PET Food Processing - December 2020 - 55

PACKAGING

AHEAD

OF THE PACK
Innovations in pet food packaging span
different formats, materials and visuals.

By Lynn Petrak | petfoodprocessing@sosland.com

Walking through the pet aisle or scrolling through an ecommerce site might set some tongues - if not tails -
wagging. There is a slew of innovative packages mixing
up the traditional look of pet food departments.
Indeed, if one were to compare pet food packaging
from a decade ago to now, they would find significant
differences. From the rise of refrigerated pet foods to
single serve portions to large bags packaged in an ecofriendlier way, new materials and formats are literally
changing the shape of the market. Improvements in
graphic design and a focus on eye-appeal in a competitive category are also a focus of innovations.
Such innovations come at a time ripe with opportunity for pet food manufacturers. For one thing, the
COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the number of households with pets, through adoption, rescue
and fostering. Between new pet parents and existing pet
parents spending more time at home with their pets,
sales of pet products have risen in 2020, including spikes
in pet foods in spring, according to market research
from Nielsen.
With more pets in homes in 2021, the upswing is
poised to continue, along with higher consumer interest and expectations when it comes to product quality
and variety. The trends toward humanization in the pet

market, growing at a good clip before the pandemic, will
likely continue, according to industry experts.
" What's driving all this innovation is the consumer, "
said Rudolf Schaich, market development manager,
Printpack, Atlanta. " People are mirroring their own
consumption with their pets, and humanization is
driving everything. "
Along with humanization comes an element of premiumization, as pet parents look at products through a
new and more personal lens.
" The last several years have seen tremendous sales
and SKU growth in the premium pet food segment, "
reported Bill Kuecker, vice president of marketing,
Mondi Consumer Packaging, Jackson, Mo. " As brand
owners seek to differentiate themselves in this hypercompetitive market, they often turn to their packaging
partners for assistance. This trend has evolved over the
last several years. "
That assessment is shared by Peter Fox, senior vice
president of sales, SOMIC America, Eagan, Minn.,
which also supplies packaging solutions to the pet food
and treat industry.
" From an end-of-line machine perspective, our view
is that the driving force behind the pet food category is
the differentiation of the product presentation on-shelf

Offering a
packaging format
common in human
food but new to
pet food such
as jarred peanut
butter stands out in
the pet aisle.
Bark Bistro

www.petfoodprocessing.net | December 2020 | PET FOOD PROCESSING

http://www.petfoodprocessing.net

PET Food Processing - December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PET Food Processing - December 2020