Packaging is one of the most significant recurring costs after food and labour. Many operators overspend through inefficiency. Here are practical strategies to reduce costs without sacrificing quality.
1. Standardise Your Container Range The more container types you use, the more complex your purchasing becomes. A well-chosen 1300ml bowl can cover most main meal formats — rice dishes, pasta, curries, grain bowls — meaning you may be able to eliminate two or three other SKUs.
2. Order Smarter, Not Just More Work with a supplier that offers no minimum order quantity and reliable delivery lead times of 2 working days or less. This lets you order more frequently in smaller quantities without penalty, reducing the risk of overstocking.
3. Take Advantage of Volume Pricing If your volumes are consistent, ask your supplier about volume discount structures. LumaPack offers volume discounts for regular ordering and free UK mainland delivery on orders over £99.
4. Use Samples Before Committing A common source of wasted packaging spend is ordering cases of containers that turn out not to work for your dishes. Request samples before committing to volume. LumaPack dispatches samples within 1–2 working days.
5. Consider Bespoke Packaging at Scale For operators running multi-site or high-volume operations, branded packaging can eliminate the need for separate labels or inserts, while strengthening brand recognition at the point of delivery.
