In July 2024, food packaging in 2026 is more about marketing rather than selling the actual content of the packaged food and beverage.
Walking through a supermarket aisle these days seems to be like walking among the beauty stores of the food and beverage sector. It’s all about the attractive packaging now for the food and beverage industry, rather than providing organic and genuine ingredients to their consumers. Every packet, box, and label is playing up health, flavour, authenticity, tradition, nutrition, and some discount. Are the claims legit? Is there more fibre in the cardboard box or the food inside? Who can tell?
The social media platforms have been a part of this camouflage as well. One of the content creators in one of his viral reels has effectively turned the image of a cola can into a healthy and beneficial drink with a few changes in the image and its background, along with completely ignoring the content of the beverage to be consumed. All such tweaks immediately reflect the beverage brand looks smarter and healthier, even though its ingredients aren’t.
The same formula is applied to the marketing of all processed food options. The labeling and front cover of the food packages display images of fresh ingredients, but the actual product formulation is made in a lab. Attractive captions, catchy phrases, and brighter and neon colored images all have a huge role in selling the attractiveness of the product by completely neglecting the actual product. The so-called baked chips marketed based on HEALTH even have tons of sugar in them, which is completely wrapped under the label of baked goodness.
Chips- Lays recently changed their packaging and introduced them globally. The new packets are again full of neon colors, artisanal images, and catchy phrases.
Beverages- The yoghurt-based drinks being marketed based on high protein do not display the sugar content of the beverage clearly on the front of the packaged product. The package also displays the phrase made from real grains. Do fake grains exist??? With the handful of nuts and seeds, the nutritional content of the product is highly marketed.
“Most consumers aren’t standing in a grocery aisle comparing nutrient percentages,” says Tiya Sharma, 22, a consumer behaviour psychologist in New Delhi. “They’re shopping after work, thinking about dinner, and trying to get home. That’s when these shortcuts become especially powerful.” The brain uses heuristics, or shortcuts, to make quick decisions.
The misleading packaging and labels of food and beverage options help the companies to sell their products despite the use of health-risking ingredients. The cold brews available in attractive glass bottles in unique shapes are filled with sugar and colorful syrups, and the colorful muesli packets marketed as an ideal and healthy breakfast option are stuffed with sugar and other health-affected ingredients. Use of matte packaging, jute texture, glossy finishes, and use of domestic images are all part of the marketing gimmick for product marketing.
“Act II popcorn is loud, bold, and can be found in kirana stores, while 4700BC’s matte finish and UV lettering are designed for the structured arrangement of supermarket aisles,” says Anushka Dabholkar, 28, who works as an assistant brand manager in Mumbai.
Observe the true colours. Soft greens signal nature and wellness (as with Maggi Atta noodles). Yellow is for vitality (as with Milkybar). For indulgence, it’s often rich purple (those bars of Silk chocolate). One should pay attention to the brand names too: Nature’s Valley, Green Giant, Mother’s Recipe, Annie’s Homegrown, and Wild Harvest conjure images of farms and family-run businesses. Simple, geometric sans-serif fonts (SuperYou, Epigamia) give off the sense that they’re no-nonsense, no-fuss. Many brands let consumers see the product inside through a little transparent window to seem more legit.
The tall and slender packs of protein drinks and other beverages depict fitness and a health-conscious attitude. Imperfect shapes suggest handmade wholesomeness, and wide-mouthed jars evoke farm produce. Founder signatures, family crests, and nostalgic storytelling are all part of the illusion. “Some brands build a family-business story around an ‘ajji’, ‘nana’ or ‘made by moms’ narrative,” says Kolkata-based Revant Himatsingka, 34. A brand will use every hack it can to appeal to a buyer. Dead founders are roped in to sell the legacy. Small-town origins are meant to signify a simpler time. The product may well be flash-fried in an industrial vat and nitrogen-packed via machine. But on the label, none of that shows.
It is advised to watch out for % signs. A brand often plays up one quantity (30% less fat) without telling you if it’s less than its competitor or less than the brand’s previous formula, or what is being used as a substitute. A juice with ‘No Added Sugar’ simply means that the existing fruit content is sweet enough to do damage. And plenty of labels play up the boost: More energy, more milk, more flavour, more Vitamin C – very little of which has to do with the food as much as the additives.
10 August 2026
07 August 2026
06 August 2026
06 August 2026