanwhile, Detpak demonstrated how premium presentation and recyclability can coexist. Its inline cold foiling process delivers metallic shelf appeal without metallised PET, a technology already adopted for Goodman Fielder's White Wings flour bags, allowing the packs to achieve kerbside recyclability while maintaining premium branding.
Smarter production systems
Efficiency remained another defining theme across the exhibition floor.
Trimatt launched its new Mini TTO digital pouch printer, which prints ingredient panels and variable information directly onto pre-made pouches before filling. By eliminating separate labels and automating variable data printing, the system reduces manual handling, material waste and labour requirements while maintaining production throughput.
Trimatt's Matt Johnson gave PKN the rundown on the new Trimatt launched its new Mini TTO digital pouch printer Image: PKNSchütz introduced a new 560-litre FoodCert intermediate bulk container (IBC), providing manufacturers handling smaller production runs with a more flexible alternative to conventional 1000-litre containers and reducing dependence on steel drums.
Impresstik demonstrated its Australian-designed labelling systems capable of accurately applying labels to challenging container shapes, highlighting the continuing demand for customised automation that integrates seamlessly into existing production lines.
Food safety also remained front of mind, with Heat and Control showcasing CEIA's THS/210-MBH9 metal detector, designed specifically for intensive washdown environments and challenging food applications where hygiene and contaminant detection are critical.
Packaging becomes more connected
Digital technologies supporting traceability, coding and compliance were among the most active areas of innovation.
Epson's new ColorWorks colour label printers enable manufacturers to produce high-quality labels on demand, reducing inventories of pre-printed labels, minimising obsolete stock and allowing artwork changes to be implemented immediately as product or regulatory requirements evolve.
MCC Label showcased the in-mould label technology behind Bonson Packaging's RePlay Returnables system. Designed to withstand repeated industrial washing, each dishwasher-safe label carries a unique 2D code that gives every container its own digital identity, enabling it to be tracked throughout multiple return and reuse cycles. It demonstrates how labelling is evolving beyond product decoration to become an integral part of reusable packaging systems.
Result Group introduced the Macsa ID UV laser marking system, which creates permanent high-contrast codes by changing the colour of the plastic itself rather than using inks or additives, eliminating consumables while improving code durability.
Markem-Imaje demonstrated how coding technologies are evolving beyond simple identification. Its Waxjet system prints directly onto cartons without labels, while integration with the company's Colos software platform enables 2D codes to support traceability, product information and consumer engagement.
Digital compliance was another emerging theme, with GoVisually demonstrating its AI-powered platform that compares packaging artwork against regulatory requirements across multiple markets, helping brand owners and packaging suppliers reduce compliance risk while maintaining a clear audit trail.
Labelmakers Group also showcased wash-off pressure-sensitive labels for returnable plastic crates, a technology that simplifies crate cleaning while supporting reuse systems and improving recyclability.
Circular systems recognised
The collaborative nature of packaging innovation was reflected in the winners of the Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design (PIDA) Awards announced during the exhibition.
Among the standout recipients were Bonson Packaging's RePlay Returnables reusable packaging system, the Milk Bottle Recycling System developed by Popit Recycling, Martogg and Procal Dairies, and the Smart Circular Satchel created by Australia Post, iQRenew, RollsPack and Signet. Each project demonstrated how packaging innovation increasingly extends beyond the pack itself to encompass reuse systems, material recovery and collaboration across the value chain.
The exhibition also saw the launch of the new Food & Beverage SME Packaging and Machinery Solution Centre, a national initiative designed to help smaller food manufacturers evaluate packaging and processing innovations before investing. Read our separate report on the Solution Centre launch here.
Looking ahead
If foodpro 2026 demonstrated anything, it is that the industry's focus is shifting from individual technologies to integrated solutions.
The strongest innovations on display weren't simply introducing new materials or machinery. They were reducing waste while improving productivity, supporting circularity while maintaining commercial performance, and helping manufacturers navigate an increasingly complex operating environment.
For Australia's food and packaging sectors, that emphasis on practical, connected innovation may prove to be the exhibition's most enduring takeaway.
PKN will be covering foodpro2026 in the upcoming Q3 September print issue.
