8 Powerful Reasons to Switch from Cans & Jars to Retort Doypacks in 2026

Nowadays, when it comes to food brands, everyone cannot avoid a contradiction: consumers claim to like the “natural health feeling” of glass jars, but in reality, they go straight to the portable and worry free option when shopping. This generation of users demands both the ceremonial sense of “slow eating” and the efficiency of “fast living”, and traditional metal cans and glass bottles have long been unable to keep up with the demand. ​

And the market has already given a clear signal – the global retort pouch market’s compound annual growth rate is expected to exceed 8.7% by 2026. Whether it’s ready to eat meals, pet wet food, baby food, or Chinese sauces, they are quietly saying goodbye to hard packaging. At this point, DQ PACK, an old factory that has been deeply involved in soft packaging for 30 years, has become a transformation choice for many brands. After all, since its establishment in 1991, they have a production base of 35000 square meters in Chaozhou, Guangdong, with 6 automated gravure printing lines and 4 solvent-free composite lines running continuously. They have also set up branches in Malaysia and Hong Kong, and their products are sold to markets with extremely high packaging requirements such as Europe, America, and Australia. They also have complete certifications such as ISO9001, QS, and T ü VRheinland, making retort pouches truly professional. ​

Logistics Revolution: Doubling Storage and Transportation Efficiency, Dual Benefits of Cost Reduction and Carbon Reduction

Those who have worked in the food supply chain understand how traditional packaging can be a hindrance: glass bottles are heavy and brittle, and a 3% -5% damage rate during transportation is normal. If a bottle of high-end sauce breaks, the entire box of goods may be affected; Metal cans and glass bottles are both cylindrical, and the warehouse is filled with gaps, so storing empty cans takes up a lot of space. ​

The steaming and cooking bags of DQ PACK have a completely different logic – the flat design allows for stacking, saving space when transporting empty bags to an exaggerated extent. The amount that can be accommodated in a 100 square meter warehouse would require 400 square meters for traditional packaging. The weight is unbelievably light, reduced by 90% compared to glass bottles of the same capacity. Taking 1000 liters of tomato sauce as an example, it takes three 5-ton trucks to transport the glass bottles, and one truck with their retort pouches is enough. This not only saves more than 60% of shipping costs, but also reduces carbon emissions. Nowadays, companies attach great importance to ESG, and this wave of operation is equivalent to a win-win situation. ​

Experience and shelving: good-looking and user-friendly, creating brand differentiation

Who hasn’t encountered such a terrible thing: a metal can accidentally scratches your hand when opening it, a glass can takes a long time to unscrew, and after finally opening it, you have to find a plastic box to transfer it if you can’t finish eating, which is very troublesome. ​

DQ PACK clearly understands these pain points, and the retort pouches made are all designed with targeted features: pre cut laser cutting, which can be easily torn open by both the elderly and children; Add a slider zipper or snap seal, so that pet wet food or baby food can be stuffed directly into the refrigerator without the need to find additional containers; The sauce and soup styles also come with reusable suction nozzles, which can control the amount with one hand. Whether it’s outdoor picnics or office meals, it’s very convenient. ​

Not to mention the performance on the shelves, their home has 13 color gravure printing technology, and the front, back, and sides of the eight sided sealed bags can be printed with patterns. Brand stories, recipe tutorials, and multilingual explanations can be placed at will. Adding some matte film, partial UV or holographic hot stamping, it looks much more appetizing than cold metal cans, and the touch is also comfortable. The co branded packaging they made before incorporated brand IP elements, making it easy to catch people’s attention on the shelves at a glance. There are also shaped spout pouches and styles with handles that can help the brand stand out among a bunch of products.

​

Technological breakthrough: dual guarantee of nutrition and preservation, breaking traditional cognition

Many people initially worry about “how long can flexible packaging last? Will it not be as fresh as cans?” But DQ PACK’s technology has long solved this problem. ​

Their cooking bag materials are all customized, such as PET+PE, PET+AL+VMPET+NY+PE combinations. The transparent version uses a high barrier film coated with silicon oxide, which can both see the food inside and block oxygen; The aluminum foil version completely blocks light and oxygen, with an oxygen transmission rate of ≤ 0.1cm ³/m ² · day · atm, without the need for additional preservatives. It can be stored at room temperature for 12-24 months without any problems. ​

Don’t worry about products that require high-temperature sterilization. Their retort pouches can withstand high-pressure sterilization at 121 ℃ -135 ℃, fully complying with the national standard GB/T 10004-2008. After sterilization, the sealing strength can also be maintained at ≥ 15N/15mm without deformation, delamination or leakage. More importantly, the flat bag body heats up very quickly, 30% -50% faster than canned food. It can be cooked in boiling water for a few minutes before eating. Food does not need to be cooked at high temperatures for a long time, vegetables are still bright, and meat can also maintain a fresh and tender taste. Previously, a seafood customer used their bags. After sterilization at 121 ℃, the fish thawed and still bounced, with a freshness similar to freshly caught fish, and could be stored for a whole year.

Cost and customization: cost reduction and efficiency improvement+flexible adaptation to meet diverse needs

Many people only look at the price of a single package when calculating costs, but they are completely wrong. The unit price of DQ PACK retort pouches may be slightly higher than that of metal cans, but when considering hidden costs such as storage, transportation, and damage, it is actually more cost-effective. ​

After a pet food brand changed their packaging, storage costs were saved by 75%, shipping costs were reduced by 62%, damage rates were reduced from 4% to 0.3%, and overall costs were reduced by 28%. This is a real savings. Moreover, customization is particularly flexible, and can be done with curved bottoms, handles, or irregular shapes; Adding a transparent window for consumers to see the actual product is not a problem; Whether it is a low-temperature cold filled or high-temperature hot filled product, it can be adapted. The minimum order quantity is 50000 pieces, and delivery can be made within 15-20 days. Whether it is trial and error for small brands or mass production for large brands, it can meet all requirements. ​

Environmental transformation: single material+lightweight, responding to policy trends

Nowadays, everyone is concerned about environmental protection, and some people may say that “soft packaging is not easy to recycle”. However, DQ PACK has launched a single material retort pouch made of full PE/PP, which can withstand high temperatures of 121 ℃ -135 ℃ and can be chemically recycled, fully complying with the EU Regulation No 2020/1245, and there is no need to worry about exports in the future. ​

And they use benzene and ketone free ink and environmentally friendly adhesives during production, which have no odor and are absolutely safe for food contact. Compared to glass bottles, the energy consumption during the production of steaming and boiling bags is only 1/5 of that of glass bottles, and there is no need to remelt them like glass when recycling. Carbon emissions are greatly reduced, which not only complies with regulations but also enhances brand image. Why not do it? ​

The packaging of 2026 is no longer just a container for things, but also a part of the brand experience, directly affecting whether consumers buy or not. If you are still using crystal bottles and metal cans, you may want to try DQ PACK -30 years of only making soft packaging, retort pouches are indeed professional. Now send your samples over, their laboratory can help you with “concept validation”: bagging, high-temperature sterilization, testing sealing strength, and finally give you a detailed report, whether it is good or not, you can see at a glance. ​

“Send us your sample. We‘ll pouch it, retort it, and send it back. See the difference for yourself.”