Stale, over-sized bags of pet food, move aside – there are new players in town.
Pet’s are people too! Well, sort of. And pet owners want to treat their pets like part of the family, from their entertainment to their diet. According to PetFoodIndusty.com, pet owners are much more likely to buy food they believe is more nutritious, fresher, and tastier for their pets. That means food with a more appetizing texture (wet food), natural ingredients or including specialty foods. “Wet food” packaging currently accounts for 28 percent of the market, with cans being the most common form of packaging, and pouches coming in second.
Why is “wet food” packaging more appealing? Packaged Facts is reporting pet owners turning toward packaging designs that convey a sense of humanity. This type of humanization comes in several forms, from resealable plastic bags, to trays and pouches.
These are packaging designs you encounter every day in the foods you eat. So why shouldn’t your pet? It’s not often we as humans scoop out a cup full of dry, mass-produced food meal.
So what about cans versus pouches? Pouches are already identifiable by consumers as keeping foods fresher thanks to their surge in popularity with human food. These pouches allow pet parents to add a tasty treat to the top of their pet’s normal kibble meal, very similar to adding canned food to enhance the flavors of dry kibble. The difference, however, is the product coming out of the pouches often smells and looks more appetizing to us, the parents, than what comes from a can.
Two additional bonuses many pouches have are their shelf stability and convenient packaging shape. Similar to cans, most formulas contained in pouches have to be shelf stable, leading to a longer lifespan. Pet parents also appreciate pouches because they can be stored more compactly in pantries and on shelves, requiring less precious fridge space. Also, pouches can be purchased in bulk to cut down on the cost of premium food.
Standup pouches in particular are gaining traction because of their convenient design. Their rectangular shape conserves space, while being lightweight. These types of pouches are also kid-friendly, providing children an easy, fun way to take on a sense of ownership while feeding their family pet. The lack of sharp edges adds an extra safety feature for parent, child, and pet.
The additional cost for packaging food in smaller containers does not seem to be deterring even the thriftiest of pet parents. To offset costs, TC Transcontinental Packaging is seeing a growing trend in the sale of economy packs to this more cost-conscious market.
Packaged Facts is also reporting a rise in pouch-packaged purchases among consumers for both wet and dry food. In fact, Global Market Insights, Inc. predicts pouches will exceed $10.5 billion in sales by 2024.
So while dry dog food is still the industry leader, this new trend in packaging is quickly catching on. Resealable bags, cans, trays, and pouches are all gaining traction in the marketplace. Pet parents want their beloved animals to eat like them – from what’s in their food to how it’s packaged. This could very well become a new era of not just ensuring the product is top notch quality, but making sure the packaging matches the lifestyle of pet parents – fun and convenient.
If you are looking for a contract manufacture to partner with for pet food meal enhancers in convenient single serve pouches, Tree Top has several single serve pouch lines capable of filling various pouch sizes. Choose from fill and seal to pre-formed stand up pouches. For sizes see our custom pouch solutions brochure here.
Please contact us for more information.
Sources: PetFood Industry, Packaged Facts, Global Market Insights, Inc.