These five articles about novel pet food ingredients received the most page views on Petfood Industry’s website in 2018. Some of the novel pet food ingredients covered by the articles included koji, quail and bison.
Infographic: 4 rising, 3 declining novel pet food proteins
Pet food industry professionals frequently ask James Restivo, director of client development at market research group Nielsen, about novel protein ingredients for dog and cat food, he said during the opening session of Petfood Innovation Workshop.
Koji dog treats exemplify novel ingredient challenges
The fungus Aspergillus oryzae, known as koji, has a long history of use in East Asia in human diets. One company, Wild Earth, has begun using koji in dog treats, but they face regulatory and consumer acceptance challenges similar to those of other novel ingredients, such as algae or insects.
Popular novel pet food ingredients lack in-depth research
The pet food industry has long conducted scientific research on dogs’ and cats’ nutrient needs and usage of pet food ingredients, yet most is on “traditional” ingredients: proteins like chicken and beef, as well as grains such as corn, wheat and rice.
Bison: sustainable and novel pet food protein
After rebounding from near-extinction, bison now provide novel pet food protein. What’s more, bison tends to cause less ecological damage and use less resources that cattle. That means pet food producers may market bison-meat pet foods as sustainable. Bison remains uncommon in dog and cat foods, so it may also help pet foods stand out on retailers’ shelves and websites.
Novel, functional ingredients for pet treats and toppers
In many mature pet food markets, pet treat sales are outpacing those of the overall market, and pet meal enhancers – toppers, mixers, gravies and similar products – are growing fast, too. In the U.S. pet specialty channel alone, which has seen flat growth overall in the past year, cat treat sales rose 7.4 percent in 2017, with dog treats at 1.7 percent, according to GfK data. The meal enhancer category soared by nearly 25 percent.
