Interesting article about purchasing patterns in a recent PetFood Industry report.  It seems that private labels are holding their own versus the more established brands.  While this may be true, I've got to believe that pet food packaging is playing a huge role.  Consumers want to see pet food packaging that is of high quality, durable, and by all means, convenient for them.  This pertains to all sorts of products, from bird feed to fish food.  My point here is this.  Recent advancements in the packaging industry have enabled many private labelers to package high end and high quality packaging at a fraction of the quantity they used to have to buy.  Stand up pouches are an example of pet food packaging that used to require a 50,000 to 100,000 minimum run for a custom printed pouch that now can be done for as few as 5000 pieces. 

5000 pieces of a custom printed stand bag with a ziplock, tear notch, even a hang hole in the bold, dynamic, photographic print quality that the big boys use for their pet food packaging.  It's true, times are changing.  However, the small to medium size companies now have pet food packaging that is as good as if not better than the established brands, the "big boys" and they can compete like never before.