Consumers hunting up and down retail aisles – or scrolling on their preferred grocery shopping apps – for their favorite dairy products and snacks value optionality. It’s a development not lost on dairy processors, who want to pin down optimal strategies that will satisfy shoppers’ appetites.

One solution gaining momentum is single-serve packaging for eating or drinking on the go.

For a variety of factors, some consumers prefer and seek out small packages or bottles containing only one portion of a given product. So dairy companies that offer such size options may tap into the single-use packaging market, which Mordor Intelligence estimated is worth $45.5 billion globally in 2025, with that value projected to grow to more than $60 billion by 2030.

Raghu Chakravarthi, vice president of portfolio for Tetra Pak US and Canada, ranked consumer convenience among the top reasons that processors seek out single-serve packaging options.

Chakravarthi said single-serve packaging meets the needs of parents, in particular, who are looking for convenient and healthy snacks for their children. He noted that single-serve chocolate milk is a popular choice in both the US and Canada.

Additionally, Chakravarthi pointed to small packaging’s versatility, portability and storage attributes.

“Carton packages are commonly found, making them easy to purchase,” he said. “They have a lower cash outlay per unit and are convenient for use in lunch boxes. Further, single-serve carton packaging caters to various needs throughout the day, such as nutrition, hydration and taste.”

Many shoppers also associate convenience with aseptic carton packages, Chakravarthi added, because they are easy to store at home, carry on the go and come in a variety of sizes to fit specific needs, which allows consumers to avoid waste.

“Single-serve packages are ideal for consumers who want to consume different products and different portion sizes throughout the day,” he said.

The appeal of portable packaging motivates some cheese processors to expand their portfolio of products, Amcor Flexibles North America marketing manager Travis Klug pointed out. Creating value-added solutions, he explained, leads to new growth opportunities with customers, whether the products are sold directly to retailers or co-packed for brand owners.

“Single-serve packaging options for snacking can provide exactly that, especially for those cheese processors that have historically focused on the larger cheese staples of chunk, slice and shreds, and can expand their portfolio to include single-serve snack cheeses,” Klug said.

Based on Amcor’s market intel, he shared, the packaging manufacturer views snacking as a “megatrend” that is “accelerating into adventurous new territory driven by dramatic changes in demographics and lifestyles.”

Citing a 2024 report from market researcher Mintel, Klug noted that consumers are changing their eating habits, with 73% of US adults attesting to snacking at least once a day, while 51% said they snack at least two times per day.

Mintel’s cheese report in August 2024, he added, found that 95% of US households had consumed some type of cheese during the previous three months. Even so, Klug explained, Mintel’s 2024 snacking report showed that only 62% of consumers used cheese as a snack.

“There’s room for this segment to grow, and opportunities for cheese processors to latch onto,” he said.

Image: Tetra Pak

The draw

Multiple consumer segments make use of single-serve carton packages for a variety of liquid dairy products, Chakravarthi pointed out. The variety of both sizes and shapes, he said, helps make single-serve appealing to processors and consumers alike. For example, the category’s carton packages range from 2.7 oz to 16 oz.

Plus, Chakravarthi noted, individual sizes power consumer engagement, with carton packages’ print surfaces serving as a blank canvas for promotional activities, through digital printing.

There’s even more to the drawing power of single-serve packages, though. For one, Chakravarthi said they may contribute to operational efficiency, with high-speed lines maximizing throughput and optimizing operational costs at lower investment levels.

They provide distribution and production flexibility, as well, because aseptic cartons don’t require chilled conditions along the route from a facility to a shopper’s home.

As another bonus, “Shelf stable products in carton packages have fewer returns to the store compared to chilled products,” Chakravarthi said. “Due to a long shelf life, there are fewer issues with spoilage at retail and mitigated concerns over a short expiry date.”

Shifting approaches to snacking among consumers, Klug said, have led manufacturers and brand owners to discover new ways to keep shoppers happy. Single-serve packaging, he continued, is all about speed and immediate gratification.

“Consumers are seeking out pre-made snacks because they don’t have the time or want to go through the effort of preparing something from scratch, or waiting for it to be done,” Klug said.

