Food

Pet food production and packaging solutions

Quality wet pet food manufacturing deserves a quality package. Tetra Recart^® is the smart, convenient packaging choice that locks in flavor and nutrition and lessens your climate impact.

How can you turn wet pet food demand into profitable growth?

Wet pet food is evolving fast as many pet owners demand healthier recipes, better value and more sustainable packaging. At the same time, producers are looking for ways to premiumise, differentiate and protect margins in an increasingly competitive category. The question is how to meet these expectations without adding complexity or cost. That is where shifting from cans, pouches and Alu trays to Tetra Recart carton packages can change the game.

Discover new ways to win in wet pet food

Wet pet food continues to gain value

Wet pet food is expected to generate more than EUR 40 billion in revenue by 2027, with volume growing in line with the wider pet food category. This momentum creates attractive headroom for innovation in products and packaging.

GlobalData, 2024

Online channels are reshaping the category

By 2028, 44% of pet products are expected to be sold online. Lighter, space‑efficient wet pet food packaging has a clear advantage in e‑commerce, from shipping efficiency to impact on screen.

Euromonitor International Passport, 2023

Why choose paper-based cartons for wet pet food?

Pet food producers face pressure to grow, cut complexity and meet rising expectations on health, value and sustainability. Paper-based cartons give you a modern alternative to cans, pouches and trays that supports profitable growth across your portfolio and operations.

1. Product and brand

Modernise your wet pet food range:
Paper‑based cartons give wet pet food a contemporary look that supports functional, premium and value propositions, helping your products stand out in store and online.

2. On-pack communication

Tell a clearer story to pet owners:
Flat carton panels provide generous space for highlighting health benefits, ingredients and feeding guidance, making it easier to communicate value at a glance.

3. Portion flexibility

Match portions to pets and price points:
Carton ranges cover compact single‑serve packs through to larger formats, supporting different animals, occasions and budget levels.

4. Production & logistics

Simplify packaging and logistics:
Flat‑packed cartons reduce inbound storage needs and can enable more filled packs per pallet than cans in many configurations, improving handling and transport efficiency.¹

5. Sustainability and perception

Strengthen sustainability credentials:
Paper‑based cartons use a high share of renewable materials and can have a lower climate impact than several common wet pet food formats, as shown in comparative LCA for defined markets.²

6. Consumer appeal

Improve convenience for pet owners:
Cartons are lightweight and easy to carry, open, empty, store and flatten after use, aligning with expectations among many pet owners for practical, more sustainable packaging.

Strengthen your pet food portfolio with Tetra Recart

Turn wet pet food trends into profitable products faster with Tetra Recart. Combine our consumer and market insights with recipe trials in our Food Development Centre to develop and validate concepts for retort. Versatile carton sizes and strong on‑pack storytelling help you launch with confidence in store and online.

People in workshop in customer innovation centre

Co-create concepts built on real insights

Identify growth spaces in wet pet food – from functional health to value and private label – with our consumer and market insights. In tailored workshops at our Customer Innovation Centre, we help you shape concepts, pack formats and business cases grounded in what pet owners actually want.

Explore our Customer Innovation Centre⁠

Test recipes under realistic conditions

Use our Food Development Centre to formulate and trial wet pet food recipes for Tetra Recart under realistic processing conditions. Pilot runs and mobile test units let you refine product performance and gather decision‑ready data before scaling up.

Discover the Food Development Centre⁠

Tetra Recart carton packages, generic designs

Make your products stand out on the shelf and online

Leverage flat panels and six printable faces to showcase health benefits, ingredients and feeding guidance clearly. Continuous designs across packs create a strong billboard effect in store, while distinctive carton graphics help your wet pet food range stand out on screen.

Deep dive into package design⁠

How we drive your wet pet food success

Discover how Tetra Recart helps you develop and scale wet pet food products that meet owner expectations for health, value and convenience. Our step‑by‑step overview shows how we support you from insight and concepting through recipe trials, package design, industrialisation and co‑packing.

See how the journey works ⁠

What do pet owners look for in a pet food package?

Pet owners know what they’re looking for in a package, and they also know what they’re missing. We carried out consumer research to find out what their priorities are, and which packaging best meets their needs. Want to know more?

Woman with dog hiking, pet food in Tetra Recart carton package

Sign up to read the full story: First in the world with new carton

Norway’s largest retail group is phasing out metal cans in favour of other alternatives such as cartons. The company is first in the world with the new Tetra Recart 100 ml carton.

The transition towards wet dog and cat food in Tetra Recart cartons is not a one-time event for the company.

Cat and Fauna wet pet food in Tetra Recart carton packages

Optimise your wet pet food production

Shift or expand your wet pet food operations into Tetra Recart with highly automated, space‑efficient lines and integrated processing know‑how. From recipe handling to filling and retorting, we help you realise reliable performance and attractive total cost of ownership compared with cans, trays and pouches.

