PETS – MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY
For many years now, pets have been shown love and affection from all the family and the number of pet-owning families has grown over the years. A recent symposium highlighted that almost all owners – 99% viewed their pet as ‘part of the family’ (Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in the UK about Animal Welfare and Behaviour, 2017).
HUMANISATION OF PET FOOD
The humanisation of pets is the key trend driving the pet food market. Many pet owners are looking for pet food that reflects their own taste. As a result, there has been an increase in premium products – with ‘natural’, ‘raw’ and ‘organic’ food on the rise – giving lots of choice for owners.
Specialist products, including those focusing on a specific health benefits continue to be very popular and have shown strong growth. Premium, luxury, healthy and functional foods are moving into the mainstream as owners seem more focused on their pet’s diet.
The field of nutrition moves at a fast pace and the offering is constantly evolving. We have seen dramatic changes over the years moving us from the basic pet foods that provide the right nutrients in the right quantities to more sophisticated foods that do this and much more.
FEDIAF represents numerous manufacturers of different pet foods. These can be complete or complementary; wet, dry, snacks & treats or raw. The skill of a pet food manufacturer is in selecting and blending various cuts of meat, fish, vegetables, cereals, minerals and vitamins to produce nutritionally balanced foods that pets enjoy. There is a huge amount of choice for owners from complete raw meals to a mix of wet and dry and specially formulated pet treats. Something for every owner and every pet.
ALL members of FEDIAF adhere to strict legislation and provide nourishing foods for pets. If the feeding guidelines are followed, owners can have complete confidence they are providing a nutritionally balanced diet.
INDUSTRY GROWTH
The pet food industry is continuously growing to stay ahead of consumer demands. Europe is considered as one of the leaders in the industry, generating around 30% of the total pet food and pet care sales, worldwide. (Reference: Mordor Intelligence, September 2017).
EUROPEAN DATA
At Petfood Forum Europe 2017, Euromonitor International figures were used to launch the conference. The update on the European pet food and pet care market highlighted a ‘tale of two regions’. Western Europe pet care sales are divided between dog food, cat food and pet products (2% growth) compared to Eastern Europe, which is dominated by cat food with higher levels of growth (4%).
To read more about FEDIAF’s research and data, please visit our Statistics section.
