Revolutionizing Nutrition: Exploring the Next-Generation Pet Foods
Pet owners are showing great interest in pet food that claims to meet their pets’ immunological and digestive health demands. Pet food manufacturers are concentrating their efforts on the development of environmentally-friendly pet food production and packaging. Customers are becoming increasingly interested in eco-friendly pet food and goods.
Personalized Next-Generation Pet Foods
As personalized nutrition is gaining attraction from every consumer, personalized/customized pet food is also making its stand among the new generation of pet foods. People treat their pet as one of the family members. They treat them in different ways, as every pet is unique in nature. So, their nutritional requirements are also different. Keeping this aspect in mind, many pet food start-ups entered into personalized nutrition for pets. Personalization means you aren’t limited by what’s on the shelf. Customized food gives your pet everything they need to live.
Pet Food with Ethical and Environmental Claims
The share of pet food launches featuring recycling claims continues to increase. The overall presence of environmental and ethical claims on new launches does not reflect the high level of interest among pet owners.
Pet Food Market Globally
As per Stellarix’s research, revenue in the Pet Food market is projected to reach US$149.90 billion in 2024, with an anticipated annual growth rate of 5.56% (CAGR 2024-2028). The United States leads globally, generating US$58.42 billion in revenue for 2024. On a per capita basis, this equates to US$19.34 in revenues for the year. By 2028, the market volume is expected to reach 59.47 billion kg, with a volume growth of 3.2% projected for 2025. Additionally, the average volume per person in the Pet Food market is anticipated to be 6.8 kg in 2024.
Just Right Pet Food
Just Right develops customized dog food blends using a team of nutritionists, veterinarians, safety experts, product specialists, and pet behaviorists. It mainly starts with sharing the information about your dog’s details in 5 minutes of quiz time, such as breed, size, age, health, and ingredient preference. Based on the information shared with the help of the expert’s team, a customized blend and a feeding plan for the dog are developed. They also provide convenient monthly subscription plans for free delivery of the developed blend. The blend comes into an attractive, re-sealable, stay-fresh packaging bag with the dog’s name and photo on the blend. The bag has a custom amount, feeding instructions, and a measuring scoop. Just Right Pet Food was launched in 2014 by Purina.
Pet’s Barn Activa Custom Cat Foods
Valley Feed and Supply, Inc., which later became Pet’s Barn, was incorporated in 1947. The Activa Custom Pet Food Machine was created after a five-year development period. The custom pet food machine allows one to dispense food into its tumbler, select supplements, oils, and flavors, and apply them to the pet’s food. Once they are all applied, the machine will thoroughly mix the pet’s food to ensure each kibble is coated. Afterward, it will dispense the customized food into re-sealable packaging for consumers’ comfort. Activa Original formula contains chicken meal as the single protein source in addition to grain ingredients like corn and rice. Activa® Grain Free formula has ingredients such as chicken, salmon, and turkey meal, as well as healthy vegetables such as cranberries and flaxseed. They also have cat-specific supplements focusing on hairballs or urinary tract problems.
Innovative Pet Foods
The climate crisis is increasingly influential in consumers’ purchasing decisions, and the pet food category is no exception. Various brands are innovating eco-friendly and recyclable packaging and using renewable energy-powered production facilities. Producers are actively communicating their strategies on the pack to convey their commitment to fighting the climate crisis. In the UK, 71% of pet owners are interested in pet food made with locally sourced ingredients.
People endured financial challenges as a result of the pandemic, limiting their access to essential resources for pets in the household. Hence, this has not been a great experience for pets with economically challenged owners. According to vets and pet caretakers, many pets are being treated for anxiety & frustration. At the same time, others are being kept on a meal-restriction routine due to too many snacks and insufficient outdoor activities that human beings may try and avoid due to SARS-CoV-2 virus concerns. Using familiar calming ingredients, such as valerian and camomile, can appeal to pet owners to shield their pets from anxiety.
Superpremium and Premium Products
The desire for high-quality or top-tier pet food items is projected to persist as customers search for alternative ingredient choices and a range of health advantages for their beloved animals.
Ongoing innovation in pet food products is expected to result in the introduction of new formulations, sizes, and offerings.
