Custom pet food packaging for dog and cat food
Pet food packaging protects dry food, treats and supplements against oxygen, moisture and light, so fat does not turn rancid and aroma does not fade before the product reaches the bowl. VLM Poliplast manufactures custom pet food packaging in Bucharest for EU and international markets: stand-up doypack pouches, quad-seal bags, flow-wrap and rollstock film, and barrier laminates, for automated and manual filling lines.
Formats run from 50 g single-serve treat pouches to 10 kg bulk bags, printed 1–8 colours, with resealable zip closures, easy-open tear notch, eurohole and carry handles.
Pet food is not like other flexible packaging. High fat content needs an oxygen and grease barrier, bulk formats need puncture resistance, and Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR) sets recyclability requirements that apply from 1 January 2030. Wet food is a separate case again: it is sterilised inside the pack, in a retort pouch.
ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 · Migration testing at an accredited laboratory · No intentionally added PFAS, in line with Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 · Printed 1–8 colours · Formats from 50 g to 10 kg · EU manufacturer
When you need flexible packaging for pet food, and when you do not
When it earns its cost
Dry food with high fat content, sensitive to oxygen and moisture · Treats and snacks that sit on shelf for months · Supplements: vitamins, probiotics, powders · Packs opened repeatedly, where a zip closure matters · Bulk bags of 5 to 10 kg that have to survive transport · Products that must not pass their smell to anything stored beside them
When it does not
Products that turn over in a couple of weeks · Products with no sensitivity to oxygen or moisture · Applications where a rigid pack is fixed by the product itself · Cases where a single-family PE or PP structure already covers the barrier the product needs, at lower cost
Formats we make for pet food
Each format answers a product profile, a fill weight and a filling line. Any format can be combined with any of the structures below.
| Format | Fill weight | Functional features | Typical applications |
| Stand-up doypack, gusseted base | 50 g to 5 kg | Zip closure, easy open, eurohole, clear window, handle | Retail dry food, treats, supplements |
| Quad-seal bag | 500 g to 10 kg | Four printable panels, two side gussets, flat base, 3-finger handle, high puncture resistance | Bulk dry food, industrial bags, litter |
| Flow-wrap, pillow bag (HFFS) | 20 g to 500 g | Back or centre seal, eurohole, printed or clear | Treats, rewards, single snacks, multipacks |
| Three-side seal | 20 g to 200 g | Zip closure, easy open, eurohole, 3-finger handle | Treats, sticks, flavoured snacks |
| Two-side seal | 50 g to 1 kg | Wide lateral seals, easy open, header, eurohole | Dry food, treats, biscuits |
| Rollstock film (VFFS, HFFS) | High volume | Widths from 100 to 1300 mm, printed or plain, trap print available | Automated filling, high volume |
| Retort pouch | Single and multi-serve | Sterilised after sealing, rounded corners, easy open | Wet food, shelf stable without refrigeration |
| Polythene bags and multipacks | Sets of 4 to 8 units | Heat seal or adhesive flap, label option | Promotional sets, same-product multipacks |
| Litter and bedding bags | 1 kg to 10 kg | Traditional or 3-finger handle, high puncture resistance, printed | Cat litter, rodent bedding, litter pellets |
Structures: what each one protects against
The structure decides oxygen and moisture protection, resistance to fat, and how the pack is treated at end of life. Choosing it wrong is the most common cause of a product that ages too fast, or of a pack that costs more than it needed to.
