Flexible packaging

Driving forces

Profit supersedes all else and, since profit is governed by innovation, the ability to provide properly labelled packs that protect and keep food fresh as they are globally transported in quantity is bound to follow. 

Pet humanisation is another driving force affecting current pet food trends and its packaging. Embracing health and wellness, obesity control, specialised food catering for very young and senior pets can be linked to similar trends in the human food industry. 

Consumer desire for convenience in packaging is growing and the packaging industry is responding. Where pet owners live and shop affects pack size, design and distribution requirements. In addition, expanded distribution for pet food products requires higher performance packaging that extends shelf life, ensures freshness and withstands the demands of mass marketing. 

Flexible packaging

Over the last few years, the flexible packaging market share has expanded at an unprecedented rate, rapidly surpassing rigid materials. This ever-increasing popularity is attributable to a variety of factors such as gauge and barrier-property adjustability, increased durability of packaging materials, shelf life of packaged goods and formatting variability.

Overall, flexible packaging constitutes a formidable marketing and sales-enhancing tool, offering an array of colour/texture combinations, special pigmented inks, holographic films and opening features. These contribute to increasing brand equity, propelling innovation.

With the use of flexible packaging, considerable transportation cost savings and reduction in waste volumes are said to be attainable. Despite the fact that rigid materials are fully recyclable, when the production process is considered as a whole, flexible packaging is considered more cost-effective.

Another level

Adding formats and features to that packaging, such as closure features, handles and other consumer-friendly attributes take the trend to another level. These formats and features, along with pre-made stand-up pouches, are expected to experience continued strong growth in the pet food industry.

Pet food packaging is definitely moving towards a more humanised ‘face’. Instead of dogs and cats on packaging, we now see people enjoying life with their dogs and cats.

Labelling

When deployed effectively, labels enable tracing and provide reassurance as to the contents of a product. The enhanced relevance and value in placing origin information front and centre in pack design cannot be over emphasised.

The European Food Information Regulation is establishing new requirements for on-pack processed food nutrition information, origin labelling for fresh meat, a renewed focus on allergens and, perhaps most importantly, minimum requirements for legibility and text size for the labels themselves. 

The legibility requirements will be of particular note for brands with smaller pack sizes and complex ingredients that will need to include all the required information without compromising branding. There are innovative solutions available such as double-sided labels or labels that can fold out but packagers need to be working on solutions now.

The importance of ingredient claims, and manufacturers’ desires to make those claims stand out, cannot be understated. Buzzwords such as ‘human grade’ meats, grain-free, gluten-free and hormone-free are becoming more common. Along with clean and clear messaging on labels, manufacturers are also paying attention to packaging colour, design and convenience in order to stand out on the shelves.

Sustainability

Both consumers and regulators alike will ensure the continuity of sustainability in packaging through a more holistic approach that incorporates sourcing as well as product protection, transport and display.

There is, however, always scope to improve the environmental performance of products and pack design whatever the material used, as seen in the recognition of paper and board as materials that are renewably sourced, are easily recycled and can biodegrade at end of life. 

Based on the assumption that flexible packaging is eco-friendlier than its fully recyclable rigid counterparts, intensive research in sustainable flexible packaging production processes is ongoing. Fully recyclable and biodegradable flexible packaging produced using non-petroleum-based raw materials, such as cellulose and starch, are highly anticipated upcoming innovations.