What’s been trending at Global Pet Expo 2024?

Global Pet Expo, organized by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), has brought over 1,100 pet brands to Orlando, Florida. Let’s take a look at the key innovations spotted this week.

Pet treats and supplements

The trend for natural, holistic, high-quality supplements shows a consistent adoption by manufacturers. PetWise unveiled its new pet chews and treats brand, Treatly™, featuring collagen-based chews, crisps and beef hide at the expo.

California-based Fera Pets also revealed a collagen supplement, pet multivitamin, postbiotic supplement, and pet balm at the expo. General Mills, which acquired the company in November 2023, helped develop their new products.

CBD supplement maker Pet Releaf has introduced a new line called Pet Releaf Naturals. It carries its first non-hemp-based supplements formulated with postbiotics and fish-free omega 3s, targeting niche groups of pet owners looking for holistic solutions through particular ingredients.

Chews

Bright Planet Pet from Minnesota has debuted new plant-based chews to extend its catalog of ultra-sustainable plant-based consumables.

BetterBone has also introduced a line of dog chews for different ages, segmented by product densities, where beginning teethers are up to 40% softer than nylon, and hard bones are more durable than nylon. 

European dog chew manufacturer Canophera has introduced coconut rope chews made from the plant’s husk to offer cheaper, more sustainable alternatives with dental benefits for a dog’s chewing needs.

Hygiene 

All Walks introduced a biodegradable hemp-based cat litter called All Walks® Hemp Litter. The product’s biodegradable, lightweight, super-clumping, virtually dust- and odor-free qualities display key innovation in this space.

Further in odor elimination products for cats, Kent Pet Group, a subsidiary of Iowa-headquartered Kent Corporation, has unveiled the “first natural and sustainable cat litter designed to eliminate the foul smell [rather] than just masking it.” It has also assumed production of its recycled-paper cat litter brand Breeder Celect at its new facility in Muscatine, Iowa, to grow its sustainable hygiene solutions while targeting international sales.

Accessories

PetWise revealed a new line of products for its premier pet travel collection, Sherpa, to offer safety, comfort and convenience solutions for all kinds of pet travel. These include a fashionable pet carrier in a luxury tote format, a backpack-style trekking carrier, a car booster seat and a carrier for pets.

Across accessories, sustainability is also a key factor in new innovations. For example, the US manufacturer of dog toys, West Paw, has launched slow feeders and lick mats made from recycled ocean plastic. 

Pet food

Raw pet food is having a moment with innovations in its application format. 

Carnivore Meat Company’s Vital Essentials has partnered with pet toy maker KONG to combine “pet wellness and play.” The strategic bundle of a freeze-dried raw beef dog food product with a KONG toy allows the company to market the pet food’s nutritional value, increase market presence and push the high-quality dog and cat toy producer’s industry expertise for play products. 

At the Expo, Primal Pet Foods also presented more information about its latest innovation, Kibble in the Raw, kibble-sized morsels of freeze-dried raw protein.

In traditional diets, human-grade, freeze-dried dog food company Shepherd Boy Farms has released 4 new freeze-dried diets, including one for alligators. All lines incorporate trending ingredients like flax seeds and goat’s milk to remove the need for extra supplementation.

Purina’s Innovation Grand Prize winner

Australian biotechnology startup VetChip has won Purina Pet Care’s 2024 Innovation Grand Prize at the Global Pet Expo for its pioneering innovation in pet health and welfare technology, which detects, monitors, and analyzes pet health issues.

The company has won $25,000 (€23,100) for the best pitch among 5 competing startups that were part of Purina’s bootcamp accelerator program.

Co-founder and CEO Garnett Hall says the award will help the company unlock “a world of possibilities.”