Cover Story-The Complete Package

Pouches are already jumping in demand in the United States, according to The Freedonia Group, Inc., an industrial market research firm which published a study called "Pouches" last November. According to the study, the demand for stand-up pouches in the United States is projected to increase by 16.6 percent annually through the year 2006. The study also predicts that within the next three years, pouch demand in the food and beverage markets will jump by nearly 7 percent to $3.6 billion, while the demand for pouches in non-food related markets will increase by 7.1 percent to $950 million.