Blooming botanicals
Botanicals for pets are on the rise, which is no surprise as the market for botanical supplements for humans is booming. But pet food brands still need to prove their added value.
Growing popularity of botanicals
Natural products have never been more popular – both for pets and their pet parents. Future Market Insights estimates that the global market for food botanicals will reach over $1,500 billion (€1,367 billion) by 2026. And, since 2015, the popularity of internet seawwrch queries on botanicals has grown exponentially.
This popularity is due to a greater awareness by consumers about how diet relates to health, and part of this trend is looking back at natural remedies that have been around for thousands of years. An increase in botanicals in pet food to enhance pets’ wellbeing is a natural progression.
An analysis of search trends shows common botanicals used in pet food – such as milk thistle, andrographis and ginseng – are gradually increasing in popularity, while CBD has seen a hike of increased interest, starting in 2016. The popularity of the generic search term ‘botanicals’ has never been as high as right now. This trend suggests promising opportunities for the pet industry.
More data needed
“Botanicals have a growing place in a healthy pet diet”, notes Professor Mike Dillon, expert on the role of medicinal plants and herbs in pet wellbeing. “However, it is essential for consumers to understand what botanicals are beneficial for their specific pet, what is the right dosage and what is the underlying basis on which they are safe to use.” This means increased pressure on R&D, marketing and packaging teams to create educational studies, campaigns and packaging around these trending ingredients.
In 2014, at a conference on botanicals in Denmark, experts identified the need for more data on the usage of botanicals for human health purposes and called for harmonisation in the collection of international studies on botanicals for consumption. However, fast forward five years and it seems that this gap in information is still not filled.
The next step for botanicals
In a world which is becoming more transparent, pet food brands have the responsibility to deliver honest products. Milk thistle, ginger, garlic, turmeric, ginseng and many other botanicals have proven health benefits for all types of pets. However, there is currently very little reliable data available for pet owners to base their decisions on. It is now up to pet food brands to prove their products’ value and create clear messaging.