Tofu may look like a relatively simple product to pack. In reality, its high moisture content and sensitivity to its surroundings make packaging an important part of protecting the product throughout its shelf life.¹

That matters as tofu continues to establish its place in European food choices. Around 40% of flexitarians consume tofu at least once a month, while European tofu sales volumes grew by more than 20% between 2024 and 2025.²¯³ For tofu producers, the opportunity is therefore not simply about getting more products onto shelves. It is about making sure those products reach consumers with the quality they expect.

At Wipak, we see tofu packaging as part of that bigger picture. The right solution needs to protect the food, support its quality and cope with the particular demands of a product that contains a high level of moisture.

Why is tofu packaging so important?

Fresh tofu presents a particular packaging challenge because of the food itself. Research describes tofu and other fresh bean products as highly perishable and vulnerable to microbial contamination, even under chilled conditions. Factors including oxygen, moisture, temperature and microorganisms can all influence food quality during storage.¹

This means packaging is more than something that simply holds the tofu. It creates a protective environment around the product. Choosing packaging with the right properties can help limit exposure to factors that could affect quality while supporting the product through storage and distribution. ¹

For producers, this makes packaging an important consideration when developing a tofu product. The question is not simply how do we pack it? but what does this particular tofu need from its packaging?

Keeping oxygen under control

One important consideration is oxygen. Depending on the product and packaging approach, limiting oxygen entering the pack can help protect the conditions around the tofu. The research we reviewed identifies oxygen as one of the environmental factors that can affect food during preservation and storage. ¹

This is where oxygen barrier comes in. In simple terms, a barrier helps control how easily oxygen can pass through the packaging. For tofu applications, our packaging requirements include high oxygen barrier protection, alongside strong seal integrity and vacuum performance.

These different elements work together. A strong barrier matters, but so does keeping the pack properly sealed. The overall packaging needs to maintain the protective environment created around the food.

Managing tofu’s high moisture content

Moisture is another important part of the equation. Scientific literature reports that tofu can contain around 79% to 87% water, making moisture management particularly relevant to maintaining product quality. ¹

Our tofu packaging requirements therefore include minimising moisture loss to help maintain texture and water or brine levels.  This may sound like a small detail, but for the person eventually opening the pack, texture and appearance form an important part of the product experience.

Effective tofu packaging consequently needs to consider both the outside environment and what is happening inside the pack. Protecting the product means maintaining the conditions that help it reach the consumer as intended.

A reliable seal matters too

Barrier protection can only do its job effectively when the pack itself remains securely closed. This makes seal integrity, or simply how reliably the pack stays sealed, especially important for tofu.

The presence of liquid can make this more challenging. Our packaging requirements for tofu therefore consider the need to maintain reliable seals even when liquid is present around the sealing area.

For a tofu producer, the takeaway is straightforward. Good tofu packaging is not based on one individual property. Barrier, moisture management and reliable sealing need to work together as part of the complete pack.

Packaging for different tofu processing needs

Not every tofu product follows exactly the same production process, so the demands placed on its packaging can differ too. Some applications involve heat treatment, including pasteurisation or sterilisation, meaning the packaging needs to maintain its performance when exposed to the conditions required by the product.

Our tofu packaging options include solutions developed for demanding heat treatment conditions, alongside the oxygen barrier, vacuum integrity and seal performance needed for the application.⁴

The important point for producers is that packaging should be considered in relation to the entire product and process. Understanding how the tofu is treated, stored and ultimately presented helps us determine what the pack actually needs to do.

Tofu packaging and the move towards recyclability

Performance is not the only consideration shaping packaging decisions. Packaging design is also evolving in response to growing circularity requirements. Our tofu portfolio includes solutions that are designed for recycling or recycle ready, reflecting both legislative developments and customer demand for a more circular packaging economy.

This creates an important balancing act. For a moisture rich and highly perishable product such as tofu, changes to packaging still need to account for the protective functions the food requires.¹ Moving towards recyclability should therefore be considered alongside factors such as barrier, sealing, heat treatment and overall product protection.

At Wipak, this is why we approach packaging development by looking at the needs of the application as a whole rather than treating sustainability and performance as separate conversations.

Finding the right packaging for your tofu product

There is no single packaging requirement that defines a good tofu pack. The right solution depends on the product itself, how it is processed and the conditions it needs throughout its shelf life.

What we can do is help make those decisions easier. By looking at factors such as oxygen protection, moisture, sealing, heat treatment and recyclability together, we can help identify packaging that is suited to the needs of the tofu and the priorities of the producer.

Ultimately, good tofu packaging has a simple purpose: protect the product and help maintain the quality consumers expect. As the tofu category continues to develop in Europe, getting those fundamentals right can help producers make the most of the opportunity ahead.

Talk to our team about your tofu packaging requirements and let us explore the right solution for your product.

Sources

[1] Du, J., Zhang, M., Qiu, L., Mujumdar, A. S. & Ma, Y. (2023). Novel technologies for improving quality of tofu products and their packaging: A critical overview. Food Safety and Health, 1(1), 41 to 59. DOI: 10.1002/fsh3.12007.

[2] Smart Protein Project. What Consumers Want: A Survey on European Consumer Attitudes Towards Plant Based Foods. Pan European Consumer Survey.
https://food2030.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FINAL_Pan-EU-consumer-survey_Overall-Report-_compressed-compresso.pdf 

[3] Good Food Institute Europe. European plant based sales data.
https://gfieurope.org/european-plant-based-sales-data/#united-kingdom