Since pet food trends closely follow human food trends, it’s important to take a look at what is developing and growing in our food so we can see what should be in pet food next. Here are six human trends that should be monitored this year.

  1. Clean is Top on Human and Pet Food Labels: Words such as “natural” are claims that food companies are making to portray a more in depth or specific feel to a product. This word is also used to highlight a particular claim or health benefit that the product may provide.
  2. Vegetables on the Rise: Plants are becoming the mainstream in food and drinks, which is spreading into pet food very quickly. Many new pet foods are displaying a balance between a protein and vegetable. One example would be Purina One SmartBlend making a claim of containing chicken, as the protein, and rice, as the vegetable, to show that they are providing pets a well-balanced meal.
  3. Plain Sophistication: Words such as “artisanal”, “hand-picked”, and “home-cooked” display the balance of simplicity with elegance. This is a factor people are searching for with their own food and their pets.
  4. Seeds of Change: According to Pet food Industry, there is a slight plateau on grain-free items such as peas, lentils, chickpeas, and tapiocas. As a result, some new seed options could be considered in the future such as papaya, poppy, squash, watermelon, sunflower, or pine nuts. While these ingredients may not be seen in all pet foods yet, there is a possibility the new seeds will change the grain-free industry.
  5. Personalized Diets: Everyone wants to get food that is right for them. For people this may be performing their own research on what is right for their bodies, for dogs, there are tailored meals for every size, age, and breed of pets. With all of these options available, pet parents are able to get the correct nutrition for their companions.

6. Parallel between Human and Pet Food: There has been some parallel marketing techniques between kid and pet food in the recent years. Some of these characteristics are that they booth offer similar based goods, cater to a demographic that cares about what they feed their dependents, place their ingredient listings up front, and offer good that even the owner or parent would be willing to eat. With all of these comparisons, it just further confirms the humanization of pets in today’s society.