Consumers have been keeping an increasingly critical eye on the longer-term health impacts of how they eat, and this has extended to what they feed their pets as well.
Now that trend is extending to the planet itself.
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The Rise of Sustainability in Pet Food
As we look ahead to 2022, trends toward sustainability are going to be increasingly important in consumer purchasing decisions.
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The Rise of Sustainability in Pet Food
This trend toward sustainable proteins in pet food is a logical outcome of the recent movement of the market toward higher quality protein sources in pet food.
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The Rise of Sustainability in Pet Food
As consumers search for better proteins for their pets, products like salmon, bison, game meats, and even traditional options like chicken or lamb are increasingly in demand.
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The Rise of Sustainability in Pet Food
As consumer consciousness increases around issues like fish stocks, the carbon cost of livestock, and the ethical questions around factory farming, it is perhaps inevitable that new questions would arise regarding the sustainability of pet food.
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The Rise of Sustainability in Pet Food
This is not only a concern with the ingredients in the end products people buy, but in the processes used in the entire production process.
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The Rise of Sustainability in Pet Food
Knowing the food you are giving Fido will not harm the planet is an increasing concern for many purchasers, and the transparency of the digital age means you need
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The Rise of Sustainability in Pet Food
to partner with ingredient producers who take a conscious approach to sourcing every component of your final product.
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Humanization in Pet Food Production
The “humanization” of the pet food market is set to continue this year as more and more consumers bring attitudes and choices they make for their own food to what they feed their pets.
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Humanization in Pet Food Production
This trend has been bringing new textures, flavors, and meal components into the pet food market for the last couple years as consumers are putting the kind of thought previously reserved for their own meal planning into what ends up in their dog’s bowl.
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Humanization in Pet Food Production
One of the elements of this trend is the need for greater variety to keep consumers satisfied.
This presents a huge opportunity for pet food producers to revamp old product lines or take a risk on introducing new, healthy ingredients into their offerings.
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Humanization in Pet Food Production
There has never been a better time to highlight replacing old fillers with new, healthier options like sweet potatoes or carrots.
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Science and the Differences Between Cat Food and Dog Food
Combining the ongoing trend toward science-based diets for pets and the overall trend toward healthier products will not look the same for all categories of pet food.
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Science and the Differences Between Cat Food and Dog Food
For felines in particular, this trend has helped move consumer sentiment back toward protein-rich diets that are tuned for feline digestive tracts.
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Science and the Differences Between Cat Food and Dog Food
This differs from research around other major pet food categories like dog food where the inclusion of vegetables alongside healthy protein sources has gained traction.
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Science and the Differences Between Cat Food and Dog Food
Though the importance of higher-quality protein sources is clearly still growing for dog food as well, the inclusion of vegetables, and even the rise of vegan dog food should not be ignored.
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Market Trends in Pet Food Purchasing
One last set of trends to pay attention to in the pet food space is the move toward higher-income households taking a larger share of pet ownership and the rise of online purchasing of pet food.
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Market Trends in Pet Food Purchasing
Taken together, these two trends indicate more consumer discretionary spending is available to support higher-dollar purchasing of premium pet products, and that more opportunities are available to reach consumers outside of traditional purchasing patterns.
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Market Trends in Pet Food Purchasing
With more dollars on the table and new ways to connect with consumers online, there is more and more opportunity to offer up new premium pet food options highlighting benefits like antioxidant-rich blueberries, raspberries, or sweet potatoes that might have previously been off-limits to less well-heeled or adventurous consumers.
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Market Trends in Pet Food Purchasing
This means food producers now have more opportunities to launch innovative recipes into the market.