Grizzlies at Spring Canton Fair 2024: Advancing Bagasse Packaging for Global Buyers
Grizzlies successfully participated in the Spring Canton Fair 2024, meeting international buyers, distributors, restaurant supply companies, importers and private label customers looking for reliable and sustainable food packaging solutions.
The 135th China Import and Export Fair provided an important opportunity for our team to meet customers face to face, present our sugarcane bagasse tableware range and discuss how molded fiber packaging could support foodservice, takeaway, retail and distribution programs in different global markets.
Compared with previous exhibitions, many buyers in 2024 came with more detailed sourcing requirements. Their questions were no longer limited to price and product size. They wanted to understand material performance, food-contact documentation, PFAS-free solutions, custom development, production capacity and whether a manufacturer could support long-term bulk supply.
Connecting with Global Buyers at the 135th Canton Fair
The 135th Canton Fair was held in Guangzhou from April 15 to May 5, 2024, with the second phase running from April 23 to April 27.
The fair attracted buyers from markets around the world, creating valuable opportunities for manufacturers and international customers to discuss new projects directly.
For Grizzlies, the exhibition allowed us to reconnect with existing customers while also meeting new buyers from Europe, North America, Australia, the Middle East and other markets.
Visitors were particularly interested in molded fiber products for:
- restaurant takeaway;
- meal delivery;
- catering;
- supermarket prepared food;
- food distribution;
- private label packaging programs.
These conversations helped our team better understand how buyer expectations were changing across different foodservice channels.
Bagasse Food Containers Were a Key Focus
One of the main product categories discussed during the exhibition was bagasse food containers.
Buyers were looking for molded fiber packaging that could handle different types of meals while also supporting sustainability and regulatory goals.
Applications discussed included hot meals, salads, rice dishes, pasta, prepared food, takeaway meals and food delivery.
Different projects required different container sizes, shapes and lid structures. Some buyers preferred molded fiber lids, while others needed transparent lid options for prepared-food and retail applications.
This reinforced an important point for B2B sourcing: selecting a container should be based on the food application, filling temperature, holding time, storage conditions and distribution channel rather than capacity alone.
Clamshell Packaging Continued to Attract Foodservice Buyers
Bagasse hinged containers also received strong interest from restaurant and takeaway buyers.
Our bagasse sugarcane clamshells are designed for foodservice applications including burgers, rice meals, fried foods, sandwiches and combination meals.
Buyers discussed both single-compartment and multi-compartment formats depending on the type of meal being served.
For example, 8 × 8 inch and 9 × 9 inch three-compartment bagasse clamshells can help separate mains, side dishes and vegetables within a single package.
For foodservice operators, these formats can simplify packing while helping maintain meal presentation during takeaway and delivery.
PFAS-Free Packaging Became a Major Buyer Concern in 2024
One of the clearest industry topics discussed in 2024 was PFAS-free food packaging.
Molded fiber products often require grease and moisture resistance for applications involving fried food, oily meals, sauces and hot takeaway dishes.
Historically, certain PFAS substances had been used in some fiber-based food packaging applications to improve grease resistance.
However, regulatory and market pressure accelerated significantly in 2024.
In February 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that grease-proofing substances containing PFAS were no longer being sold by manufacturers for food-contact use in the U.S. market.
This made PFAS-free molded fiber packaging an increasingly important requirement for customers supplying restaurants, foodservice distributors and retailers in North America.
At the fair, buyers wanted to understand not only whether a product was PFAS-free, but also whether it could still deliver the oil resistance, moisture resistance and structural performance needed for real foodservice use.
European Buyers Were Watching New Packaging Rules Closely
European customers were also paying greater attention to packaging regulation in 2024.
In March 2024, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on new packaging and packaging waste rules.
The agreement strengthened requirements around packaging reduction, sustainability and substances of concern, including proposed restrictions on PFAS in food-contact packaging above specified thresholds.
For buyers selling into Europe, this increased the importance of understanding:
- material composition;
- food-contact suitability;
- chemical compliance;
- environmental claims;
- compostability certification;
- end-of-life expectations.
These developments also encouraged more buyers to look closely at fiber-based materials such as bagasse when reviewing future foodservice packaging programs.
Compliance Became Part of the Initial Sourcing Discussion
Another clear development at Spring Canton Fair 2024 was that documentation questions came much earlier in the purchasing process.
Buyers wanted to know what certificates, test reports and compliance information could support a product before moving into samples or mass production.
