The humanization and premiumization of pet nutrition continues to spur growth and innovation.

They can be seen being pushed in strollers wearing adorable ensembles, they have their own home monitoring systems, orthopedic bedding, travel water bottles, educational toys, dinnerware—the list of products goes on and on, with every conceivable need being met. Recently, it was reported that one special girl received a multi-million dollar inheritance after her fashion icon owner who passed away.

Not your typical children, they are our beloved pets, and we take great joy in indulging them with the best we can offer. That is especially true when providing nutrition.

Jon Getzinger, CMO, with Minnesota-based Puris, noted that pets are more than pets for most Americans, especially young Americans. “According to a study done by Mintel, three-fourths of Americans in their 30s have dogs, while 51 percent have cats. Pets have become a replacement for children sparking the ‘fur baby’ movement. These pets are being treated as a part of the family, which means owners are concerned about their pets and their diets more than ever before.” To meet those needs, PURIS provides a traceable, organic or non-GMO (genetically modified organism) option for food makers and retailers.

Consumers are looking for better than average food and treats. Lara Niemann, marketing director with Iowa-based Gelita, said, “We see familiar themes from human nutrition appearing in pet nutrition—like an expectation for value-added solutions. Simply feeding your pet is no longer enough. Pet owners are looking for natural ingredients, few ingredients (i.e. clean label) and with a heavy emphasis on protein—a cornerstone of pet nutrition. Even in the pet space, we see trending diets with a focus on ‘ancestral formulations’ with a high demand for meat and animal-derived, non-grain ingredients.”

Momentum is building. Kevin Owen, Global Business Development Companion Animals, Consumer Health & Nutrition, Lonza in New Jersey, noted that the U.S. pet industry is growing at a steady, consistent rate, rising by approximately 10 percent between 2013 and 2018 to $25.2 billion. He agreed that one of the main drivers of this growth is humanization, which continues to be a key trend in the industry—particularly as pet ownership in the U.S. also continues to rise. Indeed, research suggests that, in 2018, 68 percent of U.S. households owned a pet, with 76 percent of owners reportedly thinking of their pet as a member of the family.

“This notion is increasingly universal, and has led to more pet owners becoming motivated to feed their pets high quality, premium products,” Owen said. “The premiumization of pet food has also played a significant role in market growth in recent years, with increasing numbers of pet owners willing to pay a premium for added-value pet food products that offer health and wellness benefits for their beloved pets. Pet food manufacturers are also exploring the growth of the super-premium pet food category, fuelled by pet owners seeking specialty food products typically offering higher quality ingredients and greater transparency, as well as additional health benefits.”

He pointed out that this has also driven a more omni-channel approach to pet food product sales. “Pet owners are now not only turning to the internet to become more informed on pet care and the ingredients that can meet their pet’s health and wellness needs, but also to purchase premium pet food products. While already a booming market in countries such as China, reports indicate that internet sales of pet food, particularly premium products, has also overtaken food store sales in the U.S., with e-commerce projected to reach a 20 percent market share by 2022.”

Lonza has also seen more instances of major food companies diversifying into this area. “For example,” Owen added, “by acquiring animal nutrition and pet food companies. We anticipate this will enable premium pet food products to become more accessible to the mass market. This may, in turn, help to boost the steady growth of the pet market in the U.S., although exploring emerging markets in other regions across the globe may be crucial in facilitating further expansion.”

Hugh C. Welsh, president & general counsel with DSM North America in New Jersey, also emphasized the humanization of pet products. “Vitamins offer a high creditability factor in human health whose claims can be further substantiated by a large body of scientific evidence in most pet species. As a result, we have seen increased interest and demand for premium brands offering clean ingredients and a holistic supply chain.”

However, he also noted that this growth and dynamic nature of the premium brand sector of the pet food industry may pose increased risk for exploitation of health and wellness related claims.

