Nutritional strategy for pets

Global sales of dog and cat treats alone have increased by 39 per cent in the last five years (Euromonitor Passport), driven by the expanding pet humanisation trend and the desire of pet parents to indulge their animal companions. Although snacking is often seen as unhealthy, treats clearly bring pleasure to pets, support the bonding process and parallel the behaviour of humans indulging their children or even themselves. Although people enjoy treating themselves and their pets, the consumption of such snacks is not without guilt. As awareness regarding nutrition, health and wellness grows, snack foods in the human nutrition arena have been identified by many leading global brands as a key category for expansion, offering not just taste and convenience but also an overall nutritional or functional value. This same opportunity is being pursued in the pet treat market.
Markets growing rapidly
It is clear that the pet treat and supplement markets have seen rapid growth in recent years (figure 1), which is creating an increasingly competitive environment, given that treats and supplements deliver higher profitability compared to food. Even though this growing and dynamic market is a great opportunity for treat manufacturers, there are real challenges to consider. For example, the perceived value of a functional treat can be questioned when the pet consumes a commercially produced "nutritionally complete diet", so the value proposition for the functional treat must be clear to differentiate it from this complete food.
This means that the functional treat should provide extra nutrition that is known to address the needs of pets in an individual way, similar to the way we address our own health concerns or those of our family. Fortunately, as knowledge increases about the health benefits provided by specific nutrients or functional ingredients, pet owners are becoming more comfortable adopting a supportive and preventative approach to managing their pet's specific health issues.
Need for supplemental nutrition
In the human snack sector, there are many products that promote clear health messages. Some of these products address simpler concerns regarding ingredient provenance, such as natural, "free from" particular ingredients and allergens or low in particular nutrients, salt or fat, for example. When surveyed by DSM (Market Tools, 2011), over 80 per cent of people agreed that they are health-conscious. Thus, with an increasingly health-conscious and also aging…