Advancing Cheese Packaging: How Flexible Packaging Materials Support Sustainability and Consumer Satisfaction

Cheese is a staple in American households—and for good reason. From everyday meals to indulgent snacks, cheese can help add flavor, texture, and a satisfying richness to just about any dish. Its widespread popularity means consumers can find cheese in nearly every form imaginable: shredded, sliced, cubed, string, and even individually portioned for convenient, on-the-go snacking. Whether you’re pairing meat and cheese for a savory treat or melting it down in a comforting casserole, cheese remains a beloved favorite in home kitchens across the country. 

With so many ways to enjoy it, packaging plays a critical role in helping preserve cheese freshness, reducing food waste, and delivering a consistent, high-quality experience from first use to last. Whether it’s shredded cheese packaging that helps prevent clumping and drying out, a sliced cheese package designed for easy access and reclosure, or packaging for a dairy-free cheese alternative, brands should partner with experienced packaging companies to develop pouches that not only meet but exceed consumer expectations.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Cheese Packaging Materials

When it comes to helping keep cheese products safe and fresh, choosing the right packaging materials is key. Brands need to consider various factors for cheese packaging, such as supply chain logistics, the preservation requirements that help keep different cheese products fresh, how cheese is used in consumers’ homes, and growing sustainability expectations. By carefully evaluating these aspects, brands can make informed decisions when selecting the ideal packaging materials for their cheese products.

The Importance of Durable Packaging Materials for Cheese

In addition to cooking at home, many consumers are continuing to order their groceries from home. This growing focus on e-commerce has led fresh food segments like cheese to find proper distribution methods to ensure product integrity upon delivery. For cheese, that means more than just proper refrigeration and quick distribution—it also requires durable packaging materials that can help protect against moisture loss and physical damage during handling and delivery. 

Different types of cheese can present different challenges. Soft cheeses like brie, feta, and Munster are high in moisture content and must always be refrigerated to prevent spoilage. These products demand airtight, moisture-resistant packaging that helps lock in freshness. In contrast, harder cheeses such as cheddar, are more tolerant of minor temperature variation, making them somewhat more forgiving in a supply chain setting—but still dependent on protective packaging materials that help maintain texture and flavor.

Flexible packaging is an excellent answer to these challenges, as it can help maintain the appropriate atmosphere within cheese packaging during refrigerated distribution. Whether it’s sliced cheese designed for easy stacking or shredded cheese packaged in larger quantities, flexible packaging materials can be customized to the specific needs of each format. The durability of flexible films also helps protect the product throughout the rigorous e-commerce supply chain, which can leave other packaging formats damaged and result in negative impressions about the brand, or worse, a contaminated product.

The Versatility of Reclosable Flexible Packaging for Fresh Cheese Preservation

After delivery, cheese packaging solutions should provide an optimal consumer experience and help extend the product’s shelf life. Home cooks – especially new home cooks – who have a bad experience with cheese packaging may be less likely to buy the same product in the future.

Flexible packaging offers the barrier properties and closure technologies necessary to help keep cheese fresh after the package has been opened and reclosed. Reclosability is a key feature for cheese products because most cheese is sold with multiple servings. For example, a consumer might grab a handful of shredded cheese for tonight’s recipe and rely on the package to help keep the rest fresh for the next meal. Similarly, sliced cheese packaged with a secure, easy-to-use closure allows families to make sandwiches throughout the week without worrying that the remaining slices will dry out or produce mold. By working with a company that understands these requirements for cheese packaging, brands can deliver the freshness, convenience, and quality consumers expect.

Fresh-Lock^® Double Lock Zippers are excellent flexible packaging closure options for helping consumers maintain this necessary moisture barrier. The double-zipper structure of these closures helps to slow down moisture transmission rates and helps the cheese keep its same moisture level as when it was first opened. In addition to consumer benefits, Double Lock Zippers provide several manufacturing advantages:

• Easy crushing locks require minimal heat for sealing, which helps protect films from distorting while allowing faster converting cycles. 
• Made of Soft Seal® material and leveraging our sealant rib technology to help converting performance for high-integrity seals that won’t leak, gap, or distort.
• Work seamlessly with a wide variety of high-speed packaging equipment.
• Style 184 has a ribbed sealant.
• Available with either clear or colored locks.

Reclosability features in cheese packaging can serve a dual purpose beyond helping maintain freshness; they can also help instill confidence in consumers that their cheese package is securely closed. Closures with audible-tactile features are particularly advantageous for cheese packaging, as they can help prevent consumers from mistakenly assuming the package is securely reclosed when it’s not. Our Fresh-Lock^® Click ’N Lock™ Sensory Zippers have become a preferred choice on cheese packaging for this reason. These zippers provide an easy open and close with an audible snap and solid touch for each section as it closes. This portfolio of closures also offers a number of benefits to packagers:

• Enhanced sealant layer adheres easily to film structures.
• Available in clear and colored locks.
• Outside of food, this is also ideal for food, pet food and treats, and lawn and garden.

Reclosable Cheese Packaging Supports Sustainability

Another benefit of reclosable flexible packaging for cheese fanatics is the opportunity to support more sustainable cheese packaging. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. discards nearly 60 million tons of food every year, equating to 325 pounds of waste per person. While reclosable flexible packaging helps combat this waste by helping prevent cheese products from spoiling before they can be consumed, brands can take their sustainable packaging solutions one step further by providing opportunities for package circularity through thoughtfully sourced cheese packaging supplies.

By adopting recycle-ready or compostable cheese packaging materials, brands can attract eco-conscious consumers and help prevent packaging from ending up in landfills. For products like cheese that leave residue in the package after use, education is a must so that consumers understand how to properly clean and dispose of the packaging.

Consumers will enjoy knowing that their support of flexible packaging for cheese has environmental benefits at the manufacturing stage as well. Optimizing a package’s lifecycle by designing waste out of the package at the earliest stages of development is a great method for achieving source reduction. Fewer materials and natural resources are required to produce flexible packaging, and its lightweight format helps reduce carbon emissions from transportation.

All of these benefits must be communicated to consumers to get them excited about supporting sustainable cheese packaging solutions.

Flexible Packaging Solutions to Attract Cheese Customers

Product protection. Functionality. Sustainability. Cheese packaging that can provide all of these benefits to home chefs will stand out among the multitude of choices and help drive repeat purchases. A reclosable flexible pouch with Fresh-Lock® closure technology can ensure that no matter who’s in charge of adding the cheese to a dish, from the most experienced cook to the youngest family member, the product can be easily and properly reclosed for an optimal experience.

If you don’t see a closure option that fits your needs or aren’t sure what would work best for your cheese product, contact the Fresh-Lock team today, and we can collaborate to find the best solution for your needs.

This blog was originally published on 6/3/2021 but updated and republished on 6/9/2025.