Branded Food Packaging 101: our guide to everything you should know before choosing packaging for your food.
Choosing the right branded food packaging can have a direct impact on how your customers perceive your food and your business. In this guide, we break down everything you need to know about choosing the right branded food packaging for your business.
If you don’t have time to read the full guide, here are the key things to know:
The way your food is presented and protected plays a huge role in how customers perceive your brand. That’s where food packaging comes in.
Whether you run a takeaway, cafe, bakery, or restaurant, choosing the right branded food packaging can elevate your presentation, strengthen your identity, and even boost repeat business. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know before choosing the right custom food packaging for your food products.
Food packaging is a powerful branding tool that helps businesses stand out in a crowded market. When your logo, colours and messaging appear on your packaging, it reinforces your brand and makes your business more memorable to customers.
Branded packaging also:
In short, your packaging is often the first impression customers take away with them, so make it count.
One of the most important steps is understanding the diverse types of custom takeaway packaging available and for what they’re best suited.
BrandiT offers a wide range of options designed for different food types and business needs, including:
Printed greaseproof paper – A versatile kitchen tool, our greaseproof paper is microwaveable, oven-proof and freezer-proof as well as highly grease-resistant and improves plated and boxed food presentation.
Crash lock meal boxes – Ideal for hot food like chicken takeaway meals, our crash lock meal boxes are perfect for high volume takeaways who benefit from the automatic makeup of the boxes with no assembly required.
Corrugated pizza boxes – Designed for heat retention and easy transport, our pizza boxes are available in a range of sizes to suit pizza restaurants, takeaways, and food trucks.
Clamshell burger boxes – Perfect for smash burgers, clamshell burger boxes are super sturdy and open out flat making them useful open burger and fries trays.
Custom cake boxes – Protect delicate baked goods during transport and ensure everyone who enjoys your cakes at special occasions, knows who made it.
Fish and chips boxes – Flatter and longer than normal meal boxes, these have been designed for traditional battered fish and chips meals from a treasured local chippy.
Fries boxes and open trays – Sturdy and suitable for both skinny fries and chunky chips they are also great for portion control and quick service.
Having the right box type ensures your food stays fresh, protected, and visually appealing from kitchen to customer.
Not all packaging is created equal. Here are the key factors to consider when selecting your food packaging boxes:
Different foods require different takeaway packaging solutions. For example:
Pizza boxes need sturdy, inflexible boxes that can be stacked without crushing the pizzas.
Greasy foods benefit from grease-resistant materials such as printed greaseproof paper which is flexible enough to line other types of food packaging.
Decorated cakes need protective, structured packaging that is easy to hold and comes with completely removable lids.
High volume takeaways that don’t have time to faff around with assembly, need burger and fries boxes to be extremely easy to just pop open and use right away.
Food trucks and trailers need stackable, nested, or flat-packed packaging that is easy to store and grab when needed without taking up too much precious space.
All our products are designed to be fit-for-purpose and to keep food protected during transport, while maintaining structure and ease of assembly.
Your packaging must protect food during handling and delivery. Poor-quality boxes can lead to leaks, damage, or a poor customer experience.
We use GC2 folding box board which is characterised by its superb rigidity and folding properties. At 470 microns thick our packaging is sturdy but lightweight, making it perfect for premium food packaging that holds up to being handled.
This is where your packaging becomes a marketing tool. The popularity of customers sharing videos and photos of the food and drinks they consume has only grown, with niche interests, influencers, and guides in every corner of the internet and for every type of food. Custom food packaging gives you a visibility boost every time someone shares a shot of your food online. And to help you stand out even more, the customisation options are endless. Even simple branded packaging can significantly increase brand recognition and customer recall.
With BrandiT, you can:
So, whether your brand is subtle and sophisticated or bold and busy, the most important thing is getting your brand noticed and that’s not possible with unbranded food packaging.
Consumers are more environmentally conscious than ever, and packaging plays a crucial role in that. We’re big believers in lowering our impact on the environment where we can, so we’re validated by ISO 14001 Environmental and ISO 9001 Quality accreditations.
We obtain all our materials from sustainable sources and recycle everything we can. On top of that, we aim to make sure as many of our products are fully recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable, though that’s not the case for any products with glue on currently.
