It’s the new year, and 2019 is surely a year to look forward to, given that last year’s market trends have provided manufacturers a glimpse of what they need to watch out for – and potentially, to produce – to meet growing demands in the next few years.
Here are a few things you need to watch out for this year, as a guide for future expansion and distribution plans.
Sustainability of raw ingredients
Aside from emerging protein sources, which will see more novel meat choices made available in the market in the coming months, sustainability of ingredient sources will become a key issue to address in 2019, as consumers become more concerned about where their pet food comes from.
Referred to as ‘evergreen consumption’ in the pet food landscape, it’s a topic that manufacturers and distributors need to take heed of, as consumer awareness on the importance of sustainably-farmed, cage-free and free-range meats and other food sources become more heightened.
For manufacturers, this means looking for partners who can provide a sustainable source of raw ingredients that are hormone-free, grains and gluten-free, and have lower glycemic and carb indexes, to meet the upcoming growth demands.
Continued humanization
The coming year will focus on continuing to provide humanized products and services, as evidenced by the growing trends to go vegetarian or explore more gourmet meals for dogs and cats.
Propelled by a growing millennial market that have accepted pets as family members, human activities particularly those related to food, food choices and, bonding and recreation, have found their way into the pet landscape, and will continue to do so this year.
Niche nutrition
This year, we’ll see more personalized, niche nutrition as owners look for pet food that caters to their pets’ individual nutritional needs, driven by their own personal lifestyle choices.
This poses both a challenge and an opportunity for manufacturers to explore a variety of ingredient options to target specific markets.
With the global pet food market’s net worth going beyond the US$94 billion mark in 2018, manufacturers need to find ways to get a piece of that huge pie.
That means thinking beyond the usual pet-related products, and instead targeting growing market segments found in growth regions like the Asia-Pacific.
Opportunities through Partnerships
2019 will see market shakers moving the landscape faster and more agile, particularly in the Asia Pacific Region and China, where pet food-related consumption is expected to register a continued annual growth rate of 9.7% between 2018 to 2023.
As a manufacturer, you need to team up with a partner who can help you to design, produce, pack and export premium quality pet food to markets like China, and has a sound understanding of both culture and business acumen in this growing market.
At Addiction Foods Private Label, we understand the challenges of keeping up with the growing consumer demands for the AsiaPac and China pet food markets.
Combined with our leadership in the premium pet food landscape and our strong international linkages across the region, partnering with us means we can help you to penetrate these pet food market with relative ease.
Addiction Foods continues to commit itself to the responsible production of all pet foods that meet the region’s stringent industry guidelines and policies, through our wide range of products and services.
Visit our website to find out how you can produce and distribute your own pet food brand this 2019, through Addiction Foods Private Label.
