The packaging market for nutraceuticals is facing a significant regulatory shift. With the EU PPWR set to take effect in August 2026, the segment covering food supplements, vitamins and minerals will have to adapt to substantially stricter requirements by 2030 at the latest. In this context, Südpack Medica has announced that it will present NutriGuard at Vitafoods Europe. It is a polypropylene-based primary packaging solution designed for nutraceuticals such as vitamins, minerals and supplements. According to the company, under currently used calculation standards, the solution already meets PPWR requirements for recyclability. Legal changes affecting packaging are challenging the market’s existing approach, and the nutraceuticals segment, including food supplements, is expected to be one of the areas directly affected by the new regulations.
As the company points out, nutraceuticals do not fully follow either the logic of traditional food packaging or purely pharmaceutical standards. The applications of these products overlap in substance with the pharmaceutical sector, but from a legal perspective they remain subject to food law rather than pharmaceutical law. This means that packaging for this category must meet the requirements applicable to materials and packaging concepts intended for food contact. Under PPWR, from 2030 onward packaging is to be at least 70% recyclable according to EU standards and contain 10% post-consumer recyclate, PCR. In Südpack Medica’s view, the differing regulatory frameworks, the sensitivity of active ingredients and changing market requirements mean that this segment requires a separate packaging concept developed specifically for nutraceuticals, rather than one based on conventional blister solutions originating from the pharmaceutical market.
Growing segment and the role of blister packaging
The company expects strong interest in NutriGuard at Vitafoods Europe, which will take place in Barcelona from May 5 to 7. It points to manufacturers’ need to respond quickly to new packaging requirements and to begin transitioning to PPWR-compliant systems. Another factor is continued market growth, particularly in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. According to the cited figures, the nutraceuticals market was estimated at around USD 100 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow to USD 220 billion by 2034. Europe, with a market worth just under USD 29 billion and a 29% share, is currently one of the dominant regions alongside Asia-Pacific and the United States.
Tablets are expected to remain the most widely used product format worldwide in 2026 as well, accounting for more than 38% of the market. Capsules and gel caps follow next. The stated reasons include high consumer acceptance, longer shelf life, easier dosing and greater dosing accuracy compared with liquids and other dosage forms. In this context, blister packaging retains an important functional advantage over canisters and bottles, because individual tablets remain protected in separate cavities against moisture and other external factors until use. At the same time, this format is regarded as efficient in terms of packaging material consumption.
Mono-material PP structure
NutriGuard is presented as a solution designed with both product protection and compliance with future PPWR requirements in mind. The system is based on PP thermoforming film and lidding film. Here, Südpack Medica has applied the experience gained from developing the multiple award-winning PharmaGuard solution, adapting the concept to the specific requirements of the nutraceuticals market.
According to the manufacturer, it is a genuine mono-material solution that can be directed into existing European polypropylene recycling streams, and its recyclability can be confirmed by an independent institute. The company also offers NutriGuard with a 10% content of post-industrial recyclate, PIR, sourced from its own mechanical recycling process. In the next version of the solution, it is also expected to be possible to meet the PPWR requirement of 10% post-consumer recyclate, PCR. The manufacturer also points out that switching to recyclable packaging may bring benefits in the area of EPR fees, extended producer responsibility, which are to be progressively tightened in the European Union from 2026 onward. The level of these fees is to depend on environmental impact and packaging recyclability, while more sustainable solutions are expected to be subject to lower charges.
Environmental and processing parameters
Südpack Medica also states that polypropylene offers a significantly better overall carbon footprint than PVC/PVdC structures with aluminum or PET, citing analyses by Pharma Manufacturing Forum. For this reason, the material is said to already be selected by leading pharmaceutical companies as a future-proof packaging material for applications with low to medium barrier requirements.
The information also highlights the system’s usability and processing properties. This includes, among other things, very good push-through performance of the lidding film. Thanks to its in-house production of compounds, Südpack can tailor the film for easy handling and for use with a wide range of tablets and capsules. At the same time, the concept based on precisely matched thermoforming and sealing films is intended to support efficient processing even at high cycle speeds. The lidding film is also described as offering good printability with GIO-compliant inks, meaning inks suitable for food contact. According to the company, this may be particularly relevant in the premium segment, where packaging also serves a communication and identification function.
