Amcor, Ge Wu An launch inverted-cup pet food packaging in China

CHINA – Amcor and pet food company Ge Wu An have introduced the Li Kou pet food cup, described as the first commercial use of an inverted-cup packaging format in China, featuring a bottom seal designed for mess-free serving.

The packaging centres on a bottom seal that allows pet owners to peel the pack, turn it over, tear it open and lift it so contents drop into a bowl in one piece without scraping. 

The format addresses common frustrations with standard wet pet food cans, including damaged pull rings, sharp metal edges and food left behind in the container. 

The pack consists of a polypropylene cup, a top lidding film and a bottom seal film.

Lighter Construction Reduces Material and Transport Weight

The cup-and-film design provides a lighter alternative to conventional aluminium cans, using less material per unit and reducing transport weight. 

Lower packaging mass translates into fewer emissions during distribution while maintaining barrier properties required for wet pet food preservation. 

This lightweighting approach aligns with broader industry efforts to cut material consumption without compromising shelf life or product protection.

Brand Cites Everyday Pain Points as Development Driver

Liu Mengru, brand lead at Ge Wu An, said the development of the new product was driven by real pain points that pet owners faced daily. 

She explained that the company wanted to completely optimise the experience from opening to serving so pets received complete nutrition and owners spent less time cleaning up, raising the everyday feeding experience from the ground up.

Innovation Platform Connected Partners Early

Amcor said its Catalyst innovation platform connected the two companies at an early stage of the project. 

Drawing on Ge Wu An’s knowledge of pet owners and the wet pet food segment alongside Amcor’s packaging development capabilities, the companies spent more than a year developing the product for commercial launch. 

Jessica Chen, marketing and product management director at Amcor Flexibles China, said the platform allowed the company to work alongside customers from the earliest stages of development to turn ideas into commercially viable packaging solutions. 

She noted that Li Kou demonstrated how packaging innovation could help pet food brands differentiate through consumer experience, from how a product is opened to how it is served.

Last month, Amcor supplied Tiptree, the preserves and spreads business owned by Wilkin & Sons, with packaging films containing certified 30 percent post-consumer recycled plastic for shrink film and pallet stretch wrap.

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