Pet Food - Pet food trends of 2022

Feeding change: Pet food trends of 2022

The love of our pets is driving growth in the pet food industry.

-Words Kylie Baracz

PET OWNERSHIP in Australia has significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with two-thirds of Australian households now caring for a family pet. This rapid growth in adoption has radically affected the pet food industry in Australia, with more pet owners wanting the very best for their pets.

This rising trend, captured in Pet Food Industry Association of Australia’s (PFIAA) 2021 consumer survey, shows increasingly that pet owners see their pets as part of the family (78 per cent) with 97 per cent of them caring about the quality of food they are feeding their pets.

“Our pets mean so much more to us than they probably have before,” says Carolyn MacGill, PFIAA Executive Manager. “Pets are becoming more important to us and have a different position in our family structure. So, no matter what the pet is, any pet food should be safe.”

Premium pet food manufacturer Royal Canin has seen an increase in pet owners calling for healthier and safe pet food over the last few years, with many wanting detailed nutritional information of what they are feeding their furry family members before they purchase.

There is currently a lack of pet food regulation in Australia, which means that not all foods that are locally produced or imported are balanced, nutritious and safe for pets.

Royal Canin Spokesperson Dr Chantelle McGowan says: “Our customers are telling us they are looking for nutritionally complete foods, with a focus on products tailored for the breed and age of their furry loved one. This increased knowledge is important because our pets rely on us completely for their daily nutritional needs.”

Royal Canin has seen a trend towards pet owners wanting to replicate human diets, which shows how much they consider their pets as a significant part of their family.

Instead of just picking up a bag of food at the supermarket, many pet owners are now choosing products that are scientifically formulated and tested to help support the health of their furred friends and some even choose to cook their pet’s food the same as their own.

Pet owners are looking for a nutritionally rich diet for their pets

“It is natural that pet owners are looking at ways to improve the health of their dogs and cats, given they have spent so much home time together in recent years,” Dr McGowan says. “Therefore, high on their list is a nutritionally complete diet, backed by scientific research, using high quality ingredients.” This trend is confirmed by PFIAA, with many of its surveyed pet owners choosing more premium products.

“We’re seeing continual growth in premium pet foods; we’re seeing growth in private label product; plus, growth in the chilled or cook-at-home type meals,” says MacGill. “I would suggest, with people being at home with their animals more and allocating their time differently, they are tending to want to feed their animals similarly to themselves and that slightly changes the dynamic.”

Pet food safety is a high priority for PFIAA, with the association calling on Standards Australia to review their current Australian standard AS5812 – Manufacturing and Marketing of Pet Food to reflect pet owners’ desires for safer pet food regulation.

The AS5812 standard covers production of pet food, including pet meat from sourcing and receipt of ingredients to storage, processing, packing, and labelling of products to assure its safety for pets. It also includes instructions for application of information provided on labels. The PFIAA led the introduction to the voluntary standard back in 2011, prior to that they had a code of practice.

“The standard was developed to increase pet food safety but because it is voluntary it only means that some companies in Australia comply, not all,” says MacGill. “So, if you’re a manufacturing member of the PFIAA you need to comply with the standard, but that doesn’t cover all pet food manufacturers.”

This concern is echoed by the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), which is also pushing for better pet food regulation in Australia and recommends that people only feed their pets food that is compliant with the current AS5812 standard.

“There is currently a lack of pet food regulation in Australia, which means that not all foods that are locally produced or imported are balanced, nutritious and safe for pets,” says Dr Sue Foster, Veterinarian and AVA Spokesperson. “There have been a number of adverse events associated with the feeding of various types of commercial pet food, pet treats and pet meats. The AVA together with PFIAA has been investigating these incidents since 2007.”

Some examples of these adverse events include the 2018 outbreak of megaoesophagus – a disorder of the oesophagus where it loses its ability to move food into the stomach and causes regurgitation – after feeding dogs Advance Dermocare; and more recently, a significant number of cases of liver failure in dogs due to Indospicine toxicity in raw pet meat sourced from Gippsland.

To mitigate pet food safety concerns, the AVA together with PFIAA and RSPCA Australia recently contributed to the government’s Pet Food Review Working Group, following on from the Senate Enquiry into Pet Food Safety in 2018.

Two key points the group would like included into the regulatory framework are mandatory compliance with AS5812; and an inclusion of an independent regulator of the pet food industry in Australia, with the authority to order a mandatory recall and investigation of adverse events. “It is encouraging that the government has become more aware of the risks and implemented a review into pet food safety,” says Dr Foster. “However, until there is an actual regulatory framework ensuring pet food compliance with a mandatory standard, it is not possible to state that the [pet food] trend is heading in a positive direction, as the risks remain.”

This is a sentiment that is echoed by Australian pet owners, with 88 per cent of thosesurveyed by PFIAA wanting government oversight of pet food.

PFIAA and AVA encourage all retailers and vets to review the manufacturers of their stocked pet food to ensure it meets at least the Australian Standard AS5812, particularly if it is an imported product. MacGill also recommends retailers and vets support the push for pet food regulation.

High on [pet owners] list is a nutritionally complete diet, backed by scientific research, using high quality ingredients.

“At the moment, the PFIAA, AVA and RSPCA are all supporting regulation and we would encourage retailers, vets and consumers to contact their local representative toensure that they know that people want to see pet food regulation,” says MacGill. “What it does is it ensures that there’s a clear understanding of what is in a product and through that support we’re then able to have more people out there seeking regulation.”

Although the pandemic has seen a rise in responsible pet ownership and pet food sales, it has also created an impact on the distribution and sourcing of quality pet food.

Both Royal Canin and Eukanuba experienced difficulties in distribution of their premium products over the last two years, which meant they needed to do some strategic sourcing.

“Like many companies, the logistics of sourcing and delivering products has been more complex during the pandemic,” says Dr McGowan. “Our purpose is to make the world a better place for our pets, so when faced with these challenges, we’ve worked around the clock to come up with solutions to ensure supply of our diets.”

Sourcing and distribution difficulties caused by the pandemic did not deter many businesses from launching their pet food and treats online after vet clinics and bricks-and-mortar stores shut their doors to the public.

And, with many pet owners now working from home, the convenience of online delivery meant pet food sales skyrocketed, which has been both a positive and concern for the industry.

“There has definitely been growth in online purchasing,” says Macgill. “We’ve certainly seen a growth in the number of pets, so therefore we see a growth in the number of companies coming on board. We get a lot of enquiries about people who would like to start a pet food business, whether it be a meal or a treat.

“The concerns we have online is if it is an imported product and an unfamiliar product, you may not be aware of what you are purchasing. But, for all our members that do sell online, they would sell both in-store and online.”

The PFIAA completes annual audits of its members, including the use of a third-party certification body. It has also introduced a mandatory recall protocol for pet food quality or safety issues for members, similar to Australia’s human food recall process.

The AVA and PFIAA have a veterinary voluntary reporting system called PetFAST to track health problems in dogs and cats that are suspected of being associated with pet food, treats and pet meat.

For more information, visit ava.com.au/library-resources/ other-resources/petfast/report/

Seeking sustainability

Pet owners value strong sustainability credentials, according to Dr McGowan from Royal Canin. This has driven the company to measure the impact of its raw materials and make the switch to more sustainable alternatives. The company has committed to becoming certified carbon neutral by 2025 and, in addition to this, its wet pouches and dry bag packaging can be recycled at more than 300 hubs, including vets, pet retailers, and shelters around Australia.