An increasing number of pet parents are concerned about the ingredients in their pets’ food and are actively seeking more natural and organic options. In response, we’re seeing a lot of manufacturers incorporate more natural ingredients such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and meat into their products. However, it’s important to ensure that sustainability goals meet the pet’s needs (such as great taste and nutritional value) and the consumer needs (the right price point).
Global Technical Sales Lead for Pet Food
Cargill
Pets have a special place in our homes and many owners also consider them to be beloved members of the family.
This growing ‘humanization’ of our pets has big implications for food manufacturers, with pet parents actively seeking out the latest nutrition solutions to meet their pets’ changing needs. Pet parents want to see their experiences translated to their pets, with demands for human-grade ingredients and human-like pet food and services on the rise.
This has a huge impact on sustainability efforts – both inside and out of the bowl. Consumers are increasingly aware of the impact of pet food production on the environment. Research shows that pet owners place a greater importance on making a positive impact on the environment and are more worried about climate change, compared to their non-pet owning counterparts (Source: Euromonitor Passport: Voice of the consumer: lifestyle survey 2023).
From packaging to ingredients to certifications and energy use, there’s no single ‘gold standard’ to achieving a more sustainable pet food sector. Cargill’s unique position across the entire value chain – from the farm to the bowl – enables us to adapt to emerging consumer demands and industry disruptions to deliver the ingredients our customers and pets depend on to thrive.
OUTSIDE THE BOWL
Reducing food waste, plastic use and recycling are among the top three ‘green’ activities reportedly taken by pet owners to enact a daily positive environmental change (Source: Euromonitor Passport: Voice of the consumer: lifestyle survey 2023). Packaging is therefore widely considered ‘table stakes’, and addressing it is the most common sustainability effort across the pet food industry today. Some manufacturers are using eco-friendly packaging made from recycled materials or biodegradable materials to reduce waste, while others are focused on offering products with reduced packaging.
While alternative packaging materials are available, not all plastics can be recycled in the same way. Technology and innovation are just coming around to flexible packaging and we need to see more infrastructure in place to accelerate in this area. Most pet food packaging cannot be put out for curbside collection as processors have not been able to find a solution to handle it once it is collected. This is an area we are currently researching here at Cargill, and industry-wide work in progress.
LOOKING INSIDE THE BOWL
An increasing number of pet parents are concerned about the ingredients in their pets’ food and are actively seeking more natural and organic options. In response, we’re seeing a lot of manufacturers incorporate more natural ingredients such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and meat into their products.
However, it’s important to ensure that sustainability goals meet the pet’s needs (such as great taste and nutritional value) and the consumer needs (the right price point). There are some great sustainability stories that can be told within the context of traditional ingredients – even those that hold a negative consumer perception. For example, chicken byproduct and plasma are full of nutrients, and would go to landfill if they were not used as ingredients in pet food, thereby reducing waste. Some manufacturers are also using upcycled ingredients such as spent grains, vegetable pulp, and unsold produce to make pet food, helping to reduce food waste and create a circular economy.
One of the most exciting frontiers in this area is the use of novel ingredients, such as black soldier fly larvae, krill, crickets and invasive Asian carp. There are many advantages to using alternative protein sources as they boast a good nutrient profile and have additional health benefits besides sustainability. They also have the potential to reduce competition with human-grade, human-acceptable food ingredients.
At Cargill, we partnered with Innovafeed to explore the possibility of tapping into insect protein – which can be produced using a fraction of the land, water, and resources required with lower emissions than traditional production – across our Animal Health & Nutrition Business. While our initial collaboration has focused on aquaculture, last year we announced the expansion of our partnership to include more species, starting with the use of oil derived from insects in swine and poultry feed (not yet on market in the US). Pet food is another area that is under review and considered a key driver for ‘what’s next’ within the sector.