| Structure family | Oxygen | Moisture | End of life | Pet food applications |
| Mono-material polyethylene | Low | Moderate | Designed for the PE film stream, sortable by near-infrared | Litter, bedding, bird seed, fast-turnover products |
| Mono-material polypropylene | Moderate | Good | Designed for the PP film stream, sortable by near-infrared | Dry food and treats where recyclability is a requirement |
| Polyester laminate | Moderate | Good | Mixed structure, no single dedicated stream | General dry food, biscuits, medium fat content |
| Triplex laminate | Good | High | Mixed structure, no single dedicated stream | Premium dry food, supplements, high fat content |
| Laminate with an EVOH barrier layer | High | High | Mixed structure, no single dedicated stream | Premium treats, oxidisable supplements, long ambient life |
| Metallised laminate | High | High | Mixed structure, no single dedicated stream | Products that also need protection from light |
| Retort laminate | High | High | Multi-material by construction, no single dedicated stream | Wet food, sterilised inside the pack |
Barrier is described qualitatively and documented per structure on its technical data sheet, not quoted as headline numbers. Shelf life is set by the food producer, from testing on the finished product. VLM Poliplast does not issue a certified RecyClass class and does not certify that a finished pack meets PPWR requirements: single-family structures are designed against RecyClass design-for-recycling criteria, and recyclability is assessed on the complete pack.
Single-family structures, where the barrier allows
Mono-material polyethylene and polypropylene structures are built from one polymer family, so they are sortable in the matching film stream and are designed against RecyClass design-for-recycling criteria. EcoMonoFilm® is our polyethylene range for exactly this case. The trade-off is honest: a single family gives less oxygen barrier than a mixed laminate, so it fits litter, bedding, fast-turnover products and dry food with a moderate barrier requirement, and it does not fit a very high fat product that has to sit on shelf for a long time. Which side your product falls on is decided at quotation, not afterwards. The full range is described under EcoMonoFilm® and design for recycling.
Choosing format and structure together
Format and structure are chosen in the same conversation, from the product, the fill weight, the filling line and whether recyclability is a requirement.
Retail dry food, 500 g to 3 kg
Shelf presentation, resealing after opening, product visible through a window. Stand-up doypack with a zip closure, on a polyester laminate or a single-family polypropylene structure.
Bulk, 2 kg to 10 kg
Transport resistance, pallet stability, branding on four panels. Quad-seal bag on a triplex or polyester laminate, with a 3-finger handle.
Treats and snacks, 20 g to 200 g
Small portions, shelf display, easy open, fast automated filling. Flow-wrap pillow bag or three-side seal, on a single-family polypropylene or polyester laminate.
Supplements and powders, 100 g to 1 kg
Oxygen and moisture barrier together, resealable, long ambient life. Stand-up with a zip closure, on a laminate with an EVOH barrier layer.
Wet food
Sterilised inside the sealed pack, so it needs no refrigeration. A retort structure, not a barrier laminate: the pack has to survive the autoclave.
Litter and bedding, 1 kg to 10 kg
Puncture resistance and easy carrying, no oxygen barrier needed. Quad-seal or a plain bag on a single-family polyethylene structure, which is also the cheapest and the most recyclable option here.
Dry food and litter are opposite problems
The two categories pull in different directions, and specifying one as if it were the other is the most common way to overpay or under-protect.
Dry food and treats are a chemistry problem. The enemy is oxygen reaching the fat, and aroma leaving. The barrier is what matters; mechanical strength is secondary.
Litter and bedding are a mechanics problem. Nothing inside oxidises. What the bag has to survive is a sharp product, a 10 kg fill weight and a pallet. Thickness, puncture resistance and a handle decide it, and a single-family polyethylene structure does the job at the lowest cost, while being the easiest of all these packs to recycle.
