Tim Wall, senior reporter for Petfood Industry, explores interactions among culture, media, science and pet food. Wall presents his opinions on how animal behaviors, both human and pet, influence global dog, cat and other pet food markets.
Eating what unfussy hunters and gathers eschewed, such as rodent eyes, may have provided sources of vital nutrients to dogs during domestication, including omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), along with omega-6 fatty acid alpha linolenic acid (ALA).
Compared to a control group, cats killed fewer wild animals in the groups that ate high-protein diets and that played with their owners. Those two groups of cats also brought down less prey than before the experiment began.
For those cat owners who let their felines roam the neighborhood, high-protein cat food may be one means to reduce predatory pressure on birds and other small wildlife.
For dogs, the paleo diet can mean meat and other items encountered around human camps during domestication. Although “discarded loincloth” will never become a dog food variety, other ancient flavors may remain to be revived as dog foods.
A decree ends importation of genetically modified corn to Mexico by 2024. However, exactly what this means for the pet food industry is uncertain. Meanwhile, landraces are losing ground to varieties developed outside corn’s Mexican homeland.
A decree ends genetically modified corn imports to Mexico by 2024. However, exactly what this means for the pet food industry is uncertain. Meanwhile, landraces are losing ground to varieties developed outside corn’s crib in Mexico.
Pet owners generated lists of 39 emotional terms for dogs, ranging from happy to anxious, and 53 terms for cats’ emotions, including calm, happy, angry and fearful.
Scientists identified ranges of animal emotions and associated behaviors, as described by pet owners. Those same pet owners also noted their own emotions while interacting with their pets.
As sustainability claims have become a mainstream marketing message in pet food, the meaning of that message may have diverged among both pet owners and pet food professionals.
The multiplicity of sustainability problems makes containing them in single term difficult. For many pet owners the concept of sustainability may remain hazy, or they may think of the word in different terms pet food executives and marketers.
Superpremium, single-serve packaging may trade sustainability for convenience. Encapsulated pet food in a dissolvable pod could replace single-serve packages and reduce waste.
Brightly printed, sturdy pet food packages may ensure freshness on par with human foods, but multiple layers of material often mean superpremium packaging must make a trade-off with sustainability.
Pet owners now feed their pets the same foods morning and night, often day after day. Could specific formulations address pets’ daily metabolic changes while forging new ranges of time-specific dog, cat and other pet foods?
The pet food industry chose the red pill this year. While giants like Purina can create full-on VR experiences, even small pet food start-ups can use free panoramic camera apps to make immersive pet food facility tours.
Pet owners want a lot from their pet food brands. They want primary proteins that suit what they believe is best for their animal. They want grains or they don't. They want something customized, but it has to be easy to understand.