Simon Mowbray Friskies Petcare is aiming to revolutionise the dogfood market with the launch of the first meat to be sold in cartons. The firm, a subsidiary of Nestlé, has signed an exclusive two-year deal with Tetra Pak and hopes the resulting product ­ Winalot Simply Fresh ­ could phase out canned dogfood for good. As well as aiming to tempt consumers, Friskies hopes the new packaging will also get the backing of retailers because it takes up 30% less space on shelves. Alternative methods of packaging animal feed, such as pouches, have already scored a hit with both retailers and cat owners. But owners of medium-sized and large dogs, which require bigger servings, have so far been left with little alternative to tins. Friskies commercial director Phil Humphreys said: "We realised this was a problem and believe we have come up with the ideal solution. "We are going to target consumers who buy cans and seek to convert them. The ultimate goal is to revolutionise this fixture, as has happened with catfood." Packaged meat, or wet' dogfood, accounts for 60% of the total market with dried feeds bringing up the rear. Rolling out to Asda, Sainsbury and Tesco from the end of this month, Winalot Simply Fresh will also go into wholesalers from the New Year. Available in individual 375g servings, Simply Fresh will come in four varieties ­ chicken, beef, lamb & poultry and turkey & chicken. Rsp for the packs will be 55p each, while a variety pack of six will retail at £3.28. The newcomer is set to be supported "heavily" from the New Year, added Humphreys, with a TV advert and other promotions. {{MARKETING - P&P }}