1. Trendspotting:Grain-Free,JointHealthHoldStrong
by LenoraHam
As consumers continue toembrace petsasfamilymembers,manufacturersare benefittingfrom owners
seekingtofeedtheirpetsavariety of the latestandgreatestin animal nutritionproducts. Translated
intothe marketplace, thismeans brandloyaltyisn’twhatitonce was—andmany petsare becoming
accustomedto culinarycreations thatreachfar beyondthe dailydish of basickibble. Althoughtrends
are transientbynature, the currenthot spotsin petnutrition seemlargely drivenbypopularfadsin
humandietary,consumerandsocial practices.
Accordingto Tom Vierhile,innovation insightsdirectoratDatamonitorConsumer,the hottesttrend
rightnow inthe petfoodsector isgrain-free.“Thisseemstobe acarryoverfrom concernsoverglutenin
the humanfoodmarket,alongwiththe fact that petshave shorterdigestive systemsthanhumansand
may be lessable toproperlydigestgrains,” he said.
Vierhilealsonoted several othertrends,including:
 Differentformsof petfood(i.e.,souporstew)
 Humanizedpetfood andtreats(forinstance, pettreatsshapedlike potatochips)
 The risinguse of alternative majorproteinsourcesforpetfood(suchas plantproteinsorfish)
 The use of exoticingredientsinpetfood (e.g., rabbit,bison,kangaroo,venison)
 Petfoodand treats specifically forsmall dogs
Additionally, Vierhile pointedtopetoral care as a growingtrend, aimedatimprovingcompanionanimal
oral hygiene.“Petoral care isa toughissue forconsumers, asonlya small minorityof consumerswould
evenattemptbrushingtheirdog’steeth,”he said. Productssuchas water additives anddental chews
are amongthe newerinnovationsinthisarea.
He notedothertrends include stress-reliefsupplements (forinstance, forpetsthatmaybe alone at
home forlengthytime periods)andthe use of the popular“superfood”ingredientssuchas chia.
Montserrat“Montse” Almena,D.V.M.,Ph.D., directorof animal productdevelopmentatFoodScience
Corp.,echoedVierhile’s insightonpetoral care,noting, “The dental categoryandskinand coat
supplementsare secondandthirdonthe trendingpetcategories.”She addedthatdatafrom a recent
surveybyNestlè PurinaPetcare of St.Louis showed 40 percentof dogownersand 50 percentof cat
ownersexpressedinterestinpurchasingveterinarymedications,foodsorsupplementstoaddresstheir
pets’specificgastrointestinal (GI) conditions.
VijaySasi,D.V.M., directorof technical servicesand exportbusinessatVetsPlusInc.,saidjointcare
currently representsthe largestcategoryfortrendingnutritional supplementsand isa growingmarket.
“The top-sellingsupplementcategorycontinuestobe jointhealthwitha4 percentgrowthrate and
salesof $690 million,or45 percentof total category sales,accordingto Nutrition BusinessJournal,”
Almenaadded.

2. “Many pet parentsare seekingoutnewingredientstosupportjointhealth,”Sasi said. “One of the most
excitingiskrill oil,whichhasanti-inflammatoryandpain-relievingproperties.Glucosamine and
chondroitinhave beenpopularforjointhealth,butpeople are now lookingformore effective options.”
Probioticsare alsotrending,accordingtoSasi.Many consumersare lookingforspecies-specific
probiotics tohelptheirpets.“Eachspeciesof bacteriaprovidesaunique benefitthatcan impactgut,
dental,skinorimmune health,”he said. “Microencapsulationallowsforalot of new opportunitywith
the probioticsthatare sensitivetomoisture orheat.Encapsulatingthe probioticmeansthatitis
protected,andthishelpstomake sure the beneficialbacteriaisstill viable once itisinthe animal’s
system.”
In termsof longevity, Vierhile believesdigestive health couldbe acandidate forthe mostenduringpet
foodtrend.Onthe supplementside, AlmenaandSasi are puttingtheirmoneyon jointandskinhealth,
categories Sasi saidcontinue tosee anincreasingvarietyof productofferings.
ConsumerInfluence
What (or who) influencesthe latestpetnutritiontrends? Today’s consumers are playingaleadingrole.
“Andpet ownershiptendstoskewyoung,” Vierhile said.AccordingtoDatamonitorConsumer’s2014
global survey,60 percentof consumersownpetsworldwide,butpetownershiphasatendencyto
decline withage.The surveyfound67.7percentof respondentsinthe 15- to 17-year-oldage group
respondedthey were petownersversus46.1percentof consumersage 65 and older. Womenare
slightlymore likelythanmentobe pet owners,with63 percentof womengloballyowningpets,
comparedwith57 percentof men.
Accordingto Sasi, newandtrendingpetproductsare createdto meetconsumerdemands.“Petparents
are bombardedwithinformationdailyandare seekingitoutmore now than everbefore,”he said,
addingthat consumerstendtoresearchfirstandthenbuy,educatingthemselvesonwhatingredients
and label guaranteestolookfor.“Petparentsare alsowillingtospendmore ontheirpetsforquality
supplementsandfood.Thatmeansmanufacturershave more opportunitytoexplore newandnovel
ingredients.Also,aswe see newdevelopmentsinthe humanmarket,we see the same kindof products
broughtto the pet market.Petsface manyof the same healthconcernsaspeople,sothe trendsforpets
oftenfollowthe humannutritionmarket.”
Retailers alsoplayanimportantrole ineducatingthe consumer, andcaninfluence the trendsthrough
promotionof differentproducts. “Withpoint-of-purchasedisplaysorthroughconversationswith
customers,retailerscreate awarenessandademandfornew productsand technology,”Sasi stated,
addingretailers “are a resource forconsumerslookingforinformationonthe newestingredients,
flavorsor deliverysystems.”
As such,Almenabelievesitisimportantforacompanyto listencloselytoconsumers’needsand
preferences.“Byanalyzingconsumer data,marketerscansee whatconsumersare more likelytobuy,
and R&D [researchanddevelopment]canfocuson developingofferingsthatmattermost,” she said.

