Dog and cat owners are seeking pet foods that offer additional health benefits, and a majority seek pet foods with quality that is the same as their own, a new survey of 2,500 dog and cat owners in the U.K., U.S., Brazil, Germany, and China found.
 
The consumer research, conducted by Wizer on behalf of ingredient supplier Beneo, highlights that pet food trends are mirroring some of those seen in human nutrition, demonstrating the potential that products with clean labels, health-promoting and no- or low-allergenic ingredients, sustainable attributes, and plant-based ingredients are growing in importance.
 
Naturalness and Clean Label
 
Four in five pet owners told said that using no additives makes pet food appear healthier, Beneo reports, and natural ingredient claims have a significant influence on purchase prospects. 79% of pet owners check the label for any ingredients that they dislike. “Many potential customers are also calling on brands to make it easier to track what’s contained within pet foods, making this an important area of focus for producers,” Beneo said.
 
Additionally, a spotlight is being placed on allergenic ingredients. Three quarters of pet owners say that using no allergens, such as soy or corn, makes pet food seem healthier.
 
Digestive Support On the Rise
 
Much like the human nutrition market, digestive health is a key driver in purchasing patterns of the pet foods market. Over 90% of pet owners say that supporting digestive health improves the likelihood of them purchasing a product, inducing them to actively look for easy-to-digest products. Notably the demand for prebiotics is gathering pace and their benefits are widely perceived, with 70% of respondents agreeing that adding such fibers to pet food makes it seem healthier. Beneo pointed to further-substantiating consumer research from Mintel, which found that half of the launches of dry cat and dog food in Europe now contain inulin, fructo-oligosaccharides, or chicory-derived products.
 
Sustainable Focus
 
More than half of dog and cat owners state that they pay attention to sustainability and carbon footprint in purchase decisions of their pets’ food, the survey found, and using claims such as “environmentally friendly” improves consumer interest in buying a pet food product.
 
“The findings of this latest pet survey highlight the rising demand from owners for understandable, cleaner ingredients labels and for healthier nutrition for their pets. We are also seeing this reflected through the rising number of customers favoring Beneo’s clean label and hypoallergenic rice starches and proteins, which are the ideal plant-based solutions for premium pet foods,” Maygane Ronsmans, animal nutrition product manager at Beneo, said. “The technical properties of our functional rice ingredients allow producers to use them as natural ingredients, and their nutritional benefits make them suitable for sensitive pets, or those with allergies. The combination of Beneo’s natural and plant-based ingredients and its expertise in healthy nutrition help manufacturers bring to market new and relevant pet food products that meet these consumer demands.”