As customers continue to demand more from their pets’ food, functional ingredients are making their way into all types of pet food formulations.

“Functional ingredients” has been a term used in human food for a long time. Touting various health and nutrition benefits, the novelty of each ingredient has varied in popularity depending on consumer preference, but there’s no doubt that they’re a staple in human nutrition.

It’s unsurprising then that functional ingredients have also become a staple in pet nutrition. The distinction between human food and pet food is continually merging as pet owners are looking for more nutritious food for their pets .

Expanding beyond veterinary or premium specialty diets, it’s no longer difficult to find at least one functional ingredient claim on pet food bags at all price points. What qualifies as a functional ingredient has expanded, too, as formulators look to old classics and novel ingredients to fulfill customer requests.

Functional foods include fruits and vegetables, botanicals, whole grains, dietary supplements, probiotics and prebiotics

Novel ingredients have also been identified as functional because they provide health benefits beyond the provision of essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, water, proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

Functional foods are certainly on the rise and here at Paws Pet Food we will look to capitalise upon our fantastic recipes and ingredients to provide you with many functional claims.