Should health products packaged in food packaging or pharmaceutical packaging?

As the popularity of vitamins and other health products continues to rise, health product manufacturers must ensure that their products are properly packaged to minimize consumption risks. But as a product in the middle of food and medicine, what are the specific packaging requirements for health care products?

Regulations and Policies

From the perspective of regulations and policies, there is no clear requirement that the packaging of health care products should be defined according to drug grade or food grade. The main choice still depends on the positioning and needs of health care product manufacturers. In the past year, 10%-20% of our newly contacted export customers are foreign health care products companies. For the packaging of health care products in European and American countries, they tend to use pharmaceutical-grade packaging materials for production. And because the middle profit area of ​​health care products is also relatively large, their bargaining preferences are not obvious.

Consumer Preference

People in the new era are more concerned about their health than ever before. Growing consumer demand for health products such as vitamins and nutraceuticals has increased expectations for products to be properly packaged to ensure safety.

Growth in demand for vitamins, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and health supplements shows no signs of slowing down and consumers prefer "functional foods" to "medicines." And such demand is growing much faster in Asia Pacific and Latin America than in North America and Europe.

Packing Preference

In terms of packaging preferences, despite the global boycott of plastic-based products, plastics are still widely accepted in the health care industry, mainly including packaging such as cans, jars and bottles – for supplements such as vitamins. In addition to this, flexible packaging that offers a high level of protection is also becoming a major trend. In addition to reducing weight, this properly designed packaging also protects against oxidation, moisture ingress and microorganisms. Therefore, the packaging of health products is also shifting from rigid packaging to sachets and stick packaging.

Safety & Health

As the coronavirus continues to spread, consumers are realizing that packaging should not only protect the contents, but also remain safe after opening. Some common packaging methods such as finger poking through paper or foil seals, bottle sealing, etc., can be unhygienic and potentially dangerous in the current climate. Therefore, disposable packaging or individual packaging may be more hygienic and convenient.