2021 Pet Food Trends, Volume 2

Pet owners express interest in a wide variety of functional benefits, reflecting their motivation to ensure their pets’ health and longevity and consistent with the increasing prevalence of functional health claims on pet food packaging.

Gut health claims have begun to appear in the category and have the potential to become a unifying theme in pet food marketing, effectively serving as an umbrella claim for a range of functional health benefits that pet food purchasers consider highly desirable. For instance, Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Gut Health Meal Enhancement for Dogs is part of a broader line of pet food toppers promising a variety of specific functional health benefits.

Pet owners express interest in seeing more of a variety of treats and toppers, ranging from treats that address specific health benefits to more indulgent products, such as toppers, to enhance flavor or holiday themed treats. A common denominator, however, is all-natural. Nearly half of pet owners say they would like to see more natural meat treats…