Pet Food Processing - January 2024 - 57

PACKAGING
CONVENIENCE
and SUSTAINABILITY
Wet pet food packaging offers a range of options
to suit processor and consumer demands alike.
By Jennifer Barnett Fox | petfoodprocessing@sosland.com
T
Today's pet feeding occasions are about more than nourishment
- they are also about delighting the pet and, by proxy,
delighting the owner, too. This could be why pet products
and services are at the bottom of household spending cutbacks,
according to the 2023-2024 US Pet Market Outlook,
Freedonia Group, Cleveland.
In 2023, the pet food packaging market is worth $12.08
billion, according to Mordor Intelligence. Between now
and 2028, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of
6.4% as it continues to gain traction. Through 2027, continued
advancement across all pet industry sectors will be
characterized by a gradual return to normalcy with the reinvigoration
of premiumization, health and wellness, and
sustainability trends.
A desire for increased health and wellness finds some pet
parents feeding wet or moist foods that boost hydration,
are lower in carbohydrates, and higher in protein and fat
as compared to dry foods. By wet pet food packaging type,
canned accounts for 62% of wet dog food purchasing as of
2023, compared with plastic cups/tubs at 19% and pouches
at 17%, according to MRI-Simmons, New York.
Considering flexibility
Packaging for filling, sealing and retorting offers immediate
and visible evidence of a company's efforts to improve
food safety, appeal to consumer demands, and demonstrate
sustainability efforts. Using the right packaging equipment
for the package format and product being filled can achieve
both product consistency and processing efficiency. Within
the packaging, the food can be cooked beforehand and
filled into packaging (hot fill) or packaged and cooked inpack
(retort).
Historically, more premium brands have paved the way
for new packaging technologies. Today, the market boasts a
growing diversity of convenient packaging options in cans,
cups, split cups, cups with lids, and pouches.
For decades, cans have traditionally been the package
of choice for wet pet foods, offering extended shelf life
and the strength and reliability to make it through the
supply chain with minimal damage. A range of sizes offers
convenience for consumers and can act as a form of portion
control for pets.
Retort packages are compact and lightweight and can
save space in the warehouse with the ability to lay flat before
filling with a lightness benefitting distribution. Flexible
pouches provide barrier and durability to protect fresh
food, and thin retort packaging material offers fast sterilization.
On-pack windows offer visibility to the product and
reclose features offer convenient, easy access.
" Flexible packaging is an attractive on-trend offering
for fresh pet food as it provides barrier and durability to
protect and maintain freshness and quality, while displaying
high-end graphics to promote the brand and communicate
nutritional information on store shelf, " said Julie
Lichtman, director of strategic marketing, consumer, TC
Transcontinental, Chicago.
www.petfoodprocessing.net | January 2024 | PET FOOD PROCESSING 57
As the largest privatelabel
and contract
manufacturer of wet
pet food in North
America, Simmons Pet
Food produces its wet
offerings in a variety
of packaging formats
including aluminum
and steel cans,
pouches and cups.
Ryan Alcantara Photography
http://www.petfoodprocessing.net
Pet Food Processing - January 2024

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