As trends filter down from the human food market into the pet food sector, we have seen various functional human trends which are starting to cross over.
At PawsPet Food we have developed 5 functional treats with various functional benefits ranging from Calming through to dental.
Stress and anxiety is an all too common complaint in today’s fast-paced and time-poor society. This issue has become a hot topic in the media according to Mintel and is firmly on consumers radars as they seek to combat stress. This trend in the human food chain has also heightened stress relieving products in the pet food market.
In recent studies, although only one in five pet owners are actively concerned about their pets anxiety levels, 43% expressed an interest in pet products with calming ingredients rising to 55% of under 35’s.
While there has been a big jump in the number of pet food launches with calming properties, this comes from an almost non-existent base accounting for less than 3% of total launches in 2017.
Using herbs which have links to stress management would also appeal to the 12% of pet owners who have a more general interest in pet food featuring herbs rising to 16% among female under 35’s. As consumers are increasingly turning to botanical ingredients for their purported health benefits as well as a means of lending for a more interesting and sophisticated flavour profile this also bodes very well for their use in pet food.
Within your Functional Treat range there are various herbs and botanical’s within the recipes which provide their functionality some of which include chamomile and lavender.