By product category
| Product category | What decides the spec | Formats | Structures |
| Dry dog and cat food | Fat and moisture barrier, puncture resistance | Stand-up, quad-seal, rollstock film | Triplex, polyester laminate, or with an EVOH layer |
| Treats and rewards | Aroma barrier, small portions, shelf display | Flow-wrap pillow bag, three-side seal, two-side seal | Single-family polypropylene, polyester laminate |
| Supplements, powders, chewables | Oxygen and moisture together, resealable | Stand-up with zip closure, three-side seal | Laminate with an EVOH barrier layer |
| Wet food | Survives sterilisation after sealing | Retort pouch | Retort laminate |
| Pâté and wet food in trays | Seal integrity on the tray flange, barrier, peelable or weld seal | Lidding film, supplied on the reel | Barrier laminate matched to the tray material |
| Bird seed and rodent feed | Mechanical resistance, moisture, cost | Quad-seal, plain bag | Single-family polyethylene or polypropylene |
| Cat litter: sand, pellets, silica | Puncture resistance, transport, handle | Quad-seal, bag with 3-finger handle | Single-family polyethylene |
| Rodent bedding | High resistance, heavy bag | Heavy plain bag | Heavier single-family polyethylene |
| Freeze-dried food and treats | Moisture above all, then oxygen, resealable | Stand-up with zip closure, three-side seal | Laminate with an EVOH layer, desiccant-compatible |
| Frozen and raw food | Flexibility and seal integrity at freezer temperature | Vacuum pouch, rollstock film | Single-family polyethylene |
| Fish and aquarium food | Moisture, small portions, aroma barrier | Flow-wrap pillow bag, stand-up, three-side seal | Single-family polypropylene, polyester laminate |
What drives the cost
Six things move the price. Knowing where you sit on each of them before you ask for a quote takes days out of the exchange.
Format
A quad-seal or a stand-up with a zip closure costs more to convert than a flow-wrap pillow bag or a three-side seal.
Structure
Every barrier layer and every additional ply adds material cost. A single-family structure is the cheaper end.
Printing
The number of colours moves the price. Unprinted or a one to two colour design costs less than a full 6 to 8 colour print.
Dimensions and thickness
These set material consumption per unit. The right thickness meets the mechanical requirement without paying for excess.
Order volume
Larger runs lower the unit cost. The minimum varies by format and structure, and we confirm it for your configuration.
Functional features
Windows, handles, zip closures and euroholes each add cost. Take only the ones your product and channel actually need.
What you send, what you get back
What you send
Product type: dry food, treats, supplements, wet food, litter · Fill weight and estimated volume · Target shelf life and storage conditions · Filling line: automated VFFS or HFFS, or manual · Features you need: zip closure, easy open, eurohole, window, handle · Print: number of colours, or unprinted · Whether recyclability is a requirement
What you get back
A format and structure proposal for your product · Full specifications: dimensions, thickness, sealing parameters · How the structure is treated at end of life, stated plainly · Food-contact documentation for the structure · Order conditions with the quote · An unprinted sample from our own stock for validation on your line
How it runs
1.
You send the brief
Product, fill weight, shelf-life target, filling line and the features you need.
2.
We propose the structure
Format, material, dimensions, end-of-life position and order conditions.
3.
Sample on your line
You confirm the structure and we send an unprinted sample from our own stock, so the format is validated before printing is committed.
4.
Production and delivery
Artwork is approved, the run is scheduled, and delivery is confirmed with the order.
Launching a pet food line, or moving one off its current pack?
Send the product, the fill weight and the filling line.
Frequently asked questions
What format is right for dry dog and cat food?
It follows fill weight and channel. For retail packs of 500 g to 3 kg, a stand-up doypack with a zip closure is the standard: it stands, it recloses, and it can carry a window. For bulk of 2 to 10 kg, a quad-seal bag with a 3-finger handle gives the transport resistance and four printable panels. The structure is chosen separately, from fat content and the shelf life you are targeting.
What structure suits high fat content food?
Fat needs two things: a barrier against oxygen, so it does not go rancid, and a barrier against fat migrating into the film itself. A triplex laminate covers moderate requirements; a laminate with an EVOH barrier layer covers the demanding ones. A single-family PE or PP structure does not carry enough oxygen barrier for a high-fat product with a long ambient life, and we will say so rather than sell it.
Which formats suit supplement powders and chewables?
Powders and chewables are opened repeatedly and are usually sensitive to both oxygen and moisture at the same time, which is a harder brief than dry food. A stand-up pouch with a zip closure on a laminate with an EVOH barrier layer is the usual answer, with a three-side seal for single-portion formats. Where the product also draws moisture, the structure is specified to work alongside a desiccant sachet.
Can wet food and pâté be packed in flexible packaging?
