Functional Ingredients in Pet Products Are More Than a "Nice to Have"
Why buy your pooch treats that merely taste good when you can now purchase soft chews with active ingredients that support digestive, skin or joint health? That's a question pet parents the world over have asked themselves lately. In fact, according to a recent round of ADM consumer research, pet owners in all markets are willing to pay more for functional ingredients than for pet products that don’t have a supplementary ingredient.1
What's the reason for this quickly rising enthusiasm over supplements that feature functional benefits? We think it's down to the following factors:
Simply put, pet parents want healthier pets. Better dental and oral health, skin and coat health and healthy aging are a few of their top concerns. They like seeing functional ingredient claims backed by scientific evidence. And they like it even more if it's a recommendation from their vet.
Improved formats and flavors. Everything comes in a gummy now, and pet owners are here for it with soft chews staking the claim as the most popular pet supplement format. However, if their dog or cat turns their nose up or spits it back out, consumers will never buy it again.
Macro awareness of the microbiome. As consumers start to become more knowledgeable of the differences between pre-, pro- and postbiotics and how they benefit human digestion, they're learning that biotics can have a similar effect on their pets. Tummy troubles in their animals are a major concern for many, so this is welcome news.
Global Pet Supplements Report
Drooling for more? Take a deeper dive into each of the subjects briefly discussed above, with stats (lots and lots of stats) to back up where we think things are going.
1ADM Outside Voice℠ (proprietary research conducted via Morning Consult), 2023
