A new paradigm for pet food

Drivers of change

Driven by the same health and environmental concerns as human food trends, vegan pet foods are experiencing a 30% CAGR, while ‘plant-based’ pet foods experienced 40% growth from 2016 to 2020, according to Innova Data presented in a petfood industry webinar in September 2021.

Andrew Knight, a veterinary Professor of Animal Welfare, and Damien Clarkson, co-founder of food- technology start-up The Pack, both highlight the increased ‘humanisation’ and importance of pets, as factors leading owners to seek high-quality pet foods. “Pet parents are increasingly looking at how they can give their pets the fullest lives possible and prevent them from developing chronic health- related problems,” says Clarkson.

With almost half of all cats and dogs having diet- related issues like obesity, health-related issues are indeed a concern, says Michiel van Deursen, Founder of Capital V. But he points out that pet owners are increasingly also realising the environmental cost of their pets’ meaty diets. “If America’s dogs and cats were their own country, their meat consumption would rank fifth in the world,” says Van Deursen.

A surge in start-ups

But why this sudden boom in the trend towards healthier, more sustainable foods? Rich Kelleman, Founder and CEO of Bond Pet Food, believes the pandemic has increased awareness of food sourcing and production challenges – including farm-animal welfare, food safety, animal flus and COVID-19 disruptions – and made the public more engaged.

“This has laid the foundation for a host of start-ups reimagining food and nutrition, and professional capital interested in supporting them,” he says.

Knight agrees. He has seen a ten-fold increase in companies wanting to launch new brands in the sector and predicts a great deal of money will be made there in the coming years.

Premium over price

So how can brands succeed in this new era?

While Clarkson believes health is the number one priority for pet owners, he also thinks it is important that “the next generation of plant-based pet food really focuses on palatability and enjoyment for the pet.” Knight says recent surveys show the most important factors for owners buying pet food are health, diet quality, nutritional soundness, palatability, and environmental impacts. “These are all more important than price,” he adds.

Educate consumers

Clarkson warns that because the conventional pet food industry is tightly wed to the meat industry, pet owners have been told dogs need meat to survive. “This certainly is not the case – they are omnivorous and can thrive on a plant-based diet.” However, he believes that as owners start sharing their experiences, attitudes will change, as they have with human food, and that, in ten years’ time, “alt-proteins for pets will be fully accepted.”

Reimagine the product experience

“It is not good enough to just throw some vegetables in a can and think you have ticked the vegan pet- owner box,” cautions Clarkson, who recommends constant innovation. His company is considering ‘a whole host of ingredients’ to make better pet foods.

Kelleman recommends thinking beyond the ingredients, “reimagining the packaging or product experience to create additional value for the pet or pet parent.”

The future is bright

Van Deursen and Clarkson both see the plant-based food market as consumer-driven currently, meaning direct to consumer (D2C) is leading – and Clarkson says D2C is where The Pack is starting.

However, both believe more retailers will launch innovative plant-based brands in the next year, with lots of options appearing on the shelves. While plant- based start-ups are the frontrunners in the space, pet food giants are also introducing animal-free brands and options.

Alternative meat and cultured protein sources are also being explored. “Some of the new products being developed include in-vitro meat products, and diets based on other novel protein sources, including terrestrial and marine plants, insects, yeast and fungi,” Knight says. Kelleman believes that “animal proteins made through cellular agriculture and perhaps new uses of pure microbial proteins will be the most transformative.”

Clarkson too is excited about the potential of these new technologies. “Once the costs come down and the regulatory environment improves, I think you will see a huge surge in cultured and fermentation products entering the pet food market.”