petfood pro 4/2021

Packaging
Label Innovations offer More
Creating stand-out packaging for Millennial brand differentiation in the pet food aisle
The pandemic and associated lockdowns
have accelerated trends in many industries.
In the pet industry, pet ownership has
risen dramatically. According to the
European Pet Food Federation (FEDIAF),
approximately 38% of all households in the
European Union now own a pet, a total of
88 million homes 1 . Meanwhile, data from
the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association
shows that 2.1m Brits collected a new pet
during lockdown and notably, more than
one-third (35%) of young adults, age 24-
35, have, or are planning to, embark on
lives as new pet owners 2 .
Increased demand for pets naturally
equates to increased demand for pet food -
the European pet food market is projected
to see a CAGR of 4.5% between 2021 and
2026 3 . In the increasingly competitive
pet food market, a point of difference is
vital to brands hoping to stand out and
capture market share, particularly among
Millennials and Gen Z consumers. As startup
brands jostle for shelf space with wellestablished
big players, such as Mars and
Nestle, the need for dynamic, vibrant
packaging that can grab the attention of
the consumer is very clear.
For pet food brand owners there are several
key trends influencing the market that
can filter into pack design. Most notably,
and perhaps a key driver behind all other
trends, is the increase in the humanization
of pets across Europe. Pet humanization
is becoming a globally accepted term
in the pet industry as owners treat their
pets like a family member and seek to
provide them with human-like products
or experiences 4 . Pet owners are happy to
indulge and spend heavily on ensuring
the best quality of food for their pets.
This has led to an increasing number of
premium products entering the pet food
market.
“If brand owners are developing higher
quality food for pets, then they need
packaging that also suggests ‘premium’
or ‘finest’,” says Susan Ellison, joint MD
at OPM (Labels and Packaging) Group.
“Introducing tactile, gloss and foil finishes,
embossing or high-definition graphics to
pack design all respond to the demand
for superior quality and exclusivity.
Combine this with enhanced pack
functionality, such as easy tear or
resealability for greater convenience, and
the perception of premium products is
more appealing, and pet owners likely to
treat food as something worth spending
a little extra on.
“When consumers are faced with a shelf
of products that all claim to have better
quality and highly nutritious ingredients,
the pack becomes the shop window for
the brand. It can create the all-important
shelf-standout and ultimately, influence
purchase decisions in a moment.”
Beyond more premium, nutritious
ingredients for improved digestive health,
skin and coat care, the pet food market
is seeing significant growth in organic
and plant-based foods, replicating the
alternative diet trends being embraced by
their Millennial and Gen Z owners 5 . Mars
Petcare UK, for example, launched the
Nutro brand of super premium pet food,
which uses its ‘Feed Clean’ philosophy to
bring the clean eating trend to cats and
dogs.
Just as when developing packaging
for humans, brands are faced with
the challenge of incorporating large
amounts of information on pack and
labels to demonstrate provenance.
“Label innovation now ensures a whole
multitude of data can be included on pack
without impacting the visual appearance,”
says Susan. “We are seeing more requests
for multi-layered, peelable and foldout
labels to accommodate brand and
consumer needs, while QR codes are
often printed on-label to create a new
level of engagement post-purchase to
detail origins of ingredients and brand
story.”
While premiumization of pet meals is
one area of growth, in contrast there
is an equally important market need
to challenge pet obesity. Humanizing
pets means it’s become all too easy for
owners to give in to begging for food
and see food as a way to keep their pets
happy. According to a Better Cities for
Pets survey, conducted with pet owners
in Brazil, China, Russia, UK and USA, more
than half (54%) of cat and dog owners
always or often give their pet food if they
beg for it, and nearly a quarter (22%) of
cat and dog owners sometimes overfeed
their pet to keep them happy 6 .
“This is where flexible packaging has
really come to the forefront in the pet
food market” Susan comments. “Single
serve packs enable superb portion control
to support better weight management, as
well as presenting consumers with a more
convenient, hygienic option. The barrier
properties of flexible packaging ensure
food stays fresh and tasty and, of course,
the single serve pack means little, if no
waste, at all.”
This last point is particularly crucial
for pet food brands to take note of.
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Technology & Marketing