As the pet food category diversifies and becomes more multi-faceted, so does the task of processing cost-effectively and efficiently, but Handtmann is up for the challenge.
British consumers undoubtedly have a deep affection for their pets, treating them as members of the family. With an estimated 62% of households in the UK owning one of the country’s 36.5m pets, the market for pet food is buoyant, to say the least. Of that total, 41% of households own dogs and 31% cats, with a further 14% owning both cats and dogs.
Last year, the UK pet food market was worth £4.3bn, of which £2.2bn was dog food and £1.6bn cat food, according to industry association UK Pet Food and, with UK consumers loving to pamper their pets, the market is on an upward curve. Indeed, the humanisation of pets is a key trend driving the pet food market, with many pet owners looking for pet food that reflects their own tastes, according to European pet food organisation FEDIAF. “As a result, there has been an increase in premium products – with ‘natural’, ‘raw’ and ‘organic’ food on the rise, giving lots of choice for owners,” it says.
As such the market is not only in growth, but is also growing in complexity, meaning that pet food manufacturers are looking for increased automation, including precision mixing, hygienic handling and quality control to help them meet rising safety and nutritional standards. Not only that, but the humanisation trend has increased the variety of products on offer, from life-stage joint supplements through to specific dietary needs – and the processing to make this feasible often needs flexibility and a bespoke approach.
Investment in the pet food category
Processing equipment supplier Handtmann already has a ‘pawprint’ in the UK’s pet food sector but is keen to establish a greater presence in the category and is making strategic moves in that direction during 2026. Antony Firth, regional sales manager (north) for the company’s UK business acknowledges that there is greater focus on raw and natural foods, as owners look to give their pets the best diet possible. “Where dried products were the staple in the pet food market for a long time, gourmet fresh products are becoming increasingly popular and I imagine there is more margin in that sector of the market for manufacturers, so they are keen to drive that trend.”
Regional sales manager (south) Paul Murthar agrees but adds that the company’s customers are also looking to develop unique products to attract attention in the market. “We have one customer who makes a pet product similar to a burger. Then there are other customers who are trying to diversify – they are already offering chubs or trays of raw food but are looking at other products where they could use their filler, for example. So, I think diversification into other products is interesting for them, too.”
Firth also cites the instance of catering butcher who started producing products for dogs to use up the waste from their butchery processing. “These became so popular that demand outstripped supply, and he was reaching out to other butchers to secure their waste and use it in a similar fashion. “So, there is also an avenue for companies to sweat their assets and get the most out of their ingredients by developing products for the pet industry,” he says.
But whatever the anecdotal evidence, Handtmann believes that working collaboratively with suppliers is the optimal way for the company to help them streamline their production cost-effectively by minimising handling of the product and increasing automation. As Murthar points out, the company’s equipment can help pet food manufacturers produce to repeatable weights, thereby saving on giveaway and removing people from the process, thus also saving on labour costs.
Targeted approach
While the company has technology suitable for all sizes of suppliers Firth says it’s the small to medium pet food companies with ambition to grow where its equipment can really make an impact. “With the drive towards more fresh and gourmet products, that’s where I believe the growth in the market is,” he says. “Those smaller to medium companies are the ones where we can really help deliver some efficiencies.”
He also emphasises the advisory or collaborative approach that Handtmann can bring to the party. “Sometimes, a company will have an idea that they want to grow, but they don’t always know how and where, so we end up being more consultative in the way we work with them,” he says. “It can be difficult to tease out that information, so the biggest challenge with potential customers is catching the vision of where they could grow their business.”
Handtmann’s expertise ranges from areas such as mixing, grinding and emulsifying, and then depositing into trays or cans on multi-lane equipment, to portioning snacks and drying/cooking them before they go on to be packaged. For example, the company’s ZB 391 feeding conveyor in conjunction with its DS560 P system optimises wet food dosing of pasty, chunky or fluid product into cans and jars, allowing simultaneous filling of up to eight containers. The Handtmann Inotec enables grinding and ultra-fine grinding of sausage and meat products, including pȃté, treats and wet formulations, from an entry-level model for smaller-scale producers up to industrial high-performance variants, while its Inotec Variomix IVM Mixer has gentle mixing technology to blend a wide variety of ingredients into homogenous, high-quality product masses.
Meanwhile, its FS510 forming system caters to a wide variety of products in 2D shapes, such as pet food sticks, treats, pellets and bars. The company also offers linking and cutting machines, with a one- to five-stage modular cutting system, which can handle sausages and sausage products efficiently with reliable linking. The company’s expertise is diverse and it is able to devise bespoke as well as modular solutions for clients.
Handtmann will be appearing at Interzoo 2026 (in Hall 5, stand 5-207), described as the world’s leading fair for the pet industry, running from 12-15 May in Nuremberg.
To find out more about the company’s solutions for pet food, click here.
To see the company’s ZB 391 in action, see the video below:
