Packaging for the organic food sector – a new guide from ITC (en)

Traditional honey collection in Zambia (1905) – a practice still in use today and exported to speciality markets – but packaged first.
Source: Flickr

ITC is supporting honey producers in Zambia export their speciality “forest” honeys to European markets. A leading exporter Dan Ball of Forest Fruits that I met recently in Lusaka has secured a niche market in Europe for his organic honey selling in bullk to German confectionary companies. He knows there is also a niche market for the bitter tasting, dark honey that “ethical” consumers in Europe enjoy. Getting the packaging right (putting in jars that don’t leak for example) has been a process of trial and error. With a manufacturer in China the lids didn’t fit. With another they leaked. He then settled for an Indian company to supply.

Mr Ball is an experienced exporter but for the businessman setting out in the food export business, it would help to have some guidance. For this reason, ITC’s Trade and Environment Programme got together with Rajiv Dhar at ITC and Kathrin Seidel at FIBL near Zurich to produce a guide to help exporters in developing countries along the way.

This guide helps exporters, packers and processors to understand packaging for organic food. Businesses in developing countries, particularly micro and small ones, often lack comprehensive information on market requirements set by importers. This guide on packaging for organic products will help them meet these requirements and formulate their own packaging strategies, thereby creating new opportunities and competitiveness in their business.

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