How can packaging help to better protect food, reduce losses and promote sustainability? The SAVE FOOD Expert Talks at interpack on 12 May will provide answers – with contributions by international organisations, companies and initiatives along the entire value chain. The SAVE FOOD Design and Sustainability Design Awards, along with the project competition, will also cast the spotlight on the best solutions.

The Expert Talks will be centred on two panel discussions. The “Global Packaging in Transition: Regulation, Partnerships and the Race for Sustainable Value” forum will bring together international organisations and industry players, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Packaging Organisation (WPO), the SAVE FOOD initiative and Messe Düsseldorf. Their focus will be on regulatory developments such as the PPWR, international frameworks and the question of how cooperation between industry and institutions can accelerate the transformation towards sustainable packaging systems. There will be discussions on how regulatory requirements, design standards and systemic programmes can be combined in a way that both enables the achievement of sustainability goals and reduces food losses along the entire value chain.

The second forum, “Turning Packaging into a Food Saver: Trends, Innovations, and Solutions Across the Food Supply Chain”, will take a look at specific applications along the supply chain. Topics covered will include extending shelf life through packaging, ensuring stable cold chains, efficient logistics and distribution processes, and cooperation along the value chain. Contributions from companies such as MULTIVAC, Kühne+Nagel, the SIG Foundation and the FSSC certification organisation will show how packaging, logistics and quality standards can be combined to create effective solutions. The aim is to demonstrate practical approaches that reduce food losses, increase food safety and improve efficiency along the entire supply chain. Following the panel discussions, the focus will be on dialogue: participants will have the opportunity to talk to international players and explore the topics discussed in greater depth.

Awards and project competition
Presentation of the SAVE FOOD Design Awards, the Sustainability Design Awards and the SAVE FOOD project competition will be a central item on the programme. These awards recognise solutions and projects that demonstrably contribute to reducing food loss and at the same time make an economic and ecological impact. With a total of over 100 entries for the awards, this is a strong indication of the high relevance of innovative solutions for reducing food loss and of the growing importance of sustainable developments in the packaging industry. For the first time, the project competition provides initiatives with financial support to further develop successful approaches and raise their international profile.

The solutions on show
In addition to the event format, the SAVE FOOD Highlight Route will also be depicting solutions directly on the exhibition grounds. Along the route, companies will present technologies, products and services for reducing food loss, thus enabling visitors to identify and compare relevant approaches along the entire value chain.

With its programme at interpack 2026, the SAVE FOOD initiative underscores its role as an international platform for exchange between industry, politics and research. The focus is on practical solutions as well as on the question of how packaging and processing systems can measurably contribute to reducing food loss and waste.