From the plate to the bowl

Dietary requirements

Whilst a complete pet food is formulated to meet the dietary requirements of your pet, the majority of human food is formulated to meet some dietary requirements along with other attributes, such as satisfying indulgence.

However, differences between human and pet foods are diminishing, with pet foods being formulated to follow human trends, such as non-GMO ingredients, allergy free and grain free. In the United States 53% of all new pet food launches claimed to be clean label, that is no additives or preservatives. Globally, last year, more than 80% of new pet food products had a health claim.

Sources of protein have been a ‘trend to watch’ for several years. The current protein fight in the food industry is between whey (from dairy) and plant proteins. Inclusion of whey protein in human food has been diminishing whilst plant protein has increased in use. In an attempt to increase the sales of whey and other animal proteins, blends are being produced with plant proteins, with the aim of providing novel functionality. Sales of new pet food products ‘high in’ or ‘novel protein from’ claims are on the increase and this theme should continue with these novel protein blends.

Probiotics and prebiotics

Sales of human food with probiotics are expected to grow through to 2021. Companies manufacturing probiotics and manufacturers of human food containing probiotics have joined to form a consortium, with the goal to regulate their industry in order to supply products that can be shown to have efficacy and meet claims. Continued and increased use of pet food products containing probiotics should grow, especially if health claims are underpinned by quality focussed research.

Whilst prebiotics have been included in pet food for many years it has not been common practice in the human food market. The reason is that human food consumers have not understood that bacteria within the human gut (microbiome) need to be fed. Research on prebiotics has shown they can have a beneficial impact upon the microbiome. 

It is expected that as more discussion takes place regarding the microbiome, more attention will be given to the impact of providing benefits for digestive health, management of blood sugars and cholesterol, immune health and cognition. 

Prebiotics is a general classification for a range of functional fibre products. Depending upon the source of the prebiotic they have slightly different properties and benefit specific bacteria, i.e. it will be a mix of prebiotics for which more health claims can be made. 

It is expected that the human food global market in 2024 for prebiotics will be just over £5.5 billion ($7.06 billion – €6.46 billion). The growth of the market will be driven by new products in human food and drink. However, as prebiotics are already added to pet food more will be made of the benefits of these ingredients and marketing messages translated as if for human use.

Individualized and tailor made

With so much free information on the Internet and advice on social media on health and nutrition, todays’ consumers quickly decide what is best for them, their families and their pets. 

As human consumers become more aware of individualized nutrition they will feel ever more comfortable with making their own dietary decisions. The consequence will be that consumers will be less interested in the recommendations of government and public health authorities. 

Coupled with the above convenience has become part of everyday life, most pet food fits into this philosophy, but it is expected in 2017 there will be more products targeted to consumers’ individual tastes, diets and even microbiome.

Google is developing needle-free blood-drawing technologies, and data relating, to say, our micronutrient levels will be interpreted on smart phones. The aim is for these smart technologies to analyze for example, our micronutrient needs each day and information is digitally passed to novel home processing devices. These devices will then custom process smart food containing personalized micronutrient levels in order to meet our daily needs. 

The three trends discussed above are all consistent with bespoke products and there is no reason to believe this will not happen in the pet food industry. It is easy to envision tailor made pet treats, which contain appropriate micronutrient levels. Instead of selling a complete pet food, expect a rise in sales of ingredients and blends for the pet owner to produce their own food for their pet.

Sustainability and functionality

Sustainability has become a household word and companies strive to show their sustainable credentials. Expect to see more companies proclaiming their sustainability programmes through messages on packaging like ‘our solar panels generate enough power to make x packets of pet food and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.’

In the human food market sales of glucosamine and chondroitin have been falling. Alternative ingredients take their place. As we look for alternative medicines or ingredients with functionality, Ayurvedic herbs are bringing consumers their desired wholesomeness, health and wellness. Two of these herbs, boswellia and turmeric, are being used, either independently or as a mix, to reduce joint inflammation in humans. Recent scientific studies show positive results for this. Again, expect to see products aimed at joint-care health containing these herbs being used in the pet food market.

2017 will see a mix of new products, new ingredients in the pet food sector being used and more made of scientific research to promote the efficacy of currently used functional ingredients.