“Often these premium brands reach for unique ingredient offerings that match the latest trends in human nutrition,” he said. “The greatest challenge with this approach is the awareness level behind the featured ingredient and the lack of science supporting the related health claim. Establishing precise Optimum Vitamin Nutrition for dogs and cats is very challenging. Many factors affect OVN for dogs and cats, including, but are not limited to, animal species, life stages, life styles, individual variation, the forms and bioavailability of the vitamin, nutrient interactions in food and the body, as well as environment conditions. Since DSM is a leading manufacturer of vitamins and vitamin premixes, our OVN program provides vitamin supplementation guidelines taking into consideration results from ongoing research in all areas of vitamin nutrition in order to leverage the full potential of vitamins to support a long and healthy life for our beloved companion animals.”

Market Changes

Pet nutrition growth is being driven by category evolution. Donald Cox, PhD, R&D director – Wellmune & GanedenBC30 with Kerry in Ohio, elaborated: “Pet food is going through a period of premiumization and humanization. Just as wellness is now a major driver in product development for human foods, so it is for pet food, too. In fact, 22 percent of global new pet food product launches in 2017 carried the claim ‘Vitamin/Mineral Fortified.’ Furthermore, we see pet food brands customizing their formulations to appeal to specific pet life stages and providing greater disclosure regarding ingredient transparency.”

Andrew Rice, director of product & brand strategy with Stratum Nutrition in Missouri, agreed regarding transparency. “There is a huge surge of pet owners wanting to offer their companions a more effective, clean-label, traceable, holistic functional food, and this carries over into the supplement space and the ingredients comprised within these supplements, such as probiotics, omegas and alternative joint health ingredients supported with better science. Aside from the joint health category, other categories of evolution include digestive health, weight management, skin and coat health and cognitive health.”

Amanda Brown, global sales manager with American Laboratories in Nebraska, added that the market is evolving by consumers wanting to purchase local ingredients and high-quality products for their pets. “The price point of the product is not as important as the product itself,” she said. “Consumers are willing to pay a little more now to ensure their animals are getting the best possible food/treat/supplements. With the economy doing better, consumers are willing to spend a little more on their pets to get them more natural ingredient finished products that still taste good.

“Supplements are also on the rise,” she added. “The market for human supplements is continuing to grow, and we now see this in the pet market as well. Digestive enzyme supplements help the overall digestion in animals to reduce some side effects of gas and bloating. Just like humans, pets can have some of the same side effects and having your pet take a daily supplement can help them live a happy and healthy life.”

Organic pet food startups are entering the market at more economical price points, said Getzinger. PURIS has a robust pet line that includes pea starch for extrusion and binding. “Our starch also serves as an economical replacement for tapioca and potato starch. With the current trade issues, companies are looking for other alternatives and consumers continue to shy away from “off-shore” ingredients preferring transparent supply chains. PURIS is also a seed company based out of the Midwest and works with farmers across the U.S. to grow great tasting foods that we then turn into ingredients with the only vertically integrated, transparent supply chain of its kind.”

In addition, pulse proteins, pulse starches and fibers are a strong portion of pet diets over the last decade, Getzinger noted, but consumers are always looking for the next best thing, including a shift to more sustainable, regenerative and ethically sourced ingredients.

People are living longer than ever before and so are our pets, noted Welsh. “While this is certainly a positive development, these additional years are not necessarily in good health. A significant amount of research shows that nutrition is an important modifiable factor in the risk reduction of age-related chronic and infectious diseases in humans. Micronutrients, including antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene, omega-3 fatty acids as well as carotenoids and lutein, have been found to hold great potential in heart, eye and brain health, as well as immunity that could prove beneficial in the elderly.”

DSM’s DHAgold is based on algal fermentation and is a sustainable omega-3 solution, according to Welsh. DHAgold bypasses the fish and goes directly to the source getting its DHA from algae, DHAgold is a consistent, sustainable, non marine source of DHA which is free of ocean-borne contaminants.

