The pet food industry is becoming increasingly diversified.
Traditional dry kibble remains an important part of the market, but manufacturers are also introducing mixed kibble, freeze-dried meat, large-particle formulas, irregular-shaped food and premium pet food products.
This product diversification creates a new challenge for manufacturers:
How can pet food be weighed accurately, handled gently and packaged efficiently at the same time?
For a high-volume pet food factory, the answer is not simply to install a faster filling machine.
A complete solution needs to consider the entire process:
Feeding → Weighing → Conveying → Filling → Sealing → Inspection → Finished Product
The selection of the right pet food weighing and packaging machine therefore has a direct impact on product quality, material utilization, labor efficiency and production stability.
The scale of the pet food industry provides an important reason for manufacturers to invest in automation.
According to Fortune Business Insights, the global pet food market was valued at approximately USD 128.94 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 199.50 billion by 2034, representing a forecast CAGR of 5.05%. Dry pet food is expected to remain the largest product segment.
Europe is also a major pet food market.
The latest FEDIAF statistics published in 2026 report 140 million European households owning at least one pet, with annual pet food sales of approximately €29.4 billion and around 8.6 million tonnes of pet food sold annually based on 2024 data.
The United States shows similar market strength. APPA reports that total U.S. pet industry expenditures reached $158 billion in 2025, with $68.3 billion spent on pet food and treats in 2024 according to its published industry statistics.
For equipment manufacturers, these numbers point to a larger trend:
More pet food production means greater demand for stable, accurate and scalable packaging automation.
A bag of kibble may look like a simple granular product.
From an equipment engineering perspective, however, pet food can behave very differently depending on its formulation.
A production line may need to handle:
Small and large kibble
Different particle sizes
Irregular shapes
Freeze-dried meat pieces
Mixed ingredients
High-density and low-density products
Fragile products
Oily surface materials
This means that a machine designed for one type of kibble may not automatically be the best solution for another.
The key is to match the feeding, weighing and conveying system to the actual product characteristics.
One of the first questions a manufacturer should ask is not:
“How fast is the machine?”
It should be:
“What kind of pet food will the machine weigh?”
This is especially important for premium pet food.
Conventional extruded kibble usually has relatively stable flow characteristics.
A multihead combination weigher can distribute the product across multiple weighing hoppers and calculate combinations that approach the target weight.
This allows manufacturers to achieve consistent package weights while reducing unnecessary giveaway.
Large kibble creates different feeding and discharge requirements.
The equipment needs to provide sufficient space for the product to pass through the weighing hoppers without excessive blockage or impact.
The feeding speed also needs to be optimized.
Freeze-dried meat is more challenging because it can be relatively light, irregular and fragile.
Excessive vibration or impact can cause:
Broken pieces
Fines
Powder accumulation
Changes in product appearance
For these products, gentle product handling becomes an important equipment-selection criterion.
Mixed pet food may contain particles with different:
Sizes
Shapes
Densities
Flow characteristics
A suitable multihead weighing system can provide multiple combination possibilities and help maintain stable target-weight control.
A multihead weigher for pet food does not rely on a single weighing hopper.
Instead, product is distributed across multiple weighing hoppers.
The control system continuously calculates different combinations and selects a combination whose total weight is closest to the target.
For example, if the target package weight is 500 g, the system may evaluate multiple hopper combinations and select the combination that provides the required weight with minimal overfill.
This provides several advantages.
More combination possibilities allow the system to approach the target weight more closely.
Better combination selection helps reduce unnecessary overfilling.
The weighing process can operate continuously while the packaging machine forms and seals bags.
The number of weighing heads, hopper volume and feeding method can be selected according to the product and target weight.
For pet food manufacturers, the objective is therefore not simply maximum speed.
The objective is:
Accurate weighing + stable feeding + reliable throughput + minimum product loss
This is one of the most overlooked aspects when selecting a pet food packaging machine.
A machine can achieve high packaging speeds, but if it causes excessive breakage, the actual production result may not be satisfactory.
