Functional pet treats may reduce pet owners’ cognitive dissonance. Pet owners want to feed nutritious, healthy items to their companion animals. Yet, pet owners also want to give their pets something extra and see the animals’ enjoyment of tasty treats. Pet treats can boost bonding between people and their treats, while also boosting the potential for obesity. By adding functional ingredients to pet treats, owners may feel better about treating while potentially benefiting pets’ health. Pet food ingredient supplier ADM reported survey data on European’s attitudes toward functional pet treats and supplements.
“85% of global consumers agree that proper nutrition and supplements are as important for their pets as they are for themselves,” according to the report. “More than half of European pet parents say they would be willing to pay more for treats with benefits than for treats that don’t have a supplementary ingredient.”
European pet owners have four main concerns related to their pets, according to ADM.
1. Healthy aging/general wellness
2. Mobility and joints
3. Dental and oral health
4. Skin and coat health
Pet owners may seek out pet treats made with functional ingredients that specifically address these concerns. Those that do purchase functional pet products seem to continue doing so. In Germany, 54% of surveyed pet owners have purchased functional pet products at least once in the past two months, compared to 17% who have never purchased the products. Results were similar in the United Kingdom, where 52% had purchased them within the past two months, while 20% had never bought functional pet treats. Among French pet owners, 41% had purchased functional pet treats recently, and 25% had never purchased them.
Probiotic pet food ingredient acceptance in Europe
European pet owners are repeatedly purchasing pet treats made with functional ingredients. One class of functional ingredients, biotics, had different usage rates depending on the European nation considered. Biotics include probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics.
“Tellingly, data indicates a correlation between knowledge and purchase,” ADM analysts wrote. “Poland knows the most about biotics (must be all that sauerkraut—it’s very rich in biotics), so 81% have purchased biotics for their pets at least once. These numbers indicate that the more consumers know about biotics, the more they are likely to buy them.”
Pet owners considering themselves knowledgeable about probiotics:
- Poland 49%
- Germany 33%
- France 30%
- UK 30%
Pet owners who have never purchased probiotics:
- Poland 19%
- Germany 37%
- France 44%
- UK 42%
Among these pet owners who had never purchased probiotics for their pets, ADM analysts noted four main reasons:
1. They are not aware of these products.
2. They believe that their pets don’t need these products.
3. They think these products are too expensive.
“There is one thing that consistently jumps out in the biotics data: consumers are inclined to embrace biotics when they have some knowledge about these ingredients,” ADM analysts wrote. “There is a clear opportunity for pet brands to help inform consumers about the advantages of biotics in treats and supplements. Expanding awareness through marketing, packaging, and the like can help increase the adoption of these products.”
