In 2017 pet product trade shows across the country shared similar topics of interest to the manufacturer, distributor, and the end consumer. One topic that came to the surface far more than any other was the somewhat deliberate disappearance of pet food products provided in 40lb bags.
This shrinkage of large bag quantities is not from any of the reasons you would assume. Shortage in packaging products, shipping logistics, or global economics were not among the reasons. Your wallet was the final drawing point and here is why.
Roughly 5 years ago the packaging buzz started in response to a need to watch the bottom line. Manufacturers were looking for ways to cut costs without changing formulas. Changing formulas came back to haunt manufactures in the past so that is not as common as in years past. However this time a much more clever approach was taken. Manufacturers found that if a 35lb bag was used, it was so close to the size of the 40lb bag that the consumer really didn’t notice. The same price was demanded for the 35 lb bag and life went on.
In the years to come, as the pet parent ideals came to fruition and food comparisons ramped up, consumers started to run the numbers on price per pound. Consumers were now quickly finding out the price per pound they were purchasing. As manufacturers realized this, they are always in constant search to throw off the end consumer. The hottest topic at the 2017 trade shows was bag size. Manufacturers are finding that if they label there bags in a ridiculously odd weight, (for example 33.286lbs) the majority of consumers will have a harder time doing the quick math to find out what the price per pound is. Take a close look and you will see it all over the store shelves!
This brings us back to the original topic. You will see a number of manufacturers still using the even numbered bags starting with 40lbs. This is a show of being transparent about quantities by not playing any games with the consumer from the start. This reinforces validity starting with the transparency of the 40 lb bag.