This is particularly important for:
Freeze-dried meat
Large kibble
Irregular-shaped products
Premium pet food
Products with high visual value
A complete system should therefore consider the entire material path.
Avoid unnecessarily aggressive feeding.
Select a suitable conveyor or elevator according to the product.
Use appropriate buffer capacity to maintain stable feeding.
Control the discharge path and drop height.
Minimize unnecessary impact when the product enters the package.
The goal is simple:
Move the product efficiently without treating fragile pet food like ordinary bulk material.
For many dry pet food applications, the weighing system needs to be connected to an automatic feeding system.
A Z-type bucket elevator can be used to transport product from a lower feeding position to the weighing system.
For fragile materials, the transfer configuration should be designed carefully.
The engineering focus should include:
Conveyor height
Product drop distance
Feeding speed
Hopper capacity
Transfer points
Buffering requirements
This can help reduce unnecessary product impact and maintain a stable supply of material to the multihead weigher.
For freeze-dried products, this is particularly important because maintaining product integrity can be as important as maintaining weighing accuracy.
A common mistake when purchasing packaging equipment is to evaluate the weighing machine and packaging machine separately.
In reality, the entire production line needs to work together.
A typical automatic pet food packaging system may include:
Product is transferred from the storage or feeding area to the weighing system.
The product is distributed into multiple weighing hoppers and combined to achieve the target weight.
Depending on the packaging format, the system can use VFFS or pre-made pouch technology.
The weighed product is discharged into the package.
The package is sealed automatically.
Finished packages can be checked to verify the target weight.
Metal detection can be integrated according to the customer's food-safety requirements.
Qualified packages are transferred to the next production stage.
The complete process can therefore be summarized as:
Feeding → Multihead Weighing → Filling → Sealing → Inspection → Output
Not every pet food factory has the same production space.
Some facilities have:
Limited ceiling height
Narrow production areas
Fixed feeding positions
Existing equipment
Different material-flow directions
Multiple production zones
This is why a packaging system should not always be treated as a fixed combination of machines.
A complete pet food weighing and packaging system can be configured according to:
Factory Dimensions
Available Space
Production Flow
Equipment Position
Bagging Direction
Required Capacity
This allows the equipment layout to fit the actual production environment rather than forcing the factory to adapt to a standard machine arrangement.
For large automation projects, this can be a significant practical advantage.
Pet food manufacturers rarely produce only one packaging specification.
A brand may offer:
200 g trial packs
500 g retail bags
1 kg bags
1.5 kg bags
2 kg bags
Larger family-size packages
The packaging format may also vary.
Common options include:
Stand-up pouch
Zipper pouch
Flat bag
Pillow bag
Pre-made pouch
Therefore, when choosing a cat food packaging machine or dog food packaging machine, manufacturers should consider not only today's products but also future packaging requirements.
Pet food is a food product, so equipment hygiene and cleanability are important.
For suitable applications, 304 stainless steel can be used for material-contact components.
A hygienic equipment design should also consider:
Easy access for cleaning
Reduced material accumulation
Corrosion resistance
Suitable food-contact surfaces
Convenient maintenance
Stable long-term operation
This is especially important for manufacturers running multiple production shifts.
A machine that is difficult to clean can create unnecessary downtime.
Before requesting a quotation, pet food manufacturers should prepare several basic specifications.
Provide:
Product type
Particle size
Particle shape
Product density
Oil content
Fragility
Mixed or single product
Provide:
Target weight
Bag dimensions
Bag type
Packaging material
Required sealing method
Provide:
Required bags/min
Operating hours
Number of shifts
Future capacity requirements
Provide:
Available installation area
Ceiling height
Product feeding position
Product discharge position
Existing equipment
The more accurate this information is, the easier it is for an equipment supplier to recommend the appropriate configuration.
For TOUPACK, a pet food packaging project is not simply about supplying a standard multihead weigher.
The equipment configuration should begin with the material.
The system can be configured for mixed kibble, large-particle kibble, freeze-dried meat pieces and irregular-shaped pet food.
