2021: The International Year of Fruit and Vegetables

In combination with the rise in consumer demand for more natural products for people and their pets, the human health trend of eating more fruit and vegetables is crossing over into the pet industry. In fact, it is driving demand for pet food containing fruit and vegetables. Many manufacturers have been including fruit and/or vegetables in their pet food products for years. As ever-more consumers perceive them as regular functional ingredients in many food products for dogs and cats, this presents interesting opportunities for producers.

Advantages and challenges

“The specific advantages of certain fruit and vegetable ingredients in pet food include nutritional value, health aspects, taste, sustainability and marketing aspects,” said Guus Boon, a trader at Meelunie. “However, using fruit and vegetables as pet food ingredients is not without its challenges. For example, it can be more difficult to control feed safety with regard to contamination and spoilage, and the drying costs can be higher because fruit and vegetables can increase the water content.” Nevertheless, there have been significant advances in the methods and technology involved in processing fruit and vegetables for pet food applications.

A healthy future

When integrated skilfully, fruit and vegetables already have proven value in pet food applications, and demand for them is likely to rise further in the future. “Everyone wants healthy food for their pets,” commented Dirk Coremans, a nutritionist at Duynie. “Fruit and vegetable ingredients contribute to well-balanced and high-quality nutrition. They are a good source of fibre, minerals and vitamins and offer health benefits. Fruit and vegetable products will become more and more important in the pet market in the future.”

Focus on sustainability

However, some consumers may question the sustainability of all ingredients, which is why the emphasis has now shifted to further improving the sustainable use of such ingredients.

“Many pet food ingredients are derived from waste streams in the food supply chain. This contributes to sustainability, but there are still many other potentially valuable waste streams, and a significant number of them involve fruit and vegetables,” stated Guus Boon.

“Our fruit and vegetable ingredients are made from plant-based co-products sourced directly from the food industry. Therefore, we enable maximal resource use and help prevent food loss,” explained Dirk Coremans. “All products are dried using residual heat and renewable energy instead of fossil fuel. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) have proven that the environmental impact of our ingredients is lower, because they have a lower impact on land use and a smaller carbon footprint than alternatives on the market.”

“We expect to see significant growth in the production of pet food ingredients from fruit and vegetables driven by their added value in pet food recipes (nutrition, health, palatability), by sustainability requirements and by improved handling technologies,” added Guus Boon.

A year of opportunity

With the coronavirus pandemic still affecting most of the world, the stronger emphasis on maintaining health and optimal immunity at home through healthy eating has been extended to pets as well. Additionally, the UN has declared 2021 the International Year of Fruit and Vegetables, aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of fruit and vegetables in terms of nutrition, health, food security, income/employment and sustainable farming and production – so there is no better time for manufacturers to benefit from integrating fruit and vegetables into pet products.

How to incorporate fruit and vegetables into products more holistically

• Study the latest scientific research into the benefits of fruit and vegetables in human and pet food formulations
• Stay up to date on technological developments in fruit and vegetable processing; they might offer benefits in improving sustainability
• Contribute to national and international discussions and forums on fruit and vegetable products and sustainability
• Regularly review sustainability in your own supply chain
• Build consumer awareness of the benefits of fruit and vegetables in pet food