Yes, in two different ways. Wet food in a pouch is filled, sealed and then sterilised inside the pack, in a retort pouch, which makes it shelf stable without refrigeration. Pâté and wet food in trays use lidding film supplied on the reel, sealed onto the tray flange on your line. The two are different products and are specified differently.
Do you supply film for automated VFFS and HFFS lines?
Yes. Rollstock film is produced in widths from 100 to 1300 mm, printed or plain, and calibrated to your line: sealing bar temperature, coefficient of friction and unwind tension. Finished pouches are supplied for semi-automatic and manual filling. If you send your line parameters, they go into the technical data sheet delivered with the order.
Is recyclable pet food packaging available?
Yes, where the barrier requirement allows it. Single-family polyethylene and polypropylene structures are sortable in the matching film stream and are designed against RecyClass design-for-recycling criteria; our polyethylene range is EcoMonoFilm®. They fit litter, bedding, fast-turnover products and dry food with a moderate barrier need. They do not fit a very high fat product with a long ambient life. VLM Poliplast does not issue a certified RecyClass class, and recyclability is assessed on the complete pack.
Why are most pet food bags not recyclable?
Because the barrier that keeps fat from going rancid usually comes from combining polymer families, and mixed families cannot be separated in a standard mechanical recycling stream. The way out is a single-family structure, which is sortable, and the price of it is less oxygen barrier. That trade-off is the whole decision, and it should be made before the artwork, not after.
How long does pet food stay fresh in the pack?
The shelf life is set by the food producer, from storage trials on the finished product, not by the packaging supplier. What the pack has to do is hold its seal and its barrier for the whole declared period, and that is what the structure is specified against. Fat content, storage conditions and the barrier of the structure are the three things that move the answer.
What closures and features are available?
Zip closure for repeated reclosing, easy-open tear notch, eurohole for hanging display, cut handle or 3-finger handle for large bags, clear window, and a degassing valve where the product needs it. A stand-up pouch can carry a zip closure, easy open and a eurohole on the same pack. Which of them you need depends on how often the pack is opened and how it is displayed.
Is the packaging certified for food contact?
Yes. Structures are produced in compliance with EU food-contact regulations, with migration testing at an accredited laboratory. Production runs under ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. Structures carry no intentionally added PFAS, in line with the restriction in Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40, which applies from 12 August 2026. Conformity documents are supplied at delivery.
Do you make litter and bedding bags?
Yes. Litter and bedding bags are made in single-family polyethylene, with the thickness set by fill weight and by how sharp the product is. Formats include quad-seal with a traditional or 3-finger handle, and plain bags with a centre seal. These are also the easiest pet food packs to recycle, because nothing inside them needs an oxygen barrier.
What is the minimum order quantity?
It varies with format, structure, dimensions and the number of print colours. Send the specification and we confirm the minimum for that exact configuration.
Can you send samples before I order?
Yes. We send unprinted samples from our own stock, so you can check the material, the structure and the format, and run it on your line before committing. Printing is committed at series level, so samples do not carry your artwork.
What documents come with the delivery?
A technical data sheet for the structure, a certificate of conformity, and for food contact a Declaration of Compliance under Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 and Regulation (EU) No 10/2011. How the structure is treated at end of life is stated in the same documentation, not left to be discovered later.
Related resources
Retort pouches
For wet food: filled, sealed, then sterilised inside the pack, so it needs no refrigeration.
Lidding film
For pâté and wet food in trays: film on the reel, sealed onto the tray flange on your line.
Rollstock film
Laminated and barrier film on the reel for automated VFFS and HFFS lines, calibrated to your parameters.
EcoMonoFilm®
Our single-family polyethylene range, sortable in the PE film stream, for packs where recyclability comes first.
Request your custom quote
Product type, fill weight and filling line are enough to start. Dry food, treats, supplements, wet food or litter each lead to a different structure, so telling us which one moves the answer straight away.
Printed 1-8 colours · Unprinted samples from stock · Formats from 50 g to 10 kg · ISO 9001, 14001, 22000, 45001