Depending on the destination market, discussions included FDA, LFGB, BPI, OK Compost, OK Compost Home, BRCGS and PFAS-free requirements.
For professional buyers, supporting documentation can be just as important as physical product performance because distributors, retailers and restaurant groups often need evidence before approving a new packaging line.
Our Manufacturing Strength Supports Large-Volume Programs
During the exhibition, many buyers also wanted to understand the manufacturing capability behind the products.
Grizzlies Industries has more than 15 years of OEM and ODM experience in disposable food packaging.
Our manufacturing network includes:
- 11 production bases;
- more than 1,000 employees;
- over 280 automated forming machines;
- monthly production capacity of approximately 200 × 40HQ containers.
These capabilities allow us to support distributors, foodservice groups, retailers and private label customers with stable bulk production and repeat-order supply.
For international buyers, production scale is important because launching a new food packaging product is only useful if the supplier can continue delivering consistent quality as demand grows.
OEM and ODM Projects Became More Technical
Customization was another important topic at Spring Canton Fair 2024.
Buyers were increasingly looking beyond standard catalogue products and asking whether manufacturers could develop packaging specifically for their own applications.
Typical OEM and ODM requirements included:
- custom dimensions;
- special compartment layouts;
- different product depths;
- custom molds;
- different colors;
- lid compatibility;
- barrier and coating requirements;
- private label packaging;
- carton and pallet specifications.
Grizzlies works with customers from product concept and mold development through sampling, testing and mass production.
This allows buyers to develop molded fiber packaging around their actual menu, retail or distribution requirements rather than being limited to standard market formats.
Barrier Performance Became More Important for Molded Fiber Packaging
As buyers moved toward PFAS-free solutions, barrier technology also became a more important technical topic.
Different foods place different demands on molded fiber packaging.
Dry foods may require relatively simple structures, while oily, wet or frozen foods may require additional barrier performance.
Depending on the project, Grizzlies can support molded fiber packaging with different coating and lamination directions designed for specific food applications.
This is particularly important for buyers developing packaging for prepared meals, chilled food, frozen products or foods with longer holding times.
The objective is to combine renewable fiber materials with the level of performance required by the actual product.
Bagasse Plates and Trays Expanded the Product Discussion
In addition to containers and clamshells, buyers also showed interest in broader molded fiber tableware programs.
Our bagasse sugarcane plates include different round, square, oval and compartment formats suitable for restaurants, catering, events and institutional foodservice.
Buyers also discussed bagasse sugarcane trays for meal service, prepared food and catering applications.
For distributors, sourcing multiple molded fiber categories from one manufacturing partner can simplify product development, quality management and procurement planning.
Strengthening Existing Partnerships and Developing New Projects
One of the most important outcomes of Spring Canton Fair 2024 was the opportunity to deepen customer relationships.
Existing partners visited our team to discuss new product requirements, updated specifications and future purchasing plans.
At the same time, new buyers used the exhibition to evaluate Grizzlies as a potential long-term manufacturing partner.
Face-to-face discussions made it easier to understand customer concerns around compliance, mold development, product performance, MOQ, lead times and bulk-order planning.
These conversations also generated valuable feedback that continues to influence our product development.
From Product Samples to Complete Packaging Programs
Spring Canton Fair 2024 showed that food packaging procurement was becoming increasingly professional.
Many customers were no longer looking for a single disposable product. They were building complete packaging programs for restaurants, retailers and distribution networks.
This meant buyers needed suppliers capable of supporting:
- multiple product categories;
- custom development;
- compliance documentation;
- stable manufacturing;
- quality consistency;
- long-term repeat orders.
Grizzlies' combination of molded fiber manufacturing, OEM/ODM development and large-scale production allows us to support these more complex B2B sourcing requirements.
Looking Ahead After Spring Canton Fair 2024
Spring Canton Fair 2024 provided Grizzlies with valuable opportunities to strengthen existing partnerships, connect with new global buyers and better understand how food packaging requirements were evolving.
PFAS-free solutions, stricter compliance expectations, sustainable materials and reliable supply were becoming increasingly connected in customer purchasing decisions.
For Grizzlies, these changes reinforce the importance of combining product innovation with manufacturing capability, technical support and market-specific compliance.
We will continue developing bagasse food containers, clamshells, bowls, plates, trays and customized molded fiber packaging for foodservice customers around the world.
If you are sourcing bagasse packaging, PFAS-free molded fiber products or customized foodservice packaging, contact Grizzlies to discuss samples, OEM/ODM development, specifications and bulk procurement requirements.