Metal Still Dominates Dog and Cat Food Packaging

According to Euromonitor, flexible plastic saw the fastest unit volume growth in wet dog food in 2019 as consumers showed a growing preference for stand-up pouches that deliver convenience, transparency, and a more premium image.

Pet Food Chart[1]

The global pet food market surpassed $94.6 billion in 2019.  The U.S. leads the world in pet food sales as pet owners around the world seek fresher, healthier and ethically produced ingredients—the same as they expect for themselves.

According to a new report from PMMI Business Intelligence, “Trends and Drivers Impacting the Pet Food Industry,” this trend to “humanize” our pets has been going on for some time, and can require changes in processing--more slowly to preserve textural integrity, at lower temperatures to preserve nutritional value, with more exotic ingredients, with a continued shift of packaging towards pouches to prevent the deterioration of nutrients through oxidation.

This change will result in an increase demand for fillers, FFS, and other pouch compatible primary packaging equipment.

The pet food market is broken up into four main food groups: 

  • Dry Food (Kibble)
  • Wet Food (Pate’, Minced and Shredded, Gravies and Chunks, Morsels and Cubed) 
  • Treats and Snacks (Biscuits, Soft Chews, Jerky, Chews and Bones)
  • Nutraceuticals (Vitamins and Minerals, Dietary, Enzymes, Probiotics)
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