LOOKING AT THE SUPPLY CHAIN
Sustainability is core to Cargill’s purpose to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way. We have the size and scope to implement sustainability practices throughout our supply chain, helping to reduce the overall environmental impact. Our aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our supply chain by 30% per ton of product sold by 2030.
Consumers are increasingly interested in understanding where their pet’s food comes from, how it was produced, and what impact it has on the environment. Traceability within the supply chain has long been prevalent within the pet food sector, with safety concerns ensuring that companies can adequately trace the origins of all the ingredients used, back to the supplier.
We are uniquely positioned to deeply understand sustainability value chain issues, which shapes our holistic approach and ability to solve sustainability challenges for our customers. This ranges from certified carbon offsets, improvement projects relating to land, water, energy and human rights, and certifications.
Across our Animal Health & Nutrition portfolio, we’re working to ‘do more with less’ to feed the world and protect the planet. This involves looking at ways to increase efficiency, using less waste, enhancing animal welfare and reducing emissions. In our pet food business, this translates across a variety of touchpoints, and our initiatives are tailored across different markets depending on the area of opportunities. However, there is one focus area all our plants have in common, which is increasing production efficiency through “Continuous Process Improvements”. These improvements decrease ingredient waste and energy consumption, which in turn decreases the energy and ingredients needed to produce our customers’ orders. Each year our teams identify new projects that will meet this objective and move us closer to our sustainability goals.
We are also carefully selecting the right ingredients with the right nutrients that have a lower carbon solution and investigating alternative ingredients. Where infrastructure exists, we look to transport products using a combination of road and rail to avoid only using road.
There are several certifications available that pet food companies can apply for to help consumers better understand sustainability and who is participating in specific activities.
A VIEW TO THE HORIZON
As we look to what’s next on the horizon, we are confident that pet owners’ desire to look after their pets like their family will further fuel pet food trends in even more humanized ways. Some of the top health claims for pet food worldwide include “high protein”, “natural” and “a good source of vitamins”. We’ve also seen significant growth in the following search terms for pet food in the USA – “sustainable” (+51.5%), “plant-based” (+70.2%) and immune health (+32.15%) (Source: Euromonitor international – World Market for Pet Care: June 23).
As pet owners become more aware of their pets’ individual nutritional needs, customizable diets are also gaining popularity. Pet food manufacturers are offering options for pet owners to tailor their pets’ diets to their specific needs, represented in the market with a rise in private label and super premium products. In addition, some pet food manufacturers introducing plant-based diets for pets and positioning these diets as highly sustainable options.
We’re also seeing some pet food companies sourcing their ingredients locally to reduce the environmental impact of transportation, and some pet owners feeding their pets fresh or raw food diets. We are expecting to see an increase in human-grade claims, added functionality and novelty, gifting and seasonal new product developments from the sector.
As pet owners become more educated about pet nutrition and more concerned about their pets’ health, it’s likely that we will see continued innovation and choice within the market. By staying on top of these trends, pet food manufacturers can ensure they are meeting the demands of their customers and providing the best possible nutrition for pets.
About Marcie J. Campion, Ph.D.
Dr. Marcie Campion has over 30 years of global pet food industry experience including working for The Lams Company, Procter & Gamble, Mars, Pro-Pet and currently Cargill Pet Care. She has led R&D and new product development teams, and has global expertise in regulatory affairs. She has worked closely with AAFCO, state and federal officials regarding pet food regulations and led the nutrition sub-committee for the Pet Food Institute.
Dr. Campion is currently the global pet technical lead at Cargill, and works to holistically develop new products and concepts for customers. She is a two-time winner of a Cargill Global Feeding Champions Award and is an inaugural participant in ALAATUS Honors as a technical leader to engage and develop top technical talent.
Dr. Campion has a B.S. in animal science from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and a M.S. and Ph.D. in nutrition from the University of California, Davis. Her minor is physiological biochemistry and research areas included vitamin K and amino acid metabolism in cats.
She is passionate about her family, their dog Marco and everyone’s pets.
