The role of health and wellness in pet food today

Pet owners increasingly deem health and wellness attributes among pet food’s most important benefits, and brands are responding with more related claims.

Debbie Phillips-Donaldson

December 23, 2024

A majority of U.S. pet owners consider pet food an important health product for their furry family members.

A majority of U.S. pet owners consider pet food an important health product for their furry family members.

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Pet health and wellness has been a desired, and defining, attribute for pet owners for several years. Since accelerating during the pandemic, interest has only continued to rise.

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Champ’s Pet Kitchen Lean Protein Treats

Champ’s Pet Kitchen Lean Protein Treats

Champ’s Pet Kitchen

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Weighing effects of tariffs on pet food consumers, makers

Trade War Pet Food Spending

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Why alternative cat food sales continue to grow

Sales of raw cat food and other alternative categories keep increasing despite safety and other concerns, rising with the growing cat population.

Lounging Black Cat On Bed Eduardovieiraphoto Pixabay com

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Developing and growing careers in pet food

As more women join the industry and rise to leadership levels, programs like Women in Petfood Leadership can help them, and everyone, grow their careers.

Women in Petfood Leadership is a program offering networking and learnings on career development and growth to everyone in the pet food industry.

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What consumers think about novel pet food proteins

While sustainability concerns help spur interest in non-animal-based proteins, surveys of pet owners still show low awareness and willingness to buy them.

For pet owners to accept alternative proteins like insect-based, education and time are in order.

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Pet food sustainability progress via robust ingredient data

Databases under development are starting to provide valuable data on pet food ingredients’ carbon footprints, offering companies a way to reach sustainability goals.

Databases comprising various sustainability metrics can help pet food companies track carbon footprints for their ingredients and formulations.

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5 human food trends that could impact pet food in 2025

As human food and pet food continue their symbiotic relationship in the marketplace, ingredients, digestive health and other trends will play out in both.

Ingredients as a trend in human food continue to evolve; for 2025, consumers are focused on quality.

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US pet food inflation at 2021 rate — are we out of the woods?

Pet food prices are now rising only slightly or even declining year over year but are still much higher than three years ago, as are producer prices.

Pet Food Inflation Woods

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Cat ownership on the rise around the world

Even in regions like Europe where cats have always been most popular, their numbers are growing, as they are in traditionally dog-oriented countries.

Cats are becoming more popular globally due to rising urbanization and more challenging economic times.

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Where do pet owners stand on plant-based pet foods?

Plant-based, vegan, vegetarian and other pet diets with alternatives to animal-based proteins get a lot of buzz, but are pet owners really willing to buy them?

Yeast is among the plant-based proteins being used in pet diets.

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Will high pet treat sales growth soon come down to earth?

Pet treats are popular but also a discretionary expense, and in inflationary times, some pet owners may reduce their spending in the category.

Higher pet treat prices may be driving some pet owners to cut back on their spending, leading to falling sales growth.

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What do pet owners seek in pet food packaging?

Communication, freshness, convenience and sustainability rank among packaging priorities for pet food, along with broader trends resonating with all consumers.

Communication, freshness, convenience and sustainability rank among packaging priorities for pet food.

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FDA’s evolving role in pet food regulations and safety

Proposed new U.S. pet food legislation, plus the return of an FDA-generated controversy, highlight the agency’s significant role, for better or worse.

New pet food labels may not be the only regulatory change coming to the U.S. pet food market.

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