Funding’s for Pet Food Companies
| Company | Funding | Received From |
|---|---|---|
| Bark Box | $200M | Federated Kaufmann Fund, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Quadrant Capital Advisors, Senator Investment Group |
| Bundle x Joy | $1M | Leap Venture Studio |
| Smalls | $19M | Companion Fund, Founder Collective, Left Lane Capital |
| Petplate | $19M | Pendulum Holdings |
| Wild Earth | $3.4M | Investor unknown |
| The Pack | $1.01M | Simon Newstead, Alicia Robb, Simon Day, Victoria Betoeski, and Leo Groenewegen |
| Good Dog Food | $4.5M | Agronomics |
Next-Generation Pet Foods: Jude’s Carbon-Negative Ice-Cream
Ice cream maker Jude’s recently expanded its ice cream portfolio to pet treats. Jude’s Strawberry, Apple & Banana Ice Cream for Dogs is a plant-based product. It is suitable for adult dogs and retails in a 100ml pack featuring the Certified B Corporation logo. Jude’s is Britain’s first-ever carbon-negative ice cream and desserts company. Through rigorous analysis, Small World Consulting has estimated that Jude’s releases 6,200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year. Jude’s carbon reduction target is a 43% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030.
Next-Generation Pet Foods: Prolife Grainfree Nutrigenomic by Zoodiaco
It is based on nutrigenomics principles, which study how nutrition can affect genes and promote fundamental physiological functions. Nutrigenomics has important effects on metabolism and tailors a nutritional program to favor the dog’s well-being. Zoodiaco’s product contains deboned meat and a single animal protein made through natural preservation. It is free from gluten and GMOs, including modified corn or soy. Zoodiaco is a modern Italian company that has operated successfully for 25 years in the PET and GREEN sectors.
Edgard & Cooper 100% Recyclable Paper Pack
Edgard & Cooper Yummy Norwegian Salmon Complete Pet Food for Adult Dogs features a new 100% recyclable paper pack with no plastic and is printed with water-based inks. This product contains Norwegian salmon and natural superfoods, including beetroot, a source of fiber and vitamins; spinach, a source of minerals and phytonutrients; apple and mango, which are sources of vitamins and polyphenols. And botanical herbs for holistic well-being. Edgard & Cooper has an objective that they will make real, lasting change through the targets of Zero Carbon, fully sustainable packaging, and 100% ethical sourcing by 2025.
Use of Prebiotics in Pet Foods
In addition to fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS), plant sources of prebiotics (e.g., kelp, yucca, dandelion, beetroot pulp, and inulin from agave and chicory root) are used as natural sources of prebiotics and fibers to support pets’ healthy digestion.
- Yora Pet Foods produced Nutritious Insects with Oats, Potato and Seaweed for Dogs. The grubs contain essential amino acids, fats, and minerals, providing dogs with an ideal nutritional balance. They raise the grubs in super-efficient, high-tech vertical farms without using growth hormones or antibiotics. Additionally, they feed the grubs recycled vegetable matter that would otherwise go uneaten. It contains 18% less fat and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Also, this hypoallergenic food is suitable for older or overweight dogs with meat intolerances, sensitive stomachs, digestive issues, and skin conditions and provides extra joint care and brain protection.
- Unicharm launched ‘AllWell’ cat-food products. Their recipe features a unique, patented formula they own, i.e., the world’s first ‘dietary fiber blending technology.’ It makes the grains quickly swell and crumble in the stomachs of cats, reducing the possibility of regurgitating the grains of dry food as they are. The brand claims that reducing regurgitation ensures that cats can absorb all the nutrients in the cat food, thus avoiding malnutrition. Moreover, preventing regurgitation and consequent loss of vital nutrients could appeal strongly to cat owners concerned about their cats’ physical wellness and resilience.
Innovation Opportunities in Pet Food
Global pet food expert Kate Vlietstra highlights three opportunity areas for pet food innovation, as outlined below.
- Pet health priorities are evolving. Health priorities in human food will translate to pet food over the coming years. These include novel formats offering nutrition support, the use of food to provide mental health, and a renewed focus on the gut-brain axis.
- Make sustainability tangible and transparent: Brands can help consumers navigate sustainability’s complexities by providing transparency around sustainable packaging, meat by-products, and insect-based pet food.
- Humanization: COVID-19 has accelerated the long-evolving concept of humanization, whereby pet food trends mirror human food trends. Shared experiences between humans and pets will become the norm, and consumers will expect a greater focus on pet food palatability.
Conclusion
The Pet Food industry is growing by providing personalized or customized nutrition to pet owners. Next-generation pet food predominantly focuses on sustainable ingredients and minimizing carbon footprints. Also, industry leaders have always encouraged new product developments with claimed benefits related to pet health to fulfill consumers’ demands.