Ingredients Gaining Ground

More and more pet treats are using natural flavors, Brown observed. “American Laboratories specializes in manufacturing a spray dried pork liver flavor that is manufactured and raw material is sourced in the USA. This ingredient is human grade, USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) approved, and meets European requirements. When making the flavor, no other products are used in the manufacturing except water. When this flavor is put into a finished product like a treat or supplement for a pet, then it gives it a rich flavor that the pets love, and the consumers stand by because of its high quality.”

American Laboratories is also a U.S. manufacturer of pancreatin, a digestive enzyme that helps with the breakdown of protease (protein solubilizing), amylase (starch liquefying) and lipase (fat splitting). This ingredient is sourced from pork pancreas glands and is a natural ingredient. Humans and animals are constantly producing these enzymes, but depending on diets or other factors, it may be necessary to supplement to help with overall digestion. The same pancreatin American Laboratories manufactures for human supplements, is also used in animal supplements so pets are getting a high-quality supplement, Brown said.

Niemann added that as collagen is booming in human nutrition, it is an opportunity for this ingredient to cross over into pet nutrition. “Collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals—the main component of connective tissue, making up to 35 percent of their whole-body protein content. In fact, all connective tissue is comprised of some collagen, so protein supplementation with collagen protein (generally in the form of collagen peptides – short chain protein building blocks produced by hydrolysis of native collagen) helps pets stay flexible and mobile longer.

PETAGILE, the specific bioactive collagen peptides from Gelita, is an ingredient specifically formulated and optimized to support joint health and mobility in pets—especially in dogs. The specific peptides of Petagile taken orally (1 g per 5 kg body weight), stimulate the cartilage cells (chondrocytes) to increase production of new cartilage matrix. Cartilage matrix predominately consists of collagen and proteoglycans, which act as a buffer between bones.

In addition to value-added ingredients with specific benefit, Gelita also offers gelatine, which often used in pet foods and treats as a binder, texturizer or emulsifier. Gelita Gelipro pork protein offers the highly sought-after animal-based protein required in most pet foods. Gelita’s Gelimin dicalcium phosphate provides mineral content in pet foods to support strong bones and teeth, coat growth, regulated water levels and more.

Also of interest to pet owners, said Owen, is weight control and management. “An estimated 52.7 percent of dogs and 57.9 percent of cats are obese or overweight in the U.S., with this figure predicted to increase in years to come. Studies are, however, exploring how nutritional intervention may help to address this issue, and the findings demonstrate that L-carnitine, an ingredient used widely in human weight management, can also play a role in supporting weight management in pets. L-carnitine helps the animal’s body to metabolize and convert dietary fat into energy, enabling more effective fat utilization. Lonza’s Carniking L-carnitine ingredient, for instance, has been shown to help maintain lean muscle mass in active dogs, while also aiding recovery after exercise.

Other ingredients that are gaining traction are those designed to support joint health—53 percent of pet owners ranked joint health as a leading concern when looking for condition-specific pet foods or supplements. Lonza’s UC-II undenatured type-II collagen, which forms part of the increasingly popular super-premium pet food category, helps to enable mobility, flexibility and healthy joints, and is suitable for formulation into a wide range of pet supplements to support improved joint health in both young and old pets.

At Stratum Nutrition, Nena Dockery technical services manager, agreed. “Interest in joint and digestive health ingredients predominate because the symptoms associated with declining health in these two areas are most obvious to the owner,” she said.

Since consumers are interested in familiar ingredients for their pets, Dockery noted that probiotics and digestive enzyme formulations continue to be popular for treating pet’s digestive disorders. “In the area of joint health, glucosamine continues to be the most familiar, though its popularity is waning in the wake of other well-researched ingredients.”
One of the newer ingredients to appear is eggshell membrane. Stratum Nutrition offers the NEM brand of eggshell membrane, which has been extensively researched and supported by multiple published clinical, in-vitro, and in-vivo studies for its benefits to human joint health. Derived from the inner membranes of the chicken eggshell, this food-sourced ingredient has been shown to support joint health in several crucial ways, including significant reductions in pain and stiffness. NEM may also help improve the health of joint cartilage, revealed in reductions in CTX-II, a reliable biomarker for cartilage metabolism and breakdown, Dockery said.

