We’ll keep your pet food fresh and flavourful.
Custom pet food packaging, rollstock, pet food bags, zipper pouches, resealable pouches, and high barrier films designed to protect freshness, aroma, durability, shelf impact, and consumer convenience across Canada & USA.
Pet food packaging helps protect kibble, treats, chews, freeze-dried products, and specialty pet food from moisture, oxygen, aroma loss, grease transfer, puncture risk, and freshness loss after opening.
Emmerson Packaging develops custom rollstock, pet food bags, stand up pouches, zipper pouches, high barrier pouches, resealable closures, and Recycle Ready options for pet food brands across Canada and the U.S.
What Does Good Pet Food Packaging Need to Do?
Effective pet food packaging should protect against moisture, oxygen, grease and punctures while supporting freshness, convenient resealing and reliable performance throughout distribution. The right structure depends on the product, from heavy kibble to moisture-sensitive freeze-dried foods and oily treats.
Pet Food Products We Package
Different pet products create different packaging challenges. Emmerson helps brands match the right format, closure, and film structure to the product inside.
Dry Kibble & Large-Format Pet Food
Requires durable packaging, strong seals, puncture resistance, and format stability for heavier product weights.
Pet Treats, Biscuits & Training Snacks
Often benefit from stand up pouches, zipper pouches, resealable closures, and high-quality custom printing for shelf appeal.
Freeze-Dried & Dehydrated Pet Food
May require moisture and oxygen barrier structures to help protect texture, flavour, and product quality.
Jerky, Chews, Bones & Specialty Treats
Need packaging designed around puncture resistance, grease control, aroma management, and shelf impact.
Trial-Size, Sample-Size & Multi-SKU Pet Products
Smaller formats can support trial, variety, seasonal launches, and brand expansion.
Pet Food Packaging Challenges We Solve
| Packaging Challenge | Product Example(s) | How Emmerson Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Aroma and Freshness Protection | Treats, raw diets, high-protein products | High barrier pouches, films, and closures help maintain aroma and product quality from production through to consumer use. |
| Moisture Exposure | Freeze-dried, dehydrated, crunchy treats | Moisture barrier films help protect texture and freshness for sensitive products. |
| Oxygen Exposure | Freeze-dried foods, raw diets, specialty formulations | Oxygen barrier structures support shelf life and help prevent flavour and quality loss. |
| Grease and Oil Transfer | Oily treats, jerky, meat-based snacks | Grease-resistant packaging helps maintain package appearance and consumer experience for oily products. |
| Heavier Product Weights and Puncture Risk | Large kibble bags, bulk pet food | Durable pouch, bag, and rollstock structures support heavier products during handling, transport, and display. |
| Freshness After Opening | Multi-serve kibble, treats, resealable snack packs | Resealable options like zipper pouches and press-to-close closures help maintain freshness and convenience. |
| Shelf Competition | All retail pet food categories | Custom printing and pouch formats improve shelf visibility and product differentiation. |
| Sustainability Goals | Brands transitioning to eco-conscious packaging | Recycle Ready, PCR, PIR, and other sustainable options can be evaluated while balancing performance and durability needs. |
How do Pet Food Packaging Formats Compare
| Packaging Format | Best Suited For | Key Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Stand-Up Pouches | Treats, small kibble, freeze-dried food | Strong shelf presence with resealable closure options. |
| Flat-Bottom / Box Pouches | Premium kibble and larger-format pet foods | Greater stability and more space for branding. |
| Quad Bags | Medium to large dry pet food formats | Strong structure for heavier product weights. |
| Rollstock | High-volume pet food production | Efficient option for automated packaging lines and multiple SKUs. |
| High-Barrier Structures | Freeze-dried food, treats, oily products | Helps manage moisture, oxygen, grease, and aroma exposure. |
| Resealable Packaging | Multi-use pet food and treats | Helps consumers maintain freshness after opening. |
Preserve and protect with high-quality packaging. Explore our premade pouches, rollstock and added closures.
Looking to reduce your environmental impact?
We’re here to help. We’ve been a Sustainable Green Printer since 2011. As your eco-conscious packaging partner, we’ll make your transition seamless with cost-effective, greener materials that customers will truly appreciate.
