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Convenience is key

Pet-food manufacturers discuss the future of packaging and how innovation, customer convenience, and ease-of-use fit in with upcoming packaging plans.

Nestlé is testing this new 18-lb bag, which is easier for consumers to carry and store. Nestlé is looking for pet-food pac
Nestlé is testing this new 18-lb bag, which is easier for consumers to carry and store. Nestlé is looking for pet-food pac

Packaging innovation is what consumers can expect to find when they walk down the pet-food aisle of their local grocery store in the near future. Convenience has a lot to do with it. It’s become so crucial a component in the whole pet-food marketing mix that those who manufacture and package pet food spend a lot of time innovating just to make sure their packages offer sufficient ease-of-use in the consumer’s hands.

“We’re really looking into things that are easy to display in the stores, things that are easy to use,” says Richard Thompson, vice president at The Meow Mix Co., Secaucus, NY. “Pet-food packaging hasn’t been easy to use. It’s been stuck in the 1960’s, if you will. We want to bring it into the 21st century.”

Another trend emerging in pet-food packaging is the notion that “bigger is better.” This makes ease of handling more important than ever. Says Anson Merrick of Nestlé Purina, “We’ve noticed a growth in the large-bag segment, as well as the convenience features of easy open, reclosability, easy carrying, etc. We’re really trying to be innovative.”

“Cat people are different than dog people,” Thompson says. “They tend to buy smaller bags, easy to open, easy close, keeps bugs out, and stuff that’s fun. We want to create something fun. So we’re certainly into being innovative. I’ve hired a full-time person who’s just looking into that.”

And while this innovation means a higher price tag for the manufacturer, and sometimes the consumer, pet-food producers are willing to take that risk.

“I’m a clear believer that with the right type of packaging, you can deliver value to the consumers. People will be able to pay a nickel or a dime for added value, for example,” Thompson says.

Following are three examples of how pet-food manufacturers are dealing with the changes and trends in packaging within their industry.

Big time packaging

Noticing a growing demand for pet foods in the large-bag segment (18 lb and up), marketers at Nestlé Purina searched for a bag that would not only be large but also easy for the cat-owner to handle. The company may have found what it needs in the FlexBox™ PET/PE four-walled bag from Nordenia (Jackson, MO). The four-side sealed bag has been market-tested for Nestlé’s 18-lb packs of both Friskies-brand Oceanfish and Friskies-brand Chef’s Blend kibble for kitties. Nestlé is considering it as a replacement for the multiwall paper bag currently in use. Nordenia forms the bag and sends it to Nestlé’s contract packager for filling.

“We wanted to test an innovative concept in the large-bag arena,” says Anson Merrick of Nestlé. “And we wanted to see how retailers would respond.”

Available only at Kroger and WalMart stores, the FlexBox was in test for approximately three months. Nestlé is now studying further use of the unusual packaging concept. While it represents a price increase for Nestlé, “The goal would be to increase distribution on the brands in order to offset that increase in cost,” Merrick says.

Conveying Innovations Report
Editors report on distinguishing characteristics that define each new product and collected video demonstrating the equipment or materials as displayed at the show. This topical report, winnowed from nearly 300 PACK EXPO collective booth visits, represents a categorized, organized account of individual items that were selected based on whether they were deemed to be both new, and truly innovative, based on decades of combined editorial experience in experiencing and evaluating PACK EXPO products.
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