Unlike many food packaging suppliers, especially ones outside of the UK, all our products are certified food safe. Yep, frustratingly there are food packaging suppliers out there who say their products are safe for food when they aren’t. We’ve proudly approved by the Food Standards Agency, and all our products are ISEGA Food Safe.
What’s more, our inks are specially formulated and unique plant-based inks, so all our products are suitable for vegans.
When you choose sustainable custom food packaging, it not only helps the environment but also strengthens your brand image.
Space is a major concern for many food businesses. Especially for the food trucks, pop-ups, and home-cooks who don’t have access to commercial storage facilities. Like many other suppliers, our prices per unit decrease the more units you buy, which makes buying more, cheaper. That’s no good if you don’t have anywhere to store them though, so our solutions of flat-packed and nested packaging are designed to:
Earlier in the article I mentioned that we use glue on some of our products which means they can’t be recycled. Why? The glue is on our crash lock range of food boxes that are automatic assembly. In other words, you don’t need to fold them to make them – they pop open when you push the sides together. The glue is still food safe don’t worry, but the crash lock feature makes them incredibly quick to assemble, and this makes the world of difference in busy kitchens and takeaway environments.
If you’ve never ordered branded food packaging before, the process is simpler than you might think.
With BrandiT, it typically looks like this:
We try to make life as easy for our customers as possible with a free design service, meaning you don’t need a finished design to get started. On top of that we also offer free delivery, a paid express printing and delivery service, and an easy re-ordering process for repeat customers. Orders can also be changed or refunded before the artwork is approved.
Custom food packaging isn’t just for large chains, it’s ideal for businesses of all sizes, including:
We understand that budgets are different for every business and the hospitality industry in the UK has been taking hit after hit. We’re a family-run, independent printers – we know what you’re going through. With that in mind we offer Klarna to all our customers to help you spread the cost of your purchase. This means you can get the benefits of bulk-buying custom food packaging right away, without overstretching your finances.
Whether you’re serving wood-fired pizzas by the slice from a food truck in Norfolk, or slinging smash burgers from a Manchester high-street, branded packaging lets you leave a lasting impression beyond the first bite.
When choosing branded takeaway packaging boxes, avoid these common pitfalls:
Investing in the right packaging from the start can save time, money, and customer satisfaction in the long run.
The right food branded packaging does far more than hold your product, they protect your food, represent your brand, and influence how customers remember your business.
With BrandiT’s wide range of customisable options, low minimum order quantities, and free design support, creating branded packaging that works for your business has never been easier.
If you’re ready to improve your food presentation and stand out from the competition, investing in high-quality branded food packaging is one of the smartest moves you can make.
Food packaging boxes are containers designed to store, protect, and transport food safely. They are commonly used by takeaways, bakeries, Cafes, and restaurants, and can be customised with branding to promote your business.
Branded food packaging helps your business stand out and creates a more professional image. It reinforces your brand identity, improves customer experience, and can increase repeat business by making your packaging more memorable.
There are many types of food packaging boxes available depending on your needs, including:
Choosing the right type ensures your food stays fresh and well-presented.
To choose the right food packaging boxes, consider:
The right packaging should protect your food while also enhancing presentation.
Yes. Custom food packaging boxes increase perceived value, improve branding, and help your business stand out. They also support marketing efforts, especially when customers share your packaging on social media.
Many food packaging boxes are recyclable, biodegradable, or made from sustainably sourced materials, but always check the website or product descriptions to be sure. Choosing eco-friendly packaging can help reduce environmental impact and appeal to environmentally conscious customers. We design our product range with sustainability in mind.
No, not all packaging is guaranteed to be food safe. It is important to choose packaging that meets recognised food safety standards to ensure it is suitable for direct contact with food.
Common materials include cardboard, corrugated board, and folding box board. High-quality materials provide strength, durability and protection while remaining lightweight and practical for food businesses.
Absolutely. Branded food packaging is suitable for businesses of all sizes, including small takeaways, food trucks, and home-based food businesses. Low minimum order quantities make it accessible without large upfront costs. Many of our customers are solo entrepreneurs, running food trucks or cake sheds by themselves.
Typically, the process includes selecting your packaging, submitting artwork, approving a design proof and then production and delivery. This can take a few weeks depending on the product and order size. Our shortest turnaround is five working days after proof approval, when custom printed greaseproof paper is ordered with express printing and delivery.
Use code SUMMERSIZZLER26 at checkout