The concept of ready-to-eat intrigues people who are looking for convenient snacks to grab quickly, he said, whether those portable packages are going in kids’ backpacks, or with adults to work or the gym.

On-the-go snacks that come with easy-open and re-close package features, Klug detailed, become that much more appetizing.

“Single-serve packaging helps ensure that consumers looking at healthy snack options are getting just the right amount to energize them until their next meal,” he said.

Image: Amcor

Costs and challenges

From a manufacturing standpoint, single-serve packaging isn’t necessarily a perfect fit for every company or product. Klug explained that costs and other challenges may lead a company to hesitate.

“Depending on a cheese processor’s current product portfolio, venturing into the single-serve snack market may require investment in different filling or packaging equipment,” he said, “such as thermoforming packaging machines or tray sealers to produce formats typically seen in the single-serve snacking category.”

Even the multi-compartment trays that are commonplace at grocery stores, with combinations such as cheese, fruit, nuts and meat sticks, aren’t always a surefire solution.

“While these diverse product pairings are appealing to consumers, incorporating non-dairy elements may require additional certifications or requirements for the cheese processing facility,” Klug spelled out.

“That being said, investing in new capabilities today could be the key to enabling cheese processors to expand beyond their current product offerings, opening up new growth opportunities for the future within the single-serve snacking category,” he offered as a proviso.

Chakravarthi also detailed potential financial obstacles for companies considering single-serve packaging.

“Regardless of the type of packaging format that brands and manufacturers deploy, the per unit cost of the total product decreases as the package size increases,” Chakravarthi made clear. “For example, a multi-serve package filled with product will be less expensive than a single serve package of the same product.”

Image: Babybel/Bel Brands USA

What’s ahead

If there’s a path to making single-serve packaging more affordable, suppliers and manufacturers intend to find it.

Klug said Amcor continues to invest in the future of dairy packaging “to enhance capabilities, leverage new technologies and innovation, and deliver meaningful expertise and insights to our customers.” He said the supplier not only focuses on innovation, but also pledges to deliver sustainable packaging solutions that don’t compromise on performance.

In Neenah, Wis., home to Amcor’s Innovation Center, the company offers a program called Catalyst that focuses on collaborative innovation and packaging designs. Klug said as part of Catalyst, which is designed to save time, reduce risk and improve outcomes, Amcor can explore opportunities to make single-serve packaging more accessible and affordable in the future.

Chakravarthi described single-serve carton packages as one of the most affordable formats currently available for all types of liquid dairy products.

“They are lightweight, easy to carry, fit in lunch boxes, easy to consume, easy to dispose of and are recyclable,” he said. “They come in several sizes and shapes that afford differentiation for the brand owner and fit for purpose (convenience) for the consumer.”

Nonetheless, he made it clear that developers constantly find ways to innovate and further improve the sustainability characteristics and cost profiles of carton packaging.

As examples, Chakravarthi pointed to the use of pre-applied, micro injection-molded openings for larger single-serve packaging, as well as downsizing to smaller packages whenever applicable to ensure the optimum usage of material to form a given package.

Looking forward, he shared that many other solutions are under development, with releases expected this year and in 2026.

Of late, Tetra Pak’s innovations for single-serve liquid dairy products have included the supplier’s Tetra Brik Aseptic 250 Base Leaf (8 oz), 200 Slim Leaf (6 oz) and 125 Slim Leaf (4.2 oz) packages, as well as Tetra Classic Aseptic 20 (0.6 oz for concentrates and creamers), Tetra Prisma Aseptic 250 Edge (8 oz), Tetra Fino Aseptic 100 MiM (3.3 oz) and Tetra Prisma Aseptic Edge portion packages (8 oz and 11 oz).

Klug shared that Amcor’s latest innovation for single-serve cheese packaging is its Amcor Revolution Barrier APET forming films. He explained that the technology ensures “multilayer thermoform packages for cheese are compatible with the curbside PET recycling stream, where thermoforms are currently accepted.”

The company’s newest solution, Klug said, when combined with Amcor AmPrima Plus non-forming film, makes the packaging recycle-ready, while also offering opening and re-closing features EZ Peel and EZ Peel Reseal.

“AmPrima films are designed to be recycled, if clean and dry, through existing store drop-offs or curbside where available,” he said.