US consumers are loving freeze-dried treats

While many marketers of frozen raw food have already been offering freeze-dried treat options, traditional treat and kibble manufacturers are now entering the category too. This is a sure indication of the potential of these products.

Potential to meet today’s demand

Freeze-dried and air-dried (or dehydrated) treats are popular because they offer some of the same nutritional benefits of raw products, in a cleaner, significantly more convenient format. The treats don’t require refrigeration and avoid the mess frequently associated with raw products.

Marketers offering freeze-dried options are tapping into a range of treats market trends, such as single and limited ingredients, weight management, and health and wellness in general.

Because freeze-dried treats tend to feature simpler ingredients, they are also part of the humanization trend, offering owners a treat product with recognizable ingredients and a finished product that more closely resembles human food. These treats also address pet owners’ demand for ‘clean labels’ and ingredient transparency.

Purchasing to sample

Data from the Packaged Facts May 2023 Survey of Pet Owners shows that – by specialty formulation – freeze-dried/dehydrated treats were second in popularity only to treats/chews made from whole animal parts such as rawhide. Some 24% of dog owners and 22% of cat owners who had purchased treats in the US in the past 12 months purchased freeze-dried products.

This purchase rate is somewhat higher than that for pet foods in the same category, with Packaged Facts survey data from February 2023 showing that 12% of dog and cat owners had purchased freeze-dried pet foods in the past 12 months.

The difference in purchase rates is probably due to pet owners being much more likely to purchase treats to sample than to make a major change to their pet’s food. Additionally, a small bag of treats is less of a commitment than a large bag of pet food.

More varieties on offer

Illustrating the popularity of freeze-dried treats, Global Pet Expo 2023 featured several new product introductions from the likes of Made by Nacho, A Better Treat, and Montana Dog Food Co.

A number of other companies are active in the freeze-dried and air-dried treats category. One of these is West Paw, which markets several freeze-dried treats, including its superfood-based duck variety. Another is K9 Bros with “gently dried” treats in salmon, chicken and beef as well as fruit-based and vegetable-based varieties. And PureBites has a wide range of freeze-dried and air-dried treats.

One of the top raw food players in the pet treats and chews market is Vital Essentials, offering several varieties of packaged raw freeze-dried treats. These range from beef liver nibs to bully sticks. The company also sells VE RAW BAR selections of freeze-dried animal parts – individually and in bulk containers. Pet retailers are getting involved as well, with both Petco (WholeHearted) and Chewy (Tylee’s and American Journey) offering private-label freeze-dried treat options.

The future

Because freeze-dried, air-dried and dehydrated pet treats align with so many overarching pet market trends, demand for these products is definitely expected to grow.

Pet owners appreciate how the treats feature minimal processing and recognizable ingredients in a convenient format, allowing them to enjoy guilt-free bonding time with their pets.

Latest investments

Underscoring the positive outlook for freeze-dried treat products are the number of recent mergers and acquisitions, as well as investments that involve market participants.

Last October, BrightPet Nutrition Group acquired Bravo Pet Foods, which manufactures frozen raw and freeze-dried pet foods and treats. And in September 2022, Ziwi Ltd, a premium pet food exporter and maker of air-dried food and treats in New Zealand – that also does a lot of business in the US – acquired Freeze Dried Foods, another New Zealand company.

One of the biggest acquisitions in this space, in February 2023, was pet market giant Mars Petcare’s acquisition of Canada-based Champion Petfoods and its Orijen and Acana pet food brands, both of which offer freeze-dried treat products.