CHICAGO — The humanization of pets and consumer awareness of pet health and wellness has led to increased demand for health beneficial pet food products, pushing manufacturers toward functional ingredients. In fact, research from ADM’s latest report shows that pet parents now expect functional ingredients in their pets’ nutritional products — and are even willing to pay more for such products.  

As pets continue to live longer, consumers are determined to support their health and wellness by increasing their investment in healthy pet treats and supplements, all formulated with functional ingredients targeting a variety of bodily systems. For example, joint health and mobility has long been targeted and more products are hitting the market targeting oral health and gut health.

According to ADM’s latest report, pet owners see value in buying pet products made with functional ingredients at a higher cost than products that do not include such ingredients. Additionally, 85% of pet parents throughout the globe believe that proper nutrition and supplements are just as important for pets as they are for themselves, speaking to continued humanization. With all this in mind, Euromonitor estimates that the global pet treat and supplement market will grow at an 8% CAGR through 2028. 

Proactive care

Healthy aging and general wellness, joint health and mobility, dental and oral health, skin and coat health, and digestive health are the top health concerns pet parents look to address through the use of supplements, according to the report. In addition, ADM found that 79% of pet owners would spend money on more proactive care for their pets (like purchasing supplements and functional treats) in order to avoid larger veterinary bills. 

When looking to buy functional pet products, 97% of consumers claimed that the primary health benefit listed on packaging informs their purchasing decisions, according to research from Euromonitor. Regarding specific functional ingredients, 63% of dog owners and 61% of cat owners, according to FMGC Gurus, reported that branded ingredients are important in their purchasing decisions since many of these ingredients are more likely to be backed by scientific evidence, demonstrating the importance of data to back-up health claims.

Gaining appeal

Pet health products are gaining traction throughout the globe. According to research from ADM, 61% of pet parents in Brazil, 57% in Mexico, 56% in the United States, 55% in Poland, 54% in Germany, 52% in the United Kingdom and 41% in France have purchased these products. For comparison, 8% of those in Brazil, 7% in Mexico, 18% in the United States, 13% in Poland, 17% in Germany, 20% in the United Kingdom and 25% in France reported having never purchased pet health products. 

Additionally, most pet parents throughout the world are interested in purchasing pet health supplements in the future, according to ADM’s report. Eighty-four percent of pet owners in Brazil, 77% in Mexico, 72% in the United State, 69% in Poland 63% in the United Kingdom, 60% in France and 58% in Germany expressed interest in these products. 

According to ADM’s report, it’s simply not enough for a pet treat or supplement to offer functional health benefits, as pet parents are taking more into consideration. When seeking to buy pet supplements, consumers’ main considerations include the products’ price, flavor and format and trust that the product will work as claimed. 

Building on this, the report found that soft chews have emerged as the most popular pet supplement format for global consumers, likely because gummy supplements are popular in the human supplement space. Crunchy and baked formats are the second preferred type. Innovative formats are also gaining popularity with 32% of Brazilian and Polish pet owners, 27% of UK owners, and 25% of US consumers interested in toppers and mix-in supplement formats. Additionally, 27% of German pet parents and 25% of Mexican pet parents are interested in squeezable paste formats. 

Looking at purchasing trends for pet health products overall, ADM found that these products are not considered a one-time purchase — many consumers purchase them about every two months. 

The microbiome 

The microbiome is one specific area of pet health and wellness that is gaining increased awareness from both consumers and industry, leading to more research on functional ingredients (specifically biotics) and more launches of microbiome and digestive health focused pet foods, treats and supplements. 

The percentage of pet parents that have purchased pre-, pro- and postbiotics for their pets is high across the globe, according to ADM. Ninety percent of those in Mexico, 85% in Brazil, 81% in Poland, 71% in the United States, 63% in Germany, 58% in the United Kingdom and 56% in France have purchased biotics for their pets at least once. 

Of those consumers who have not purchased any biotics products for their pets, many are not aware of the benefits of these ingredients. Forty percent in Brazil, 38% in Mexico, 34% in France, 34% in the United Kingdom, 28% in Germany, 24% in Poland and 20% in the United States claimed they have not seen or heard about these products, according to ADM. 

As pet health-focused products continue to gain popularity with pet parents, it will be incumbent upon processors to understand the top need states consumer desire for these products, as well as focus on functional ingredients, to be successful in this segment.

Read more from ADM’s report. 

Keep up with the latest pet food trends on our Trends page.