The vegan pet food sector is witnessing a host of new brands and innovations. So what’s driving this trend? Is there a case for flexitarian pets? And how can manufacturers win against conventional meat brands?
The transition to more sustainable food systems is intensifying the focus on alternative proteins and, as pets become more humanized, their diets are increasingly being aligned with those of their owners. Besides providing an overview of the latest brands and innovations in vegan pet food, we asked several industry experts for their views on the current – and future – state of this market segment.
New players and opportunities
Around the world, the plant-based food sector for pets is diversifying thanks to a flurry of brand collaborations and product launches. In the UK alone, Omni launched a vegan wet dog food product, THE PACK introduced Europe’s first vegan oven-baked kibble and Hownd unveiled wellness treats for dogs. Meanwhile, British vegan brand Deliciously Ella collaborated with Belgian giant Edgard & Cooper on an extruded dried plant-based pet food.
In the US, Petaluma introduced a dedicated vegan product for senior dogs and Wild Earth debuted a new core kibble collection at a trade event. In Canada, CULT Food Science (owner of the Noochies brand) released freeze-dried vegan cat treats made from a proprietary nutritional yeast ingredient.
This trend looks set to continue. Damien Clarkson, co-founder of THE PACK, says some of the sector’s largest private label manufacturers “have been sending out emails promoting their capability to produce a range of vegan products”. Referring to the Edgard & Cooper launch, he adds: “This is a sign that the bigger companies see this space as one that offers opportunities beyond the niche and are spending big in order to open up this market.”
Plant-based SKUs
Noochies founder Joshua Errett concurs. In fact, he predicts that every large and medium-sized pet food brand in the US will have a plant-based SKU within five years. “If the larger players can’t gain market share with their own plant-based offerings, we will start to see some acquisitions in that space,” he adds. For example, Lily’s Kitchen, which was acquired by Nestlé’s Purina PetCare in 2020, has been expanding its vegan dog food range lately.
Errett names brands like Wild Earth, Bramble, Bright Planet, Petaluma and Vivus as standouts in this category. When asked which brands he finds exciting, Clarkson mentions Wild Earth, Hownd, VegDog and Project Blu.
Trends and barriers
But is there such a thing as too many vegan pet food products? “I get asked a lot about oversaturation,” reveals Errett. “It’s a valid point. It’s one thing to do the noble work of taking animal products out of pet food, but unfortunately that’s not always enough. The other part of the equation is you have to make it different from any other brand. You can do that through marketing, but I think a better way to differentiate is in the value you can offer customers.”
One trend Errett has noticed in recent times is the ‘obsession’ with ultra-processed foods (UPFs). “It’s currently the talking point of the meat industry and I’m anticipating it will come to pet foods: the idea that a meat-free food is equivalent to an ultra processed food,” he says.
It will be key for plant-based pet food makers to overcome this perception barrier. Clarkson describes it as a cultural hurdle that falls into the category of “culture wars material”. The co-founder of THE PACK regards major retailers as another significant obstacle. “Putting plant-based products on the shelves is definitely an opportunity to work towards hitting net-zero goals and offer pet parents something interesting,” he comments. “But currently, none of the big supermarkets in the UK stock a full range of vegan [pet] products. Hopefully, this will change in 2024.”
Legislative support is essential, he adds. In the UK, the British Veterinary Association’s position on vegan pet food is under review. Clarkson feels a revised position is imminent, which will “add more credibility to this fast-growing part of the industry”.
The rise of the ‘flexi-dogian’
THE PACK proposed the idea of ‘flexi-dogians’ back in 2021. “We expect to see a big rise of flexi-dogians in the next few years, and believe 50% of all dogs in the UK will be flexi-dogian by 2030,” says Judy Nadel, the company’s other co-founder.
Flexitarians are the most important demographic for alternative-protein brands and are seen as holding the key to the transition towards sustainable diets. “Our belief is that more variety is good in a dog’s diet,” explains Clarkson. “It suits us in the pet food industry if dogs just eat one brand of food all the time. However, the reality is that our dogs should have several different foods on regular rotation. The key, really, is consistency.”
So, in view of the increasing humanization of pets, has the rise of flexitarianism among pet parents influenced their furry friends’ diets? Clarkson believes so. “We have moved past the idea of [dogs] just eating whatever is left over from the human food chain. There is a chronic health crisis in the dog population and all good dog owners want to do better by their dogs.”
While there’s certainly an argument for flexitarianism as a way to reduce meat consumption among humans, does this also hold true for pets? It’s a tough question, according to Errett: “On the one hand, I unequivocally support eating fewer animals. On the other, I don’t believe flexitarian diets meet the urgency of our current environmental crisis. And I have yet to see a flexitarian product be successful in the marketplace.” It looks like it’s down to brands like Australia’s Planet A – which launched a hybrid canine food with ‘alt-meat’, vegetable and insect protein in November – to prove otherwise.
What will 2024 bring?
Clarkson foresees that more big retailers will become bolder on plant-based products, just as large manufacturers are aiming to get a slice of the pie. Additionally, increasing awareness and scientific research about the health benefits will reach mainstream media.
Errett believes we will see more collaboration within the segment in 2024, as “it’s the only way to win against conventional meat brands”. He adds that while the pet industry has “always been acquisition-heavy”, alt- protein companies have not played such a large part in M&A activity, but that this might soon start to change.
Lastly, in the broader protein diversification spectrum, Errett predicts that 2024 will be the year cultivated meat reaches the market. That sector has already seen lots of movement over the past year, with Czech start-up Bene Meat registering in the EU as a feed business operator and CULT Food Science having unveiled Marina Cat, a cell-cultured meat joint-venture earmarked for launch later this year.
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