“In addition to joint and digestive health, ingredients that may help mitigate age-related chronic maladies are also gaining in popularity,” Dockery added. “Turmeric/curcumin supplements have gained rapidly in popularity for use in companion animal formulations as have fish oil derived omega-3 supplements. The use of these ingredients for pet health is beginning to ramp up as concerned pet owners want to ensure that their pets have the best opportunity for a long, healthy life.”

Younger consumers purchasing pet health products have made an impact, said Welsh. “It is evident that consumer interest in sustainable food products is growing and that the emergence of this growth is being accelerated by younger generations. DSM’s research indicates 66 percent of global consumers say they are willing to pay more for sustainable brands and 73 percent of global Millennials are willing to pay extra for sustainable offerings.”

The issue of sustainability is a core value at DSM, Welsh said. “We believe manufacturers must focus on providing a high-quality safe product in a sustainable manner. Every day the research on omega-3 EPA and DHA grows as scientific researchers examine new potential benefits associated with fish oil consumption. However, the ever-increasing global consumption of fish, and our heavy reliance on fish material as a protein source, is bringing us to the critical point where ocean supplies will fail to meet the growing demand. Projections indicate that continuing to overfish our oceans will result in a shortage of commercially harvested fish and potentially lead to extinction of certain species.”

DSM’s DHAgold is based on algal fermentation and is a sustainable omega-3 solution for pet nutrition. The DHA-producing algal are grown in large, stainless steel fermentation vessels commonly used in the pharmaceutical and food industries via a closed process in cGMP (current good manufacturing practice), FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)-inspected facilities. After fermentation, the algal biomass is carefully dried to produce DHAgold. These microalgal flakes contain a high level of DHA free of ocean-borne contaminants ideal for use in pet nutrition products. The natural protection of the cell walls and the additional natural antioxidants create the stability needed for a longer shelf life. Because it is a whole cell algal, DHAgold has better sensory performance compared to fish oil and fish meal.

That is also a concern for PURIS. “As climate change becomes more of a concern, the biggest trend we see is pet owners are looking for more sustainable, regenerative and ethically sourced ingredients with very transparent supply chains,” said Getzinger. “PURIS offers ingredients powered by regenerative agriculture, transparent back to the non-GMO seed that it sells farmers. Consumers are also looking to feed their pets healthier diets. Healthier diets mean understanding exactly what the label on the back of the packaging means and determining if that is a “healthy” purchase.

Dosing, Delivery, Safety and Efficacy

Meeting dietary requirements for pets can be a challenge for pet owners, and supplements offer a way for owners to ensure that their pet is getting the nutrition they need. “While adding nutritional ingredients to pet food during the production process and adding supplements to pet food in pill format were, historically, the solutions available to pet owners,” said Owen. “Innovations such as Lonza’s Coni-Snap Sprinkle capsules offer a solution that enables the ingredient to be sprinkled onto pet food. Pet owners can, in turn, easily pull apart the capsule, deliver the correct dose of the supplement and increase the nutritional value of their pets’ food, without compromising quality, safety or efficacy.”

Another challenge is getting a pet to take a supplement or drug. “As a result, supplement (and drug) manufacturers are constantly looking for innovative ways to deliver their formulations,” said Dockery. “Some owners are very adept at giving their pets a hard pill with confidence that the pill will be swallowed. Other owners are not so fortunate.

“Some ingredients can be easily dispensed in a chew or treat type of product, adjusting the flavor to conform to appealing tastes for the desired animal species,” she added. “Sticky goo formats, similar to peanut butter, are also popular for some formulations. Many manufacturers have found these approaches to be quite successful, but it helps to utilize ingredients that already have either a neutral or mild taste and smell. Ingredients that are derived from foods that are already in the diet of the animals also helps.”

