High Barrier Type Retort Pouch Market Report 2026

The high barrier type retort pouch market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $4.08 billion in 2025 to $4.36 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to growth in packaged food consumption, expansion of retort processing infrastructure, rising demand for shelf-stable meals, improvements in flexible packaging materials, growth of pet food packaging demand.

The high barrier type retort pouch market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $5.71 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing demand for sustainable retort pouches, rising adoption of recyclable barrier films, expansion of convenience food markets, growth in pharmaceutical flexible packaging, increased focus on packaging safety standards. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing adoption of lightweight retort packaging, rising demand for extended shelf-life solutions, growing use of multi-layer high-barrier films, expansion of ready-to-eat meal packaging, enhanced focus on heat-resistant flexible packaging.

The increasing consumer preference for quick, ready-to-eat food products is expected to drive the growth of the high-barrier type retort pouch market in the coming years. Quick, ready-to-eat (RTE) food products are pre-cooked and packaged foods that require little to no preparation before consumption. The rising demand for quick, ready-to-eat food products is fueled by busy lifestyles, convenience, urbanization, rising disposable incomes, and on-the-go eating habits. High-barrier retort pouches extend the shelf life of quick, ready-to-eat food products by offering enhanced protection against moisture, oxygen, and external contaminants while preserving food quality. For example, in 2024, according to Street Food Expo, a UK-based industry publication, more than 7,000 street-food trucks were operating across the United Kingdom in 2023, with 50% of UK consumers purchasing from a street-food van at least once per week and 64% willing to spend more than the average daily lunch price on street-food options. Therefore, the growing consumer demand for quick, ready-to-eat food products is contributing to the growth of the high-barrier type retort pouch market.

Key players operating in the high-barrier type retort pouch market are emphasizing the development of sustainable packaging solutions, such as mono-material recyclable retort pouches, to improve environmental sustainability while preserving food safety, shelf life, and barrier performance. Mono-material retort pouches are flexible packaging solutions produced from a single polymer, typically polypropylene, that can endure high-temperature retort sterilization while providing strong oxygen and moisture barrier properties, enabling features such as extended shelf life, safe thermal processing, and enhanced recyclability. For instance, in August 2025, Constantia Flexibles, an Austria-based flexible packaging manufacturer, introduced the EcoVer Mono-PP Retort Pouch, a mono-polypropylene retort packaging solution developed for wet pet food and ready-to-eat meals, offering high oxygen and moisture barrier protection, compatibility with retort sterilization processes, and a mono-material structure suitable for recycling in appropriate polypropylene streams. The EcoVer Mono-PP Retort Pouch enhances sustainability performance, supports food safety requirements, and extends product shelf life while aligning with circular-economy packaging objectives.

In April 2025, Amcor plc, a Switzerland-based packaging manufacturing company, acquired Berry Global Group Inc. for approximately $8.4 billion through an all-stock transaction. Through this acquisition, Amcor seeks to increase its global scale, expand its flexible and rigid packaging portfolio, and strengthen its capabilities across food, beverage, healthcare, and consumer packaging end markets by integrating complementary technologies and customer bases. Berry Global Group Inc. is a US-based packaging manufacturing company specializing in rigid, flexible, and nonwoven packaging solutions, including high-barrier flexible packaging formats such as retort pouches used in shelf-stable food and pet food applications.

Major companies operating in the high barrier type retort pouch market are Amcor plc, Tetra Pak International S.A., Berry Global Inc., Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd., Toppan Printing Co. Ltd., DNP America LLC (Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd.), Mondi Group, Sonoco Products Company, Sealed Air Corporation, Huhtamaki Oyj, Constantia Flexibles (Wendel), ProAmpac, UFlex Ltd, Winpak Ltd., Printpack Inc., Coveris Holdings, Tredegar Corporation, Glenroy Inc., Clifton Packaging Group Limited, Floeter India Retort Pouches (P) Ltd (Paharpur Group).

North America was the largest region in the high barrier type retort pouch market in 2025. The regions covered in the high barrier type retort pouch market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the high barrier type retort pouch market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The high barrier type retort pouch market consists of sales of vegetable and fruit puree pouches, beverage pouches, sauces and condiments pouches. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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