On the latest episode of the Trending: Pet Food podcast, Dr. Greg Aldrich, chief operating officer of Nulo Pet Food; Marcel Blok, owner of Change Stranamics; and Dr. Gail Kuhlman, owner of GXK Consulting, joined host Lindsay Beaton, editor of Petfood Industry, to celebrate the show's 100th episode by reflecting on decades of industry transformation and discussing future challenges.
The conversation covered the industry's journey from basic grocery and veterinary brands to today's sophisticated marketplace shaped by pet humanization, sustainability priorities and evolving processing technologies.
The panel addressed pressing concerns including raw material scarcity, workforce development gaps, affordability issues, and the need for greater academic support while exploring opportunities in minimal processing, personalized nutrition and sustainable manufacturing practices.
Here are 10 takeaways from Episode 100: A look back and ahead at the pet food industry:
1. Pet food industry transformation driven by humanization trend
The industry has evolved dramatically from pets as working animals to family members. "The big shift that I saw from the mid-80s to when I got out of my graduate school and went into the pet food industry full time in the 90s was that the pets and their association with their families had changed. They went from the backyard and the barnyard to the house, and then in some cases, sharing other parts of the house, beds. They were the surrogate children," Aldrich said.
2. Minimal processing represents biggest technological advancement
While extrusion improvements continue, the greatest recent innovation focuses on preserving nutrients. "I think the biggest advance in technology in the last few years for pet has been in minimal processing," Aldrich explained. "In essence, trying to reduce the amount of time and temperature and shear that we apply to a food product so that we keep as much of those nutrients intact as possible has been the Holy Grail."
3. Nutrition science drives all technological innovation
Kuhlman emphasized that curiosity about nutrition underpins industry progress. "For me, and being a nutritionist, you would expect me to say this, I feel all the technology and innovation we've seen over the past 30, 40 years in the industry is all due to the core of us being curious and learning the best nutrition and incorporating that science into the product," she said, noting that large breed dogs' lifespans have nearly doubled from five to seven years to 15 years through improved nutrition.
4. Sustainability will define future processing capabilities
Blok warned that environmental concerns will increasingly constrain manufacturing options. "The biggest change we're going through is not as far as I'm concerned about process or about nutrition. The biggest change we're going through is the awareness about sustainability. Sustainability will certainly define what we can do in the future, and that will define what kind of processes we can use in the future," he said.
5. Industry remains traditional and slow to embrace revolutionary change
Despite innovation, the sector favors incremental improvement over disruption. "I have described the industry as somewhat traditional and conservative, which means for me that yes, we see change. Change is slow. Nothing is revolutionary, at least not in my point of view," Blok said. "We in the industry ask ourselves not exactly the same question. What we ask ourselves is, can't we do this better? I don't say, can't we do this differently?"
6. Newcomers and diversity driving adaptation
Fresh perspectives from new entrants and diverse teams accelerate change. "It's a lot of the newcomers that are helping us get through some of this change, and frankly, the newcomers can either be new associates coming into a company or the companies being purchased by other companies," Kuhlman noted. She added that businesses now recognize "diversity around the table in thought is really what's going to drive change and what's going to push their business going."
7. Pet food manufacturers underinvest in academic research and training
Aldrich noted the industry's limited support for education. "The pet food companies have not been supportive of that kind of education. There are a few companies, of course, there are exceptions out there that have put their money where their mouth is and help train the next generation of their innovators and leaders. But by and large, they're tapping into a supply stream of graduates that the upstream support industry, the allied industry, have helped to produce and fund, including the research," he said.
8. Affordability remains critical challenge alongside innovation
Kuhlman stressed that advanced products must remain accessible. "With our new technologies and our innovation and our less processed and our freeze-dried and our humanization and our fresh and everything we just mentioned comes a high cost. How can we as an industry work through ensuring that our consumer can still afford the product when we're done delivering upon all these expectations?" she asked.
9. Ingredient scarcity poses growing supply chain threat
Aldrich identified raw material availability as a major future challenge. "One of the things that we're dealing with in the trade in the industry, writ large, is scarcity of quality ingredients. In some sectors, part of it has to do with seasonality, such as fish, such as turkey production. Some of it's driven by disease," he explained, noting that the industry must adapt to these constraints while maintaining quality expectations.
10. Personalized nutrition and alternative proteins shape future direction
Kuhlman predicted increased focus on individualized diets. "I really think that it's becoming more interesting how we look at each individual dog or each individual cat as needing their own unique recipe. The personalization now of pets is very interesting to me," she said, also noting continued research into "alternative culture-grown" proteins and insects as the industry addresses sustainability and raw material availability concerns.
