What is The Best Packaging For Pet Food?

Are you looking to have pet food and treat packaging that gives your product a competitive edge? Read on to learn how you can achieve that.

Pet owners are crazy about their furry friends, which has resulted in a massive upsurge in the pet food industry. Because of the growing need for high-quality food and treats for pets, businesses are adopting new trends to help them compete for customers. Just what is the best packaging for pet food and why should you be more specific about this?

Why Focus So Much On Pet Food Packaging?

With so many up-and-coming brands, custom packaging design has become one of the most common trends people use to identify their petcare brands.

From a pet's perspective, packaging is simply a barrier between them and a wonderful snack or meal. For the pet owner, packaging can very well make the difference between a single purchase and recurring purchases.

However, for you, the pet food brand, your packaging is a tool you must use to distinguish yourself in an increasingly congested marketplace.

Given the importance of packaging to both the business and the customer, it's no surprise that today's packaging elements and designs are more carefully considered and implemented.

You, the pet food manufacturer, should carefully choose the graphics, fonts, and product information on your packaging to tell your brand story in a meaningful way to your customers.

Strolling down the pet aisle or browsing an e-commerce site may cause some tongues – if not tails – to wag. There are a variety of emerging products that are shaking up the standard appearance of pet food aisles.

Indeed, there are considerable improvements in pet food packaging from a decade ago and now. New materials and formats are actually changing the structure of the industry, from the emergence of refrigerated pet meals to single-serving quantities to huge bags packaged in an eco-friendly way.

Improvements in art and design and an emphasis on eye appeal in a competitive market are also a focus of advancements. Such advancements come at an opportune moment for pet food makers.

For starters, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of homes with pets through rescue, fostering, and adoption. According to Nielsen market research, sales of pet products have increased since 2020 due to new pet parents and established pet parents spending more time at home with their pets.

Packaging plays a vital role in the pet food industry's rapid expansion, particularly for luxury products. The container makes brands easy to identify for cat and dog owners who desire sustainable solutions, customized pet diets, and nutrients that are appealing to humans as well.

Consumers have demonstrated a willingness to spend more for environmentally friendly packaging and convenience features such as bag handles and stay-fresh closures. When you purchase the best quality treat or food for your darling pet, you don't want it to spoil or spill from the container.

Flexible packaging and lightweight packages with quality protection and custom printing enable manufacturers to capitalize on the growing pet food industry and respond to trends such as CBD supplements, high protein content, and wet treats. As pet food production in the United States has gotten safer due to FSMA, packaging promotes transparency, showcasing the food via clear windows and emphasizing natural ingredients.

What Is the Best Packaging for Pet Treats and Pet Food?

From talking to business owners and dealing with unique needs day in and day out, we know that the ideal pet treat packaging has the following characteristics:

  • It offers excellent protection during transportation and handling.
  • It protects against environmental factors that cause it to spoil or deteriorate in various ways.
  • It has plenty of branding space, therefore, drawing consumers' attention and effectively selling the product. Even the greatest dog chow cannot be produced if sales are inadequate.
  • It is made of non-contaminant materials that do not degrade the food and render it inedible to pets.
  • It is easy to handle, so customers will have no trouble feeding their pets.

Given all of these considerations, it is reasonable to conclude that flexible pouches are the greatest packaging solution for pet food and treats.

In addition to keeping the contents protected from oxidation and moisture contamination, flexible pouches are less challenging to handle and transport for consumers and manufacturers. You can choose from a variety of additional pet food packaging features, and we can fully customize them for you, so your brand stands out on the shelf.

Pet Food and Treats Packaging That Will Boost Your Sales

Let's take a look at each of the above requirements for excellent pet food packaging and see if flexible pouches from Pouch Me meet these requirements:

1. Physical Considerations: Pouch Build Features and Add-ons

We make our flexible pouches from several polymer and food-grade layers. These layers, when combined, provide enough protection from external factors that might spoil your pet food.

The multiple layers of polymer and food-grade material protect the packaging film from rips and punctures that may occur during product shipment and handling. These layers are also thick enough to withstand minor shocks.

2. Environmental Factors: Exposure to the Elements

Moisture, oxygen, dirt, microbes, and other environmental elements can react with pet food and cause it to go bad before its expiration date.

Choose peace of mind with our flexible pouches: they provide optimal protection for your petcare products during transit, on the shelf, and during handling.

3. Branding: Successful Marketing and Selling Your Products

In school, children learn that a sphere has the smallest surface area for a given volume. In layman's terms, the less surface area it has, the rounder an item is.