Ensuring product quality depends on traceability, according to DSM’s Welsh. “Our research suggests that there is a rising consumer concern with respect to safety, quality and traceability of ingredients. Pet retail products range from concentrated dietary supplements to pet foods designed to deliver 100 percent of the animal’s daily nutritional needs. It makes sense that ingredient traceability is vital. We also know pet food product recalls break down consumer confidence in packaged goods. Consumers trust the brands they buy, which means manufacturers need to deliver on that trust. Safe ingredients are key to this, and the ingredients manufacturers have a vital role to play. At DSM, we believe the best way a manufacturer can safeguard its products and brands against the unthinkable is to invest in quality ingredients and expertise from a trusted source. We invest many resources in trying to ensure unmatched product and service quality for our many partners.”

And, optimizing the viability of probiotics can also be a challenge in pet food products, said Cox. “The unfortunate reality is that most types of probiotic bacteria will not survive long enough during processing and storage to deliver their intended benefits to the animal’s gut. GanedenBC30, however, is a probiotic strain with a three-year shelf life that will survive both processing conditions and transit through the digestive system. It can do this because it’s a spore-forming Bacillus bacteria, which means it has a natural protective shell, meaning it is more stable in pet food products like soft chews, hard chews, dry powder blends and frozen treats.”

New Channels

Sales channels in pet food/pet care space are shifting, too, Niemann noted. “As more brands move from specialty brick and mortar stores and veterinary clinics, we see more premium brands entering the mass market retail space—like in grocery stores. Further, the digital age is also impacting how pet owners shop for their pets. With the emergence of online clubs for pet supplies, such as Chewy.com or Amazon’s Wag platform, pet owners now have immediate access to premium brands and products that were historically available only through specialty shops or from a veterinarian.”

Another interesting development that Niemann pointed out is that more CPG companies are entering the pet care space, competing with markets historically dominated by Mars and Nestle. General Mills, J.M. Smucker and other “food” companies have recently entered the pet care market by acquiring pet product brands.

But wherever these products are sold, Kerry said it is set to seize the opportunities presented. “As the pet food category grows more dynamic and with an increased focus on ingredient transparency and customized formulations,” Cox said, “we are exploring applications for our branded functional ingredients to offer clinically proven health benefits to pets to deliver on these emerging consumer demands.” NIE

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Supplement Aims to Open New Category Within Pet Health

New Jersey-based MYOS RENS Technology launched MYOS Canine in June 2018. “There is truly nothing in the pet supplement space that addresses muscle health that is all natural. We hope this will become a new category,” said Joseph Mannello, the company’s CEO and director.

Its recently completed clinical study with Kansas State University showed that Fortetropin, the active ingredient in Myos Canine Muscle Formula, prevents muscle loss in canines after surgery and enhances recovery. “This demonstrated meaningful effectiveness of Fortetropin in the muscles, much similar to our human study at the University of Tampa,” Mannello noted.
He added, “Customers appear very insistent on natural ingredients in their pet food. Our product is a supplement, which is all natural and consists of fertilized egg yolk.”

New to the veterinary supplement industry, Mannello said he learned from conversations with partners and other participants. “You need to demonstrate the data (science) behind nearly every ingredient. We were originally a human nutraceutical company. I guess with the market’s focus on all natural, data-driven supplements, the market has evolved to allow entry to a company like MYOS.”

When formulating pet supplements and products, the most important concern, according to Mannello, should be where the ingredients come from, how the product is manufactured and where. “Our product is manufactured in a facility using a process that’s patented and routinely undergoes rigorous testing—our human supplement (processed at the same facility) recently earned NSF Certified for Sport certification.”

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For More Information:

American Laboratories, https://americanlaboratories.com
DSM, www.dsm.com
Gelita, www.gelita.com
Kerry, www.wellmune.com/formanufacturers/
Lonza, www.lonza.com
Myos Rens Technology, www.myosrens.com
Puris, www.purisfoods.com
Stratum Nutrition, www.stratumnutrition.com

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