Tetra Pak said on Friday that it is broadening its portfolio in the Philippines with new packaging solutions for shelf-stable tuna, a move designed to help boost the country’s global seafood exports.

“The industry is already solid… Tetra Pak is here to support them to make them future-ready for this kind of business,” said Larry Tobias, Business Development Director at Tetra Pak Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and Indonesia (MSPI), during a panel interview with reporters.

“We can help the industry to be more competitive, be more innovative, and be more compliant with the global export market,” he added.

While the Philippines remains one of the world’s top tuna exporters, Mr. Tobias noted that demand for sustainable packaging is gradually growing abroad. “While the export market is very attractive, very dynamic, very strong, there are also basic challenges,” he said. “There is an increasing demand, especially in these receiving markets, for cost competitiveness and newer offers for varieties.” For an export-oriented industry, packaging choices have become part of the competitiveness equation as overseas buyers weigh environmental criteria alongside price.

He added that European countries, among others, are ramping up food safety and packaging policies. “They’re looking for more sustainable packages. Those with higher recyclable content or those that have a lesser impact on the environment.”

As more countries push green initiatives, the Tetra Pak official said this creates an opportunity for local producers to explore packaging beyond traditional cans and tap further into international markets.

The centerpiece of the expansion is Tetra Recart, a packaging solution developed for tuna products including spreads, flakes, shredded tuna, and chunks. It is a retortable carton made of 71% paperboard, 24% plastic, and 5% aluminum foil — a fiber-heavy composition that speaks directly to the recyclable-content preferences Mr. Tobias described among export markets. Retort packaging is sterilized through high-heat processing, which keeps its contents shelf-stable without refrigeration and places the carton alongside canned tuna on the shelf. According to the company, the pack emits 21,000 tonnes less carbon dioxide than one million cans and produces a carbon footprint more than 80% lower than that of steel cans and glass jars.

Following its push into the tuna segment, the company plans to venture into other food sectors. “Of course, if there’s any other food industry or food company… We are very much open to discussing… and we will be more than happy to bring them on board,” Mr. Tobias said. How quickly local processors adopt the carton format, and which food categories Tetra Pak courts next, will indicate how far the portfolio expansion reaches beyond its initial segment.

Data from the Department of Agriculture – National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (DA-NFRDI) estimated the country’s tuna catch in 2025 at 230,347 metric tons (MT), up from 201,034 MT in 2024 — a growing raw-material base that underscores the scale behind the country’s export push. Skipjack tuna remained the most dominant species in last year’s catch, accounting for 58%, while yellowfin tuna trailed with about 39%. Bigeye tuna and albacore tuna made up 3% and 1%, respectively.

— Almira Louise S. Martinez