The pet food industry is booming. The pet-owning population is growing in the United States and abroad, and today’s pet owners are taking care of and feeding their furry companions in heartfelt and thoughtful ways that resemble the manner in which they care for the rest of their family members. This increased humanization of pets translates to more dollars for every segment of the pet care industry, including pet food. In 2021, the American Pet Products Association reported US pet parents spent $50 million on pet food and treats.
CRB, a Kansas City, Mo.-based provider of sustainable engineering, architecture, construction and consulting to the food and beverage industries, explored how pet food processors are responding to opportunities and challenges in the market in its “Horizons: Pet Food Report” published May 2022.
In this inaugural episode of More Than Kibble, Tony Moses, Ph.D., director of product innovation and fellow at CRB, joins Pet Food Processing Editor Kimberlie Clyma in a discussion about the report, including capital spending trends, product development opportunities and sustainability initiatives seen across the pet food industry.
“My prediction is that the entire food industry starts looking to the pet food industry for the benchmark in sustainable manufacturing, workplace environments and expectations,” Moses said.
Listen now in the embedded player above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Show notes
(1:08) Behind CRB’s Horizons: Pet Food report
(2:20) What makes the pet food market so attractive?
(3:33) Product innovation trends
(5:16) Where processors are investing and why
(7:05) Trends driving packaging innovations and investments
(8:25) How consumer demand influences pet food trends
(9:09) Challenges keeping processors up at night
(12:40) Sustainability goals, challenges and investments
(16:06) Predictions about where the industry is headed
(17:34) How to access CRB’s Horizons: Pet Food report
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