As the humanization trend continues to permeate the global pet food marketplace, grain-free products are becoming more popular among pet owners who wish to reduce grain content in their pets’ diets. Both grain-free and grain-added pet foods are beneficial for pets. In this regard, extensive research is currently being carried out to understand further benefits and the potential risks of grain-free pet food.
Nutritionists think grain-free products are an extension of gluten-free and paleo human diets, more accepted and widespread in some developed economies yet with little following in Latin America. Likewise, grain-free pet food products are present in most Latin-American countries; however, these are not widespread and are limited to just some imported and a few local brands.
The region produces and consumes all types of cereals, with corn the dominant variety for numerous dishes. Moreover, corn is used extensively for the animal feed industry and particularly in most pet food formulations. Indeed, corn is generally the primary and most abundant ingredient for the leading pet food brands.
The reasons explaining the high acceptance of cereals in Latin America are both cultural and financial, making corn an irreplaceable ingredient in pet food products.
By this token, the biggest challenges for local producers in reducing the grain content in pet food products are:
A key takeaway for new product development is considering that some global trends like grain-free products, although attractive due to their benefits and popularity elsewhere, may not be suited to Latin American markets and may take longer to take off in the region.
Iván Franco is the founder of Triplethree International and has collaborated on hundreds of research projects for several consumer goods industries. He was granted the Global Consultant of the Year award by Euromonitor International and authored the book 17 Market Strategies for Growth (in Spanish).
2 top trends for 2021 according to the pet food industry
New shelter data casts doubt on whether the pet population and pet ownership are truly growing.
Shelter pet adoption numbers down in 2020, but high rate
While the pandemic caused unprecedented suffering worldwide in 2020, the disruptions to dogs, cats and other pets adoption numbers may normalize in 2021.