By Guillaume Maio, Marketing Manager, Pet Nutrition–EMEA, ADM
Global consumer trends show many pet owners are applying their own dietary preferences and values to their pets. Pet owners are also projecting their personal wellness concerns onto their pets, seeking out balanced nutrition solutions to support pet well-being. Notably, 85 percent of global consumers agree that proper nutrition and supplements are as important for their pets as they are for themselves. This growing demand necessitates the development of increasingly tailored product offerings, which continues to drive innovation in the industry. As more companies want to bring functional products to market, there are more opportunities to work together and bring their innovative ideas to life.
Trends in Health & Wellness
Analysts project the global pet treat and supplement market will grow at an eight percent CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) through 2028. Pet owners who are taking a proactive approach to their companion’s health and wellness most frequently seek out products that support dental and oral health, skin and coat health, joint health and mobility and healthy aging. Furthermore, 97 percent of consumers say the primary health benefit claimed on packaging informs their purchasing decisions for functional pet products.
Manufacturers and private label brands are eager to respond to these market trends and take advantage of an emerging product category with extensive development potential. However, functional claims such as ‘supports digestion’ or ‘supports mobility,’ among others, demand technical and regulatory compliance, requiring expertise that not all pet food manufacturers possess. As a vertically integrated global pet nutrition solutions provider, ADM addresses this need with functional blends that are quick to market, offering formulation expertise and extensive regulatory support.
Our range of bespoke and ready-to-use supplements includes seven customised blends of high-quality, active ingredients:
- Calming: supports balanced behaviour
- Dental: supports oral health
- Digestion: supports gut health
- Longevity: supports the well-being of aging dogs
- Mobility: supports joint health
- Skin: supports healthy skin and coat
- Wellness: supports daily well-being
Each blend is powered by the science of biotics, botanical extracts and essential nutrients, allowing the finished product to support key health and wellness claims consumers seek.
Pioneering Postbiotic Solutions
Functional ingredients that are highly popular among humans can be just as useful for their furry companions, including microbiome solutions. Consumers worldwide are increasingly aware that the gut microbiome is connected to aspects of well-being, from digestive support to oral care and even calming benefits. Prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics can all support a healthy gastrointestinal environment, as well as the skin and oral microbiomes. Approximately one in three European pet owners have purchased biotics at least once a year because of a professional recommendation to help their pet manage a specific condition.
Postbiotics are a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that can confer a health benefit on the host. These inactivated microorganisms provide formulators with easily incorporated active ingredients to support well-being. Postbiotics can be a helpful alternative to live probiotics, as they are more resilient to challenging formulation conditions required by the final product, such as pressure, water activity and heat commonly used in pet food processing.
Drawing on our expertise in microbiome solutions across species, ADM offers several postbiotics for pets supported by clinical studies, including:
- Weight Management & Metabolic Health
Heat-treated Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT 8145 (BPL1™) has recently been found to be a safe supplement for healthy adult dogs, with changes observed in fecal short-chain fatty acids, bacterial composition and fecal metagenome, when compared to control. A further clinical study is ongoing to assess additional physiological outcomes of BPL1™.
- Gut Health
Heat-treated Bifidobacterium longum CECT 7347† may support gut barrier function, per in vitro data.
- Dental & Oral Care
Heat-treated Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CECT 9161 is ADM’s Oral Health postbiotic for dogs. This proprietary postbiotic has been shown to inhibit canine oral biofilms and support the reduction of dental plaque, as demonstrated in clinical and pre-clinical trials.
When it comes to health and wellness, consumers perceive claims such as ‘clinically tested,’ ‘scientifically studied’ and ‘vet recommended’ as evidence of a product’s effectiveness. Scientifically sound benefit claims are also necessary to convince veterinarians, pharmacists and specialised retailers that new wellness products dedicated to dogs and cats will perform as indicated.
Flexible & fast formulations
To help pet brands get a head start on new product development, premix formulations provide agile production solutions that accelerate pace to market. Premixes blend multiple ingredients, ensuring precise and consistent dispersion throughout the finished product to meet the nutritional requirements of dogs and cats. Custom ingredient blends combine concentrated ingredients into a single, homogenous mixture, which streamlines the storage and weighing of ingredients at the manufacturing facility. Premixes include vitamins, minerals and amino acids, and may also contain various additives, protein sources, carbohydrates, fats and fibre.
ADM’s high-quality and fully customised premixes provide pet food formulators convenience, efficiency and nutritional excellence. Our global network of premix plants has locations in Effingham, Illinois, U.S.; Chierry, France and Quindao, China. A diverse team of formulation scientists leverages state-of-the-art production lines to enable previously unexplored blending and galenic formulation possibilities and novel ways of including specific ingredients – unlocking an endless field of innovation to meet the diverse needs of our customers.
Indicators of what’s to come
Consumer research finds half of European pet owners purchase supplements at least every two months, and approximately four in five consumers say they would be interested in buying supplements for their dog(s) and/or cat(s) in the future. Within this highly competitive pet health segment, an effective formulation that targets specific functional benefits with supporting scientific evidence and delivers unique features that enhance consumer appeal will have significant opportunities. Pet brands can look to ADM for high-quality ingredients, formulation expertise, end-to-end support and ongoing innovations to support pet well-being from the inside out.
