The rise in sales of organic, natural, healthy pet food is a reflection of the lifestyle of the pet owners. But what really drives the pet owners to buy the kind of pet food for their animals?
1. Pet Owners’ Lifestyle
It all boils down to humanization of pets. Gone are the days when pet owners fed scraps to their pets. Pet owners have realized that there’s more to just having a dog or a cat around. They deserve better than food scraps. And when pet owners began treating their pets as part of the family, they started feeding them pet food that reflects their own lifestyle.
For example, many vegans feed healthful, meatless diets to their companion animals¹. There are even companies that sell vegan pet food. Pet owners living a healthy lifestyle pick out pet foods that are nutritious and vitamin-enriched, although many are now switching to pet foods that can give their pets the right nutrition the natural and organic way.
2. Pet Owners’ Beliefs
Many pet owners are still holding onto their tried and tested beliefs when raising their pets. If they have fed their pets all-natural, targeted-nutrients, or non-grain pet foods for the longest time, they will still buy them for their pets.
“Outside of meeting the basic nutrition and palatability that will bring and keep the pet at the bowl, it comes down to the buyers’ beliefs behind the decision,” says Debra Williams, category manager, AFB International, a pet food palatability company. “There are some pet parents who look for ancestral diets that are high in protein or meat, others look for culinary diets with fruits, vegetables or ancient grains, while still others want to focus on diets based on science for targeted health benefits.”²
3. Where and How the Ingredients are Sourced
Given that pet owners are health conscious and would want to project that behavior to their pets, they want to know what’s in the pet food they give to their companions. Many pet food manufacturers buy ingredients from suppliers in the human food industry. “The vegetables and fruits are organic, and their formulas are made without grains, fillers, artificial preservatives or colorings, sugar or salt.”³ Some ingredients are 100% human grade raw materials.
Pet food companies in the US manufacture pet food using naturally raised meat, poultry or fish in USDA-inspected facilities. Addiction Foods manufacture them in facilities that meet international standards, following a strict Code of Conduct that requires our plant to adhere to the highest standards for food safety. Because we’re based in New Zealand, we strictly follow the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) program of New Zealand’s food and safety authorities.
4. Pet Owners’ Pet Preference
Pet owners surveyed in February/March 2017 by Packaged Facts said that 35% of dog owners and 30% of cat owners “strongly agreed” that their pets preferred crunchy pet food, while 25% of dog owners and 26% of cat owners “strongly agreed” that their pets preferred wet food.⁴
Regardless of whether pets prefer wet or dry, the bottom line here is that pet food manufacturers should provide healthy and nutritious options for the pet owners and their pets.
Looking for a partner to help you explore new markets?
Discover what Addiction Foods Private Label can do for you and your own brand!
————————————————————————–
[1] https://www.peta.org/living/animal-companions/vegetarian-cats-dogs/
[2] https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/11818-the-real-customer
[3] https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2016/10/14/pet-owner-food-preferences.aspx
[4] https://www.petfoodindustry.com/blogs/9-trending-pet-food/post/6536-pet-food-when-your-consumer-is-not-your-customer
