The Pet Food Industry: An innovative Distribution Channel for Marketing Feed Products from Welfare Friendly Production to Consumers?

Pirsich, Wiebke; Hardenberg, Louisa Marie von; Theuvsen, Ludwig

doi:10.18461/ijfsd.v8i3.836

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Specifically, in the 12 mo ending December 2021, refrigerated pet foods grew nearly 26%, which is on top of double-digit growth rates for the last 4 y. Taken together, this information suggests that alternative super premium pet foods have been increasing in popularity for several years (Pirsich et al, 2017). That said, the pandemic has possibly fueled the growth of these pet food categories as people have been spending more time with their pets and paying closer attention to what they are feeding them.…”

Section: Industry Landscape and Consumer Insightsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Insights-driven development of humanized foods for pets

White¹

2022

Meat and Muscle Biology

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Commercialized petfood has been evolving since the late 1800s. From rock-hard, flour-based biscuits to the adaptation of extrusion andcanning, or the most recently developed “fresh-cooked” processes, thedifferentiation between foods for pets and humans is becoming increasinglyblurred.  Today, the U.S. pet food industryis worth $42 billion and continues to rapidly grow year after year.  This growth is, in part, driven by anincreasing pet population which was accelerated by the pandemic (APPA, 2022; Euromonitor,2022); however, much of the growth and evolution of the pet food industry isarguably in response to a growing bond between humans and their pets. As petparents are increasingly looking for new ways to nourish and delight their “fur-babies”,the development of new, alternative formats of pet foods offers many advantagesto pet parents including more variety of food choices that typically have amore pleasant appearance and aroma.  Benefitsfor the pet from these innovative foods include exceptional palatability andnutrient digestibility as compared to conventional pet foods, although barriersto the growth of new, alternative pet food formats such as “fresh-cooked” foodsdo exist.  Most notably, the cost to feedtheir pets a diet solely consisting of “fresh-cooked” foods may be prohibitivefor many pet parents; furthermore, these novel foods bring unique technical challengesto manufacturers that do not exist for conventional kibble and canned petfoods.  From securing ingredient supplyto ensuring the safety and shelf life of products, manufacturers of “fresh-cooked”pet foods have been challenged to adapt new formulations, processing methods,and supply chain strategies that have not previously existed in the pet foodindustry.  This paper will exploreconsumer insights that have led to the evolution of the pet food industry aswell as the unique opportunities that pet food brands face as they seek tosatisfy consumer demand for high quality, humanized foods for pets withoutcompromising the nutritional adequacy, safety, and sustainability of commercialpet food diets.

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Section: Industry Landscape and Consumer Insightsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Insights-driven development of humanized foods for pets

White¹

2022

Meat and Muscle Biology

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“…Any information provided may need to illustrate how the welfare-friendly products differed from conventional ones to be impactful. Pirsich et al (2017) argue that utilising specialty pet food as an avenue for welfare-friendly by-products could give producers the opportunity to charge a premium for them, making it more costeffective, potentially reducing the purchase price of welfare-friendly food products for both humans and pets.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated pet owners’ WTP for animal welfare-enhanced pet food. Pirsich et al ( 2017 ) acknowledged the potential for a connection between pet owners and interest in farm animal welfare. They laid interesting groundwork by surveying German grocery consumers to elucidate attitudes toward farm animal welfare of pet owners and non-pet owners, but their WTP inquiry was focused on food for human consumption rather than pet food.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ethical vegetarians/vegans were more likely to own pets than those who were health-focused, and also felt more guilty about feeding meat-based diets to their pets (Rothgerber 2013 ). One German study thoroughly discussed these connections between companion animal ownership and WTP for animal welfare-enhanced foods for human consumption (Pirsich et al 2017 ) but, to the authors’ knowledge, no studies have investigated whether pet owners would be willing to pay for animal welfare-enhanced pet food.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can dogs help chickens? Pet owners’ willingness to pay for animal welfare-friendly pet food in the United States

et al. 2023

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Consumer concern about farmed animal welfare is growing but does not always translate into real-world purchasing behaviour of welfare-friendly animal products for human consumption. Possible reasons for this include unfamiliarity with farming practices and economic sensitivity. In contrast, the number and role of pets in the United States have grown measurably, and spending on pets is strong. The pet food market has many opportunity niches as pet owners navigate strong marketing trends and nutrition philosophies. We hypothesised that pet owners in the US would be willing to pay a premium for pet food containing welfare-friendly animal ingredients. Eight hundred and thirty-eight pet owners completed an online survey asking questions that measured their knowledge of and interest in farm animal welfare, and their willingness-to-pay for pet food labelled as farm animal welfare-friendly. Respondents overall displayed relatively low knowledge about farm animal welfare, but poor self-assessment of their own knowledge. They displayed interest in farm animal welfare and an overall positive mean willingness-to-pay (WTP) for welfare-friendly pet food. Younger respondents, women and cat owners displayed a higher WTP than older respondents, men and dog owners. Income level was not correlated to WTP. Creating pet food products that contain animal ingredients produced using welfare-friendly practices may enhance farm animal welfare via two primary avenues: by providing a sustainable and value-added outlet for the by-products of welfare-friendly human food products, and by providing an educational opportunity about farm animal production via pet food packaging and other advertising.

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“…Concern and empathy for animals have been associated with a preference for and intent to purchase products produced with higher animal-welfare standards [36]. Studies in the United States [42] and Germany [43] found that pet owners were interested in farm animal welfare and willing to pay for welfare-friendly pet food. The main factors contributing to a preference for animal welfare in food products are socio-demographics, ethics and attitudes, product characteristics and public roles [44].…”

Section: Attitudes Towards Uses Of Animals Beliefs Regarding Insect S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Model for Consumer Acceptance of Insect-Based Dog Foods among Adult UK Dog Owners

Pinney,

Costa-Font

2024

Animals

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The use of alternative proteins is becoming more common in pet feed, and insect-based dog foods (IBDFs) are becoming more widely available. However, little research has been conducted to date in respect of the drivers for consumers’ acceptance of IBDF. This study aimed to investigate the acceptance of IBDF among adult UK dog owners and the factors influencing the decision to try and buy such products. A theoretical model was developed following a review of the existing literature. An online survey of 280 participants was carried out and the results were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the theoretical model. The following constructs all had a significant impact on attitudes towards IBDF and/or intentions to try and buy IBDF: food preferences for animal welfare, health and environment; attitudes towards uses of animals; beliefs about insect sentience; disgust; perceptions of benefits and risks; and social norms. Social norms had the strongest influence of any single construct. Consumer acceptance of IBDF is multi-faceted including social, cultural and ethical components, and it is likely that the better availability of information and opportunities for consumers to familiarise themselves with IBDF would help to drive consumer acceptance. In order to allow dog owners to make informed decisions in line with their ethical preferences, further research is needed to establish the overall health and welfare implications of IBDF on the animals involved in production, as well as the companion animals, who are the ultimate consumers.

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The Pet Food Industry: An innovative Distribution Channel for Marketing Feed Products from Welfare Friendly Production to Consumers?

Cited by 5 publications

References 33 publications

Insights-driven development of humanized foods for pets

Insights-driven development of humanized foods for pets

Can dogs help chickens? Pet owners’ willingness to pay for animal welfare-friendly pet food in the United States

A Model for Consumer Acceptance of Insect-Based Dog Foods among Adult UK Dog Owners

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