Choose the right line for your ambitions

For high‑volume wet pet food, the Tetra Pak^® R1 line fills 340–500 ml Tetra Recart packages with fully automated, high‑speed performance that drives maximum output. When flexibility is key, the Tetra Pak^® R2 line handles all Tetra Recart sizes, supporting agile production and frequent changeovers.

Find out more about Tetra Recart lines⁠

Kitchen at Food development center, tomato products

Leverage wet pet food processing expertise

Our specialists understand the specific demands of retorted wet pet food. We help you configure processing, filling and heat treatment parameters for Tetra Recart, supporting consistent product quality, food safety and yield from pilot runs to full‑scale production.

Cut logistics complexity and transport costs

Empty Tetra Recart packs arrive flat, reducing inbound storage space and handling. Once filled, their rectangular shape enables more units per pallet than cans in many configurations¹, helping you lower transport cost per unit and associated emissions.

Our Tetra Recart formats for wet pet food

The Tetra Recart portfolio is the smart packaging choice for wet pet foods for cats and small dogs. Learn which sizes are available, and the benefits they create for pet food producers.

Is your wet pet food production built for what’s next?

Switching wet pet food production to Tetra Recart helps build a more efficient and adaptable operation. With our packaging systems, line expertise and service solutions, you can continuously improve performance, reduce waste and enhance resource efficiency – creating the agility to meet future category demands.

Bowl with dogfood and dog, Tetra Pak Services offerings

Stay agile as your wet pet food range evolves

As pet owner preferences change, we help you adjust with confidence. Tetra Recart lines and services support recipe updates, product extensions and performance upgrades, while improvement programmes target lower waste and utilities. Through Tetra Pak® Advanced Agreements and tailored service packages, you gain performance guarantees, shared risk and the resilience to protect margins over time.

Find out more about Tetra Pak  Advanced Agreements⁠

Reduce carbon emissions, boost sustainability credentials

Comparative life‑cycle assessments show that, for defined sizes and markets, Tetra Recart cartons can have lower CO₂ emissions than alternative packaging formats.² Using FSC™‑certified paperboard³ from responsibly managed forests and other controlled sources, together with space‑efficient transport, helps respond to consumer expectations for packaging with verified environmental performance.

Find your route to compete and grow in pet food

Whether you are a co‑packer, brand owner or private‑label retailer, Tetra Recart offers flexible ways to bring wet pet food in carton to market. You can invest in your own lines, collaborate with partners or combine both approaches to balance speed, risk and capital while building long‑term advantage.

Co-packers: attract future-ready business

Expand your service offer by adding Tetra Recart to your wet pet food capabilities. A modern, paper-based carton format helps you attract brands and retailers looking to move beyond cans and pouches, while flexible lines support multiple SKUs and fast changeovers.

Tetra Recart for co-packers⁠

Brand owners: de-risk the move beyond cans

Enter Tetra Recart step by step – from pilot runs with experienced co‑packers to full‑scale in‑house production when volumes justify investment. Our support across product development, line design and start‑up helps you manage risk while building a differentiated wet pet food portfolio.

Tetra Recart for brand owners⁠

Shopping pet food in Tetra Recart cartons

Private-label retailers: build value and loyalty

Use Tetra Recart to launch private‑label wet pet food that combines strong value with a more contemporary paper-based look and feel. Working with selected co‑packers or your own lines, you can create distinctive ranges that stand out on shelf, support loyalty and protect margins.

Tetra Recart for retailers⁠

Explore what else Tetra Recart can do

Tetra Recart is not only a strong fit for wet pet food – it is proven across a range of shelf‑stable foods. Discover how the same paper‑based, space‑efficient format can add value in other categories.

Baby food

Vegetables

Tomato preparations

Soups

Beans

Fruits

Ready meals and ready sauces

Make a cost analysis of your pet food packaging operations

Ready to find out if Tetra Recart is a good fit for your business? Get the answers you need with a system cost workshop. This is where leaders from your company and our experts collaborate to explore the opportunities and challenges that come with adding Tetra Recart to your portfolio.

See how much Tetra Recart can save your business⁠

Woman with dog in her lap and calculator illustration

Bring your ideas to life

Food Development Center

Learn how our experts can help in all aspects of your shelf-stable pet food production, from product development to ingredients and packaging.

^1. 12% more 390ml packages, and up to 50% more 100ml packages on each pallet and truck. Based on internal simulations comparing Tetra Recart to cans and jars of equivalent sizes.

^2. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Tetra Recart® packages and alternative packaging systems for shelf stable pet and baby food on the European, US and Japanese markets, 2021

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Tetra Pak® carton packages and alternative packaging systems for beverages and liquid food on the European market, 2020

^3. The FSC licence code of Tetra Pak is FSC™ C014047 - Tetra Pak FSC™ Certificate

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Pet food production and packaging solutions

How can you turn wet pet food demand into profitable growth?

Discover new ways to win in wet pet food

Wet pet food continues to gain value

Online channels are reshaping the category

Get the full picture on wet pet food trends

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