AUSTIN, TEXAS — Nulo, a performance pet nutrition company, announced its new pet jerky treats and dental chews in response to the growing demand for treats with functional benefits. The new line includes eight jerky treat options for dogs and cats, and three new sustainably sourced Yak chews prepared to enhance dental health, according to the company.

“Every consumer is now a wellness consumer,” said Heather Mendoza, director of research and development at Nulo. “Nielsen IQ reports that consumer interest in functional foods offering wellness benefits is rapidly accelerating, and that intentional label reading in search of these benefits is on the upswing. Nulo wants to help retailers answer that need for pets.”

Nielsen IQ also shared that 75% of consumers are willing to pay more for functional health benefits and added protein.

To fulfill these priorities of pet parents, the jerky treats for dogs are formulated separately for skin and coat, heart health, mobility, gut health and puppy health benefits. For cats, there are jerky treats for skin and coat, heart health and kitten health. According to the company, all the products are minimally processed using 80% premium meats blended with other healthy ingredients, such as dried honey, coconut and fish oils and the sought-after BC30 probiotic.

The dental chews for dogs are made with a custom blend of Yak and cow’s milk and are rich in protein, calcium and fatty acids.

Dog treats, the largest segment of the pet treat business in dollar sales and volume, has currently plateaued in total US sales. In response to this, Nulo believes their line offering functional benefits will deliver added excitement to the category by capitalizing on consumers’ priority for health and wellness solutions.

“Nielsen data forecasts the overall value of the human health and wellness product marketplace will grow to $400 billion by 2030. We want to capture the translation of that interest in the pet treat business,” said Michael Landa, founder and chief executive officer of Nulo. “To authentically deliver on that goal we’re using only science-backed ingredients that augment pet wellness at all life stages.”

Read more about pet treat products.