Oven-baked pet food: Why gentle processing is shaping the next phase of premium nutrition

In the global pet food market, ingredient quality has long dominated conversations around premiumisation. Today, however, how food is made is emerging as an equally important differentiator.

Retailers, distributors, and brand owners are seeing increased interest in alternative processing methods that prioritise nutrient retention, digestibility, and transparency, with oven-baking gaining renewed attention.

As pet owners become more educated about food processing in their own diets, those expectations are increasingly transferred to pet nutrition. This shift presents both an opportunity and a challenge for manufacturers, particularly when balancing efficiency, nutritional integrity, and product appeal in a competitive premium landscape.

The oven-baked advantage

Traditional extrusion remains the dominant production method for dry pet food due to its scalability and cost efficiency. Extruded kibble is typically formed under high heat and pressure, resulting in uniform shapes designed primarily for production consistency and shelf stability.

Oven-baked pet food follows a different approach. Using lower temperatures over longer cooking times, ingredients are gently cooked rather than rapidly expanded. This process often produces rustic, irregularly shaped bites rather than highly uniform kibbles. From a nutritional perspective, this format more closely resembles natural feeding patterns and allows ingredients to retain more of their original structure.

The gentler cooking process also helps preserve natural flavours and supports the retention of heat-sensitive nutrients, reducing the need for heavy post-processing flavour coatings. For many brands, this creates opportunities to position oven-baked products as less processed alternatives within the dry food segment.

Research in animal nutrition has shown that processing conditions can influence protein digestibility and fat oxidation, both of which are critical factors in long-term health outcomes. As a result, oven-baked formats are increasingly viewed not only as a premium choice, but also as a functionally differentiated one.

Meeting clean-label demands

Alongside processing methods, clean-label demands continue to shape purchasing decisions. In multiple global markets, surveys indicate that pet owners actively avoid artificial preservatives, colours, and fillers, while favouring simplified ingredient lists they can easily understand.

For B2B stakeholders, this trend has implications beyond marketing. Clean-label positioning affects supplier sourcing, shelf-life management, packaging, and regulatory compliance. Brands that can align gentle processing with transparent formulation are often better equipped to meet retailer standards and private-label requirements in premium channels.

Simplified, functional recipes

Another notable trend supporting oven-baked growth is the demand for single-animal protein recipes. These formulas are frequently associated with digestive sensitivity management and are increasingly requested in both mature and emerging pet food markets.

When combined with functional inclusions such as omega-rich oils, joint-support ingredients, or fruit and vegetable phytonutrients, single-protein oven-baked diets allow brands to address specific health benefits without overly complex formulations. This simplicity resonates with distributors and retailers seeking clear value propositions that are easy to communicate at shelf level.

Innovation through craftsmanship

Origin stories remain powerful in premium pet nutrition, particularly when tied to food safety standards and ingredient integrity. Production regions known for agricultural quality and strict regulatory oversight can reinforce trust, especially when paired with manufacturing methods that emphasise craftsmanship over mass processing.

Bronco’s Simple Origins Oven-Baked range, produced in New Zealand, reflects how these trends can converge in a commercially relevant way.

By combining oven-baked processing with single-protein recipes, whole grains, and functional ingredients such as ocean fish oil and green-lipped mussel powder, the range aligns with current B2B demand for clean-label, premium, and differentiated offerings while remaining grounded in nutrition-led product development.

What this means for the industry

Oven-baked pet food is not a niche concept, but part of a broader movement toward intentional nutrition and processing transparency.

For manufacturers and trade partners, the key question is no longer whether premiumisation will continue, but how to deliver it in ways that are credible, scalable, and scientifically grounded.

As processing methods become part of the value narrative, brands that invest in education rather than pure promotion are best positioned to lead the next chapter of premium pet nutrition.