It's game on for packaging procurement as lead times lengthen

When the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta re-opened to some fans for soccer and football games late last year, Angela Todero, associate director of operations for Mercedes-Benz Stadium, did what she could to make sure that they were both fed and safe. The food she offered was determined not by available food items, but by packaging for it.

"We went for a reduced menu knowing that there weren't many options for the closed clamshell product available to us," Todero said. "We saw what our suppliers had that they were able to get easily. That dictated what we were going to use for the season."

With sports arenas, concerts and even Broadway shows opening to audiences again this year, packaging for customer food and drink is changing to make those fans and patrons feel safe, even if the demand on supply chains is still leading to longer than normal lead times for materials.

Suppliers flip the switch off, then on again

Many types of specialty packaging suppliers welcomed the re-openings after a rollercoaster 2020.

"Our business really took a dramatic tilt," said Tad Dacus, central U.S. sales manager for Southern Champion Tray, whose primary business is making food trays for everyone from professional sport league stadiums teams to high schools. "It's almost like you flipped a switch off." Its food tray business dropped 85% in April 2020 compared to the same time a year before.