Good things come in small packages

A small New Zealand-based manufacturer of prepared foods has introduced a new form of mini packaging aimed at increasing its presence in one of the fastest growing food sectors in the world, according to a report in the New Zealand Herald​.

The Turkish Kitchen - a small maker of GE-free spreads, dips, meals, soups and desserts - has introduced a mini-dip box containing three separate 50g pots of hummus and dips. Through the packaging innovation, the company aims to encourage more consumers to eat its hummus, spreads and dips.

The company has built a specially designed filling machine that enables 3000 pots to be filled an hour, allowing for greater productivity to meet the expected increase in demand.

Managing director Luciell McIlroy says the packaging innovation is the first of its kind in the New Zealand dip market and is in response to consumer feedback and market research.

"The challenge for food manufacturers today is to constantly innovate and to work within the ever-changing lifestyles of consumers,"​ she told the New Zealand Herald.

"We realised that for us to grow this category we needed to change the way people viewed hummus, dips and spreads, from being just entertainment food to an everyday food that can be consumed anytime, anywhere,"​ she added.

ACNielsen research shows that refrigerated dips are one of the fastest growing global foods. Last year the category grew 10 per cent.