TeamLease, a temp staffing major, now sees food and beverage companies looking for packaging and printing technology experts in a big way. According to the company’s market intelligence, there is a 30 per cent increase in hiring over last year from this industry.
The demand is driven by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) packaging and labelling regulations which call for specific requirements and processes. In order to get the required Product Approvals, the industry now needs to comply with these norms. Moreover, there is a continued interest to develop attractive and environment-friendly packaging.
In addition, considerable importance is given to printing ink formulations and colour pigments which are known to have an impact on food contents. To prevent deterioration of food contents, inks are formulated using food contact approved substances. In order to ensure safe packaging and printing practices, Indian food and beverage industry is now scurrying for a dedicated talent pool, according to TeamLease.
“We are seeing a greater emphasis on food safety which leads to spike in packaging and printing technology experts,” Hussain Tinwala, general manager, TeamLease Services, told F&B News.
While a year-on-year growth for such professionals was just 20%, currently the industry is witnessing anywhere between 30 and 35 per cent upswing in hiring. Moreover, the growing demand has resulted in better salaries for this profile, he added.
The recent controversy involving a leading FMCG brand has created a clamour in the packaged food category. It has led to greater awareness of not just production quality but the packaging and printing as well. There is a 5-10 % increase in budget allocation for packaging alone, according to TeamLease.
It is highly imminent that supply and demand gap of these professionals in packaging and printing is huge. The organised FMCG food industry accounts for around 18 per cent and the remaining 78 per cent constitutes the unorganised sector. “But now with FSSAI surveillance, the need for packaging and printing professionals is humungous,” said Hussain.
“We receive enquiries for candidates who are technologically sound in advances of packaging and printing. This is primarily because of an increased expansion by existing companies which are now giving a renewed focus to quality and food safety, besides entry of new players including multinational companies. All this has created a requirement of additional workforce,” he noted.
FDA too has categorised food additives as direct and indirect. The former constitutes preservatives, flavours, texturisers and nutritional supplements added to food. The latter covers packaging materials: paper, plastic, cardboard and glue that come into contact with food. “Although printing and packaging were not considered to be part of the food processing sector and were outsourced, they are now an integral part of the industry,” he said.
Companies are treading cautiously to ensure that best practices are adopted in packaging and printing of labels. There is request spanning from candidates at the entry level to specialists. “The stark reality is the shortfall of trained work force in this sector primarily because of limited training centres offering comprehensive courses in packaging and printing technology,” said Hussain.
