The "US Pet Food Packaging Market Report 2024" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Demand for pet food and treat packaging is forecast to increase 3.3% per year to $4 billion in 2028, with volume rising 2.9% per year to 26.2 billion units.

Two key consumer trends - the humanization of pets (pets as family) and growing sales of pet food through nontraditional outlets such as e-commerce, club stores, and subscriptions - are not only impacting market growth but changing the types of packaging used.

Plastic film-based packaging will see by far the fastest growth as performance and convenience drive packaging decisions. Plastic will soon become the most common material for pet food packaging in units.

Report Scope

This report analyzes the scope, size, and growth of the US pet food and treat packaging market, including key trends in product and market segmentation. Historical data are provided for 2013, 2018, and 2023 with forecasts for 2028 and 2033, with year-by-year historical market volatility also addressed.

In addition, annual historical and forecast data are provided from 2020 to 2027. Data are provided in both units and US dollar value. Also included is an analysis of the key industry players and their respective market shares.

Fresh Refrigerated & Frozen Pet Food Sales Spur Demand for New Packaging Formats

Much like in human food, consumers see "fresh" as healthier and higher quality than shelf stable food, and this perception, along with the rise of subscription pet food services, is driving strong sales growth in refrigerated and frozen pet food products. Fresh foods require different packaging than traditional dry and canned options, so the strong growth in these new formats is also driving demand for newer types of packaging such as pouches, chubs, and brick packs.

New Packaging Formats Continue to Replace Traditional Bags & Cans

Historically, pet food packaging was dominated by paper and woven polypropylene bags for dry food and metal cans for wet food. However, demand for these formats is expected to decline in unit terms as newer types of packaging such as pouches and other flexible packaging, as well as thermoformed plastic cups and trays, continue to take share of the pet food market:

• Pouches (both stand-up and flat formats) will continue to replace bags and containers for dry and semi-moist food due to their greater shelf appeal, superior graphics capabilities, resealability, and durability.
• Flexible packaging based on plastic film - including chubs and brick packs - are increasingly used for fresh pet food applications due to their performance and low cost.
• Plastic cups and trays with lidding will continue to make inroads in wet food applications as a result of their low cost, enhanced convenience, and easy opening features, disrupting the entrenched position of metal cans.

Growth in Subscriptions, Club & Specialty Stores, & E-Commerce Change Packaging Outlook

A shift away from traditional grocery stores as the main retail outlet for pet food is also having a notable impact on pet food packaging, affecting both formats and materials:

• Sale of pet food through subscriptions has spiked in recent years with numerous new market entrants, including The Farmer's Dog and Ollie, with most focused on selling fresh frozen dog food in new packaging formats.
• Pet food is increasingly purchased at pet specialty stores, such as Petco and PetSmart, as well as at club stores such as Costco, which impacts the brands and sizes of pet food products offered.
• E-commerce sales of pet food continue to expand the variety of pet food options available to consumers and provide convenience for buying bulk amounts of pet food, which in turn increases the need for secondary packaging.

Pet Food Packaging Product Trends

Market Value

A wide variety of packaging products are used by the pet food industry, but demand remains dominated by metal cans, bags, and pouches as primary packaging. Corrugated boxes and folding cartons are also important for use with multipacks and shipping individual containers to retail stores or direct to consumers.

Demand for pet food and treat packaging overall is expected to rise 3.3% annually to $4 billion in 2028. Growth in value terms will largely track unit gains as trends toward smaller packages and moderating inflation offset the expansion of more sophisticated, higher value packaging types.

Materials Competition

Pet food packaging is made from a variety of materials that compete on cost, performance, customer appeal, and increasingly, on sustainability factors. The major material types used in this market include paper and paperboard, metal, plastic, and textiles/woven packaging. Each of these materials offers advantages for specific pet food applications:

• Paper packaging offers versatility across a variety of flexible and rigid options, in addition to its favorable environmental profile and relatively low cost.
• Plastic pet food packaging benefits from light weight, a surface area suitable for enhanced graphics, clarity, moisture protection and low cost.
• Metal cans provide the greatest strength, durability, and shelf life among material types for pet food packaging and are also recyclable.
• Woven polypropylene materials used for bags offer better puncture resistance than paper and plastic, protection from flex cracking and other damage during shipping, and a glossy surface similar to that of plastic for flexible pet food packaging.

Other materials used for pet food packaging include textiles/woven plastic. Woven plastic (typically polypropylene) bags are used primarily for larger sized packaging of dry kibble but having been losing market share in all sizes to pouches.

Pet Food Product Trends

Dry dog food has consistently been the dominant product of the pet food industry, accounting for by far the largest share of annual pet food shipments. This popularity can be attributed to several key factors, such as:

• low cost of production
• convenience
• long shelf life
• continued popularity of dogs as pets
• dogs' high caloric needs relative to other pets

However, dry food in general is expected to lose share to other formats amid market maturity and growing competition from refrigerated and frozen foods.