As a result, for the same capacity, a costly jar or tin may give less surface area for branding than a flexible pouch. A stand-up pouch has extra surface space for product information, brand promotion, and logo placement.

By choosing this kind of pet food and pet treat packaging, you maximize your working budget for stronger branding, creating more opportunities for closing the sale. This equates to a better ROI.

4. Non-Contaminant Materials: Approved Safe and Compliant

This really is a no-brainer. We manufacture your custom printed flexible pouches using food-grade material that has been authorized by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

To deliver the best experience to your customers, choose approved packaging materials that protect and preserve. Rest easy with packaging having the distinction of being safe for food items.

5. Convenience for the User: Unique Needs and Custom Specifications

With the addition of attachments such as a transparent window, bag handle, spout, or zipper, stand-up pouches can become extremely user-friendly.

Depending on how you need your packaging to present and dispense your products, Pouch Me custom pouches also have the advantage of allowing your pet to eat directly from them. A tin can that has been improperly opened can injure your pet, while flexible pouches pose no such risk to animals.

Choose to Partner With a Seasoned Pet Food Packaging Manufacturer

Manufacturers in this industry understand how important it is for packaging to preserve product freshness while protecting it against damage during shipping.

If you work with a professional packaging designer, you can achieve this and still make your product stand out from the competition.

Choose smooth sailing and enjoy all the benefits of working with our Press, Prepress, Production, and Service teams:

1. Save More Money, Get Comprehensive Service, Enjoy More Options 

Choose the best setup for you. We provide a wide range of flexible packaging options to suit all budgets, with a wide range of formats, materials, and finishing processes, such as diecut custom pet food pouches. You may now compete with the industry's top brands at pricing that works for your company.

Apart from the continued services of an entire team of print experts and Prepress designers, your brand gains a competitive edge with more customization options to realize your branding vision. 

2. Fast Lead Times, Free Shipping, Complimentary Services  

Choose great turnaround times and VIP service. You can shop online and verify that we guarantee one of the quickest turnaround times in the packaging business.

You don't need to pay extra for Prepress proofing, revisions, and layout services. We lighten the load as much as we can for you. Digital and plate printing have expedited lead times of 4 and 5 weeks, respectively.

3. Preserves Your Product's Freshness and Flavor

Choose the best packaging for perishable products. Wrapping your pet food in high-quality flexible packaging helps to keep your product fresher for extended periods and simplifies storage for the end consumer.

While packaging pet food in other formats can work also, professional, flexible barrier materials create the best protective and preservative housing, hands down. Whatever treat or food you sell, it will be delivered safely and fresh.

At Pouch Me, we can create strong and sturdy pet treats and food pouches for you by combining a variety of barrier films designed to keep your product fresh and safe even when shipping to long distances. Our selection of flexible barrier packaging constructed exclusively for pet food will offer you a competitive edge. Reach out to our customer service representatives now and get started today.

4. Low Minimum Order Quantities

Choose the freedom only to buy what you need initially. You can order to print and customize as few as 500 branded pouches for your pet food or pet treat.

Pouch Me's technical and physical methods and machine competencies pay off and you reap the advantages. From rotogravure to digital printing, your custom petcare pouches are finished as premium quality packaging while you get the lowest possible pricing.


- Pet Food and Treats Packaging That Will Boost Your Sales FAQs -

What is the best way to ship homemade dog treats? 

If you aren't packaging your treats in protective mylar pouches, wrap in foil and plastic wrap. To make sure your creations remain secure and fresh, wrap bigger-sized treats (3" and larger) in separate foil sheets before wrapping them together in plastic wrap. 

The most straightforward approach to safely shipping your pet treat delicacies is to start with the condition of your products. Bake them and minimize the moisture content, so they can be stored for a long time without being refrigerated. This way, you won't have to be concerned if your delivery takes longer to reach the consumer.

Do homemade dog treats need to be FDA approved?

There is no obligation for FDA premarket clearance of pet food items. However, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) mandates that pet consumables, like human foods, be safe to eat, made under hygienic circumstances, contain no dangerous chemicals, and be labeled accurately.

How do you package homemade dog treats?

Paper bags are a low-cost and eco-friendly solution to package dog treats if you don't need to ship and sell these in local stores or markets. Use new bags that can be neatly folded securely and labeled with the ingredients. Use an ink stamp to add your business logo on the front of the bags, or create a sticky label with your brand information in a visible location.

For professional dog treats packaging, nothing can replace custom mylar pouches. This kind of packaging will give you the most extended shelf life, making each batch last longer for your customers.

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