3. “Andby doingso earlyinthe newproduct-developmentprocess,brandscanavoidtrendsthatdon’t
match well withtheirbrand.”
Trend Predictions
Vierhilebelievesgrain-freepetfoods willcontinuetotrend forthe nextyearor longer.“There is
evidence thathumanconcernoverglutenisrising,andthisshouldtranslate intomore interestforpets,”
he said. Accordingto the International FoodInformationCouncil Foundation’s 2015 Food andHealth
Survey,19 percent of Americans“limitoravoidentirely”gluten—afigurethathasincreasedfrom 13
percentin2014. “It’sa goodbetthat thisbehavior will carryoverintothe petfoodaisle,” Vierhile
concluded.
Lookingat petfoodsalesstatisticsglobally, the dogfood category isexpectedtoleadthe marketin
growthoverthe nextyear.AccordingtoDatamonitorConsumer’sMarketDataAnalytics,dog foodis
expectedtoposta 4.1 percent compoundannual growthrate (CAGR) from2014 to 2018, as compared
to the 2.7 percentfigure forthe cat foodmarketduringthe same period. Dogchews and treatsare also
expectedtogrow,withaCAGR of 3.6 percentfrom2014 to 2018, slightly outpacingcattreatsand milk,
at 3.1 percent.
Accordingto Vierhile,the futureisalsolikelytosee more activityandtrendsinpetfood designedfor
specificdogbreeds,aswell as nutritionalproducts gearedforpets incertainlivingconditions. “One
example of the latteris‘urban’ petfoods,intendedfordogsthatlive inanurban environment.Thisisn’t
somethingthathasreallyhitthe U.S. marketyet,butis somethingthatcouldinthe future,” Vierhile
predicted.
The Role of Marketing
Sasi suggestedpetnutritiontrendsare alsodrivenby marketingmessages,whethereducating
consumers aboutthe featuresandbenefitsof aspecificproduct,orraisingawarenessforanentire
category. “The dental categoryisa good example,”he said.“More isbeingsharedabouthow oral
hygiene impactsthe restof the body,andpeople are startingtotake dental healthforpets more
seriouslybecauseof that.Solidmarketingbuildsawarenessandeducationintothe entire campaign,
while atthe same time, suggestingthe potential effectivenessof the product.”
Packagingofteninfluencesthe firstsale,butthe consumerwillonlypurchase againif the productis
beneficial. “Nutritiontrends,forbothpetsandhumans,oftenbypassscience becausehype sells,”Sasi
said. “As people continue todotheirresearchonproductsand demandthe data,onlythe products with
the science toback themup will succeedinthe market.Thenthe science willbe drivingthe trends.”
Sasi concluded, “Asmanufacturers,we are responsibleforprovidingaccurate informationtothe
consumer.We needtobe accountable forthe safetyof products.”Almenaagreed,“Communication,
research and flexibilityare myfavorite toolstouse inthisregard.”
As animal nutrition continuestotake cuesfromthe human nutrition market, Vierhile anticipates more
innovationinpetfoodandsupplements containingtrendyhumaningredients,whetherkale orall things

4. non-GMO(geneticallymodifiedorganism).Nomatterwhatthe future holds,one thingiscertain—pet
trendswill continue andbrandholderswill strivetobe amongthe firstto put themon the shelves.