Cat food will continue to be dominated by wet (canned) food. Wet cat food will continue to account for a healthy portion of annual shipments for a variety of reasons, including:

• convenience and cost-effectiveness
• the dietary needs of cats, which include foods with high protein content, meaty textures, and moisture
• long shelf life

Sales of fresh refrigerated and frozen pet foods have burgeoned, with shipments of these products seeing double-digit increases in recent years. These foods, which are primarily marketed toward dogs and cats, benefit from a number of consumer trends and advantages over traditional dry and canned food, including:

• increases in pet pampering and a growing perception that pets are part of families
• superior nutritional quality and ingredients, which are minimally processed and more similar to human food
• the popularity and convenience of online subscription services, which deliver regular shipments directly to consumers
• potential health benefits and pet life extension

Other pet food shipments are primarily bird seed, which is generally purchased in large quantities. Growth in this category will also be supported by the proliferation of newer pet foods that are specifically intended for niche pets such as rabbits, hamsters, and reptiles.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Short Term Analysis

• Short-Term Economic Outlook
• Pet Food Industry Trends (2021-2025)
• Short-Term Pet Food Packaging Trends

3. Overview

• Historical Market Trends
• Packaging Demand by Pet Food Type (Dog Food, Cat Food, Bird & Other Pet Food)
• Pet Food Packaging Product Trends
• Materials Competition
• Pricing & Inflation

4. Factors Impacting Pet Food Packaging Demand

• Pet Demographic Trends
• Humanization of Pets/Pets as Family
• Pet Food Industry Overview
  • Pet Food Product Trends
  • Leading Pet Food Suppliers
• Pet Food Retail Overview
  • Pet Food Retail Sales Outlook
  • Impact of Specialty Retailers: PetSmart & Petco
  • Impact of Growing E-Commerce Sales: Amazon, Chewy, & More
• Growth in Home Pet Food Delivery & Pet Food Subscriptions
• Pet Food Packaging Consumer Insights
  • Size of Containers
  • Freshness of Pet Food
  • Resealability & Pet Food Packaging
  • Sustainability Attitudes & Habits
  • Pet Food Safety Concerns
  • Pet Food Packaging Types by Type of Pet
  • Pet Food Packaging by Age Group
  • Views of Packaging Materials
• Regulations & Standards
• Sustainability Initiatives
  • Recycling Programs
  • Recycled Content
  • Alternative Materials

5. Dog Food Packaging

• Scope & Category Description
• Dog Food Packaging Outlook
• New Product Development

6. Cat Food Packaging

• Scope & Category Description
• Cat Food Packaging Outlook
• New Product Development

7. Bird Food & Other Pet Food Packaging

• Scope & Category Description
• Bird Food & Other Pet Food Packaging Outlook
• New Product Development

8. Pet Treat Packaging

• Scope & Category Description
• Pet Treat Packaging Outlook
• New Product Development

9. Pet Food & Treat Formats

• Demand by Food Format
• Dry & Semi-Moist Pet Food & Treats
• Wet (Shelf Stable, Canned) Pet Food & Treats
• Frozen Pet Food & Treats
• Refrigerated (Chilled) Pet Food & Treats

10. Metal Cans in Pet Food Packaging

• Scope & Product Description
• Products Overview
• Demand by Type of Pet
• Key Suppliers & Market Share

11. Boxes & Folding Cartons in Pet Food Packaging

• Scope & Product Description
• Products Overview
  • Demand by Packaging Type
  • Corrugated Boxes & Trays
  • Folding Cartons
• Demand by Type of Pet & Food Format
• Key Suppliers

12. Pouches in Pet Food Packaging

• Scope & Product Description
• Products Overview
  • Demand by Packaging Type
  • Stand-Up Pouches
  • Pillow & Side-Seal Pouches
• Demand by Type of Pet & Food Format
• Key Suppliers

13. Bags & Sacks in Pet Food Packaging

• Scope & Product Description
• Products Overview
  • Demand by Material
  • Woven Bags & Sacks
  • Paper Bags & Sacks
  • Plastic Bags
• Demand by Type of Pet & Food Format
• Key Suppliers

14. Plastic & Paperboard Containers in Pet Food Packaging

• Scope & Product Description
• Products Overview
  • Demand by Product
  • Plastic Bottles, Jugs, Jars, & Pails
  • Plastic Tubs & Two-Piece Containers
  • Other Containers
• Demand by Type of Pet & Food Format
• Key Suppliers

15. Other Packaging Used for Pet Food

• Scope & Product Description
• Products Overview
• Cups, Trays, & Bowls
• Wrap & Lidding
• Chubs
• All Other Pet Food Packaging

16. Industry Structure

• Key Findings & Industry Composition
• Market Share
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• List of Industry Participants

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cttcle

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