Over the past few years, pet food industry has become extremely competitive. With increasing demand from pet owners for protective, informative and sustainable packaging, manufacturers are focusing on producing more intelligent packaging solutions. Let us take a look at four innovative packaging trends pet food packaging industry.
1.Sustainable packaging:
Sustainable packaging for pet food is no longer a luxury. In response to increasing consumer awareness and regulations to reduce excessive waste, pet food manufacturers are thinking beyond plastic and opting for eco-friendly packaging. Although COVID-19 may have changed many concerns to safety and security, reducing waste and minimizing environmental impacts is still top of mind among consumers. Because of the pandemic, people have more time to spend bonding with their pets and making conscious buying decisions. Consumer research conducted has shown that consumers are more likely to favor brands that innovate their packaging to be more sustainable.
2. Convenience packaging:
Pet owner’s increasingly busy lifestyle demands more convenience options in terms of packaging. Closures such as press-lock technology, slide and snap seals, single use cups, Velcro, and hook-to-hook reassures pet owners of the product’s quality and safety, ultimately allowing brands to build better customer loyalty and trust. Such technologies not only keep the food fresh, but also contributes to convenience features that ensure easier feeding. Wet pet food is experiencing convenience in feeding with multi chamber cups for fresher, smaller portions, as well as pouch products with gravy sauce toppings for dry food or on the go snacking. While developing packages for pet food, it is important for manufactures to think about reliable and convenient features in their packaging.
3. Flexible packaging:
Flexible packaging offers a safe barrier for pet food and reduces waste due to its all-in-one nature. When walking into a Pet Store, flexible packaging is the dominant form of packaging for delivering food products to our pets. Such packages can provide higher accessibility and functionality to pet owners, such as being lighter weight, easier to handle, collapsible or reclosable. Additionally, flexible packaging matches the shelf-life of traditional longer shelf-life packaging, which provides newer options in the wet pet food packaging space.
4. Premiumization:
Factors such as sustainable living, clean label, and increase in millennial pet owners have contributed towards rise in interest for premium pet foods. Although, earlier the interest in premiumization was limited to ingredients, sourcing and processing, today the trend has moved on to packaging as well. With increasing interest in touch-based packaging, manufacturers understand the importance of conveying a brand’s story in a unique way that customers find attractive
Pet Food Packaging Solutions from Waldner North America
Waldner North America specializes in automated pouch filling machine for shelf stable cups, trays, pouches and spouted pouches for packaging pet food and pet treats. Waldner DOSOMAT technology is proven with over 100 varieties of wet pet food and pet loaf product. In order to support pet food manufacturers in dealing with stringy pet food products, Waldner developed the Wisk-A-Nozzle. This is the leading edge of filling nozzles designed specifically for “dripless” filling, which results in a clean seal to mitigate contamination issues. This Wisk-A-Nozzle offers fill-weight accuracy and assurance that pet foods will retain texture and moisture throughout the filling process. These nozzles are used for cup, tray or pouch applications. In all applications, the Waldner DOSOMAT packaging machines are manufactured to be reliable, robust, and to operate at 95% or greater Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
