Canning line to close at Melton pet food factory

It is understood that more than 50 jobs could be at risk as a result of the closure at the Mill Street plant, which has been at the site since 1951.

A Channel 4 documentary back in 2019 – Britain’s Giant Pet Food Factory – revealed that the Mars Petcare UK plant was producing one million pouches of pet food every day.

Pouches are now the most favoured purchase for pet owners instead of canned food, which accounted for 75 per cent of the market 50 years ago.

On the proposal to close the canning production line, a Mars spokesperson said: “We regularly review and adapt our operations to ensure an efficient network and resilient supply chain.

"After careful consideration, we have proposed to close our can production at the factory in Melton due to a long-term decline in canned pet food demand and are in a consultation process with our Associates."

Mars is keen to emphasise that the canning closure does not indicate a long-term threat to the business.

It has shown great flexibility in the past, particularly during the Covid pandemic, when it stepped up production of pet food in 2021 to address a national shortfall in pet food supplies caused by owners feeding their animals more while confined to home.

The Mars spokesperson added: “We remain committed to the Melton community, and the proposal does not impact the other operations at the site.

"We will explore opportunities to expand production capability in the future in line with category demand.”