Why Do Pet Food Brands Work With Emmerson Packaging
Confirmed Delivery
Pet food brands often work around retail launch dates, promotional windows, seasonal demand, and recurring replenishment schedules. Emmerson’s 100% guaranteed delivery based on confirmed delivery dates helps reduce the risk of packaging delays that can disrupt production, slow retail rollout, or impact repeat orders.
Smarter SKU & Inventory Management
Pet food and treat brands often manage multiple flavours, sizes, formats, and seasonal SKUs. Emmerson can help review packaging programs to identify opportunities to combine SKUs where possible, supporting better order management, cost savings, simplified inventory planning, and more consistent repeat production.
180M+ Recycle Ready Packages Sold
Sustainability matters to retailers, consumers, and pet food brands, but packaging still has to protect freshness, durability, and shelf life. Emmerson brings experience helping brands evaluate more responsible packaging options while balancing barrier performance, product weight, seal strength, and package durability.
Custom Flexible Package Printing
Pet food aisles are crowded, and packaging has to communicate quickly. Emmerson’s custom flexible package printing helps brands create clear, consistent, shelf-ready packaging across kibble, treats, freeze-dried products, chews, and specialty pet food lines.
Gain industry insights from our packaging experts.
Stay ahead of the market with helpful guidance from the Emmerson team. We cover all things packaging – from sustainability trends to design direction.
Frequently asked questions
-
What locations does Emmerson Packaging service?
We service all of Canada and the United States. We have warehouses strategically located throughout to ensure that from coast to coast, your product is always close.
-
What sets Emmerson Packaging apart from other manufacturers in terms of sustainability?
- We have been producing sustainable, recycle-ready stand-up pouches since 2019
- We offer a team of dedicated sustainable packaging R&D experts to ensure that you can meet your packaging goals.
- Beyond packaging innovations, our manufacturing facilities have long concentrated on sustainability initiatives, and we are SQF level 2 Certified.
- We were the first flexographic printer in North America to adopt ISO 14001 in order to guide the creation of our environmental management system.
- We were also the first Sustainable Green Printer (SGP) in Canada and the 6th in the US.
- Our products are peanut free – and we have complete product traceability!
-
What do I need to know about PCR?
- PCR materials come from plastic products that have been recycled, collected, cleaned, reprocessed into PCR resin, and then made into something new. An example of products that are used to create PCR resin would be HDPE, milk jugs.
- PCR provides excellent packaging sustainability benefits, but they may impact print quality and/or film consistency. If the package is a lamination of two substrates, the PCR can be added to the substrate that is not being printed, and the print will not be compromised. However, if the specification is one substrate and not laminated, the PCR film may impact the graphics. One of the compromises of PCR is the presence of gels or unmelts which are areas that do not melt uniformly. They will show up as small hard spots. These gels will affect print as the ink will pool around the hard spots.
- Emmerson Packaging offers 15 – 25% content. Although 100% PCR packaging is available, the resin does not melt uniformly. As a result, there can be unmelts and gels present, which are small un-melted areas in the sealant film. To minimize this impact, we advise limiting the amount of PCR in the product.
-
What is the best packaging for pet food?
The best pet food packaging depends on product weight, moisture sensitivity, aroma profile, grease content, puncture risk, shelf-life goals, and consumer use. Common options include rollstock, pet food bags, stand up pouches, zipper pouches, flat bottom pouches, box pouches, quad bags, high barrier pouches, and resealable pouches.
-
What packaging is best for dry kibble?
Dry kibble often requires packaging with strong seals, puncture resistance, weight support, and durability for handling and storage. Depending on production volume and shelf goals, options may include rollstock, pet food bags, quad bags, flat bottom pouches, box pouches, or high barrier structures.
-
Can pet food packaging help control odour?
Yes, pet food packaging can help manage odour through aroma barrier structures, strong seals, and resealable closures. This is especially important for treats, chews, jerky, freeze-dried products, and products with strong scent profiles.
-
What packaging works for freeze-dried or dehydrated pet food?
Freeze-dried and dehydrated pet food may require moisture barrier and oxygen barrier structures to help protect texture, flavour, and product quality. Resealable pouches, high barrier pouches, stand up pouches, and custom printed flexible packaging may be suitable depending on the product.