18 www.petfoodindustry.com

THE HUMANIZATION OF companion

animals is no trade secret, and the phenom-

enon is only getting more prominent. As a

result, many of the top human food trends

have found their way into the petfood

market—particularly those that focus on

the health and wellness of our furry family

members.

BETTER HEALTH THROUGH nutrition is a significant topic

these days in the human food industry, according to the

Hartman Group Inc.’s report, “Ideas in Food 2013—A

Cultural Perspective.” Sugar in particular is a red flag for

some consumers, with fructose bearing the brunt of the

scrutiny. Added sugar, according to Hartman, is being

linked to systemic inflammation, which in turn can lead to

cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and a whole host

November 2013 IndustryPetfoodPetfood

Health through nutrition, nutrition for seniors and weight manage-ment are three of the top trends in both the human food and petfood markets.

BigStockPhoto.com and Fotolia.com

Human food trends and the petfood industryBy Lindsay Beaton

Taking a look at some of the

top human food trends right

now and their connections to

the pet market

Resources and

reports

November 2013 IndustryPetfoodPetfood

of other medical ailments.

Gluten-free has become a mainstream idea and product

sell, and that has led to the desire for alternative ways to

gain the nutritive benefits of whole grains, nuts and seeds.

Nut meal, coconut “flour” and raw, sprouted, popped and

puffed grains are some of the other options companies are

now providing for consumers.

Other health/nutrition connections in human food

trends, according to Hartman’s report, include eating more

plant-based foods, supporting locally sourced foods and

using foods as medicine (whole grains, protein, omega-3

fatty acids, probiotics, botanicals).

This trend is just as significant in the petfood industry,

where companies are coming out with grain-free dog and

cat food and treats, products that boast no added sugars (or

dyes or artificial preservatives) and products rich in nutrition

additives like omega-3s.

NUTRITION FOR SENIORS IS a prominent extension of the

health and wellness trend, and one that has captured ground

in both the human and pet worlds. “If you look into the

human nutrition and health arena, you see certain trends

tied in with the latest ingredient/nutrient technology that’s

out there,” said Jeff Alix, global marketing manager for pet

nutrition at DSM. “You see a growing demographic of senior

citizens that are living longer and having a longer period of

time in that senior lifestage. The same thing is happening on

the animal side, with dogs and cats, because we’re seeing a

growing trend in the number of cats people are owning, and

also the number of smaller dogs.

“You do see that animals are living longer, and the

petfood industry realizes now that the pet geriatric lifestage

[is significant],” said Alix. “There’s a lot more emphasis in

nutritional support for this senior stage of life.”

There’s a lot of obvious crossover between the human

and pet side of things when it comes to aging. Bone degen-

eration, immune system functionality and cognitive function

and decline are just a few that both markets are focusing on.

“The aging [human] population today represents 17% [of the

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For more information on the Hartman Group’s 2013 Ideas in Food report, see www.hartman-group.com/downloads/ideas-in-food-2013.pdf.  

For more information on the 2012 National Pet Obesity Survey, see www.petobesityprevention.com/2012-national-pet-obesity-survey-results/.

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November 2013 IndustryPetfoodPetfood

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he Industry Leader in Independent Pet food Testing

total population], and within the next

20 to 30 years it’s expected to be very

close to 20%,” said Roger Clemens,

DrPH, CFS, chief scientific

officer for Horn.

“And that poses its own challenges.

What are the nutrition requirements,

and what should be considered in that

population?” Heart health, gut health,

skin

integrity/

health—

”Those

are

important

in human

health, and are equally germane to

questions in the health of peoples’

animals today,” he said. “So there’s

some cross-fertilization.”

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT IS

yet another trend prominent in

human food that has made its way

into the pet market. According to the

2012 National Pet Obesity Aware-

ness Day Survey, conducted by the

Petfood products databaseLooking for products that stay on top of the trends? Check out our directory of manufacturer and consumer products at www.petfoodindustry.com/products.aspx and www.petfoodindustry.com/petfoodandtreats.aspx.

22 www.petfoodindustry.com

November 2013 IndustryPetfoodPetfood

Association for Pet Obesity Preven-

tion, 36.7 million US dogs (52.5%) and

43.2 million cats (58.3%) are over-

weight or obese. With these numbers

comes a rise in type 2 diabetes cases

in animals.

According to petfood industry

experts, the humanization of pets

plays a significant role in this issue.

“Typically, overweight people have

overweight pets,” said Clemens. “We

need to help educate people so they

can stay clear of that.”

AS THE FLUIDITY of human food

trends and petfood trends increases,

it brings up unique concerns for the

petfood industry to deal with. The

bottom line is that pets are different

from humans, said Clemens. Their

nutritional needs are different, and

some human trends such as gluten-

free and grain-free can be dangerous

when cross-applied. “People will

put more energy into the quality of

petfood than the quality of food that

they feed themselves,” said Clemens.

“It’s a big opportunity for us to under-

stand the differences and the similari-

ties so that we can have the quality of

life for humans as well as the quality

of life for pets.”

That gaining of knowledge,

however, may be the easier part

of the equation. “It’s really easy to

transfer the knowledge over to the

animal side,” said Alix. “The biggest

hurdle is regulatory affairs. Science

is advancing at a phenomenal rate;

our regulatory body is not. Their

knowledge base is very old, and their

measuring stick is very short. The

cost to bring new ingredients into

the petfood arena based on solid

nutritional science becomes difficult,

because the science is much more

sophisticated than what the regula-

tory body can articulate at this point

in time.”

Once again, just as in the human

food industry, education may be the

key. “There’s less and less choices of

what to put in petfood, and trends

are based on perception, not on the

science,” said Lisa Alley-Zarkades,

vice president of Horn Animal Well-

ness. “We want to be able to address

that at the consumer level.” ■

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