Multiple weighing hoppers provide more combination possibilities to achieve target weights and help reduce product giveaway.
Feeding, conveying and discharge structures can be selected according to product characteristics to help reduce unnecessary impact and breakage.
TOUPACK can integrate feeding, weighing, filling, sealing and inspection into a complete automated packaging system.
Equipment configuration and production-line layout can be customized according to factory dimensions, available space and production flow.
This is the difference between simply buying a machine and engineering a pet food packaging solution.
For pet food manufacturers, the best machine is not necessarily the fastest machine.
A more useful evaluation framework is:
Large, small, irregular or fragile?
Is the combination weighing system suitable for the required weight range?
Will the feeding and conveying system cause excessive breakage?
Does the complete system—not just the packaging machine—meet the required output?
Can the line layout be adapted to the available production space?
Can the system handle different bag sizes, weights and pet food formulations?
These questions provide a much better basis for equipment selection than simply comparing machine prices.
The pet food market is growing, but more importantly, pet food products are becoming increasingly diverse.
The latest industry data reflects the scale of this market. FEDIAF reports that Europe had 306 million pets and €29.4 billion in annual pet food sales based on 2024 data, while APPA reports U.S. pet industry expenditures of $158 billion in 2025.
At the same time, market research indicates continued growth in global pet food demand, with dry pet food remaining a major product category.
For manufacturers, this means packaging equipment needs to do more than simply increase speed.
The next generation of pet food packaging systems needs to provide:
Accuracy
Product Protection
Flexibility
Automation
Hygiene
Scalability
A well-engineered pet food weighing and packaging machine should therefore be built around the product, the packaging format and the factory—not the other way around.
Choosing a pet food weighing and packaging machine is ultimately an engineering decision.
Kibble, freeze-dried meat, mixed pet food and large irregular particles can behave very differently during feeding, weighing and discharge.
The right system should combine:
Pet Food-Specific Weighing+Accurate Combination Weighing+Gentle Product Handling+Complete Packaging Automation+Factory Layout Customization
For manufacturers producing cat food, dog food, mixed kibble, freeze-dried pet food and other dry pet food products, a customized automated weighing and packaging system can provide a more stable path toward efficient and consistent production.
Looking for a customized pet food weighing and packaging solution?
Send your product type, target weight, bag size, required capacity and factory layout to TOUPACK. The appropriate weighing, conveying and packaging configuration can then be developed around your actual production requirements.
A multihead combination weigher is widely suitable for dry pet food because it can use multiple hopper combinations to approach the target weight. The ideal configuration depends on particle size, shape, density, target weight and production requirements.
Yes. A suitable multihead weigher can be configured for freeze-dried meat and other irregular dry pet food. Feeding, conveying and discharge parameters should be selected according to product fragility.
Product breakage can be reduced by controlling feeding speed, transfer points and drop height, as well as selecting suitable conveyors, elevators, buffer hoppers and discharge configurations.
Yes, depending on the equipment configuration. A flexible system can be designed to accommodate different products, target weights and packaging formats.
Yes. The equipment layout can be customized according to factory dimensions, available space, production flow, feeding position and packaging direction.
It is recommended to provide the product type, particle size, target weight, bag dimensions, bag type, required production speed and available factory space. Product samples are also highly useful for equipment testing.
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TOUPACK focuses on the R&D and manufacturing of intelligent weighing equipment, including multihead weighers, linear weighers, and checkweighers. Its product portfolio includes 10-head, 14-head, 20-head, and 32-head computer-controlled and PLC-controlled multihead weighers, linear weighers, automatic checkweighers, fruit and vegetable net bag packaging machines, high-speed vertical packaging machines, premade pouch packaging machines, metal detectors, X-ray inspection systems, and parallel robots. With advantages such as modern design, high weighing accuracy, and stable and reliable performance, TOUPACK products are widely used in industries including snack foods, pet food, frozen food, convenience food, seafood, and agricultural products, earning strong recognition from customers worldwide.
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