How pet food is evolving to fit modern lifestyles
Pet ownership is evolving as adoption rates soar and pets become integral family members. Pet care and food companies are responding with products that not only meet pets' nutritional needs but also align with modern living conditions and owner preferences, says Lisa Campbell, senior vice president of corporate affairs at Mars Pet Nutrition North America. She believes this shift is making long-term, responsible pet ownership more accessible and sustainable for the future.
Kate MacArthur: Pet adoption has long been a tactic of improving pet care sales. How does that factor?
Lisa Campbell: Pet adoption is the No. 1 way in the U.S. that people acquire their pets. It's more than 30%. But when you broaden that to the informal channels like picking up strays, maybe adopting a pet through a friend, it's almost 80%. It's important to understand that dynamic. The more we ensure pet ownership is a viable, sustainable, long-term option for people, the better.
MacArthur: Your global pet parent study found that more men (52%) than women (48%) globally have cats. How are demographic shifts changing pet ownership?
Campbell: One thing is where people live, but also people are getting married later and having children later and their pets are becoming their fur baby. More than a third of people say their pet is the most important thing in their life. With Gen Z and Millennials, that's between 40% and 45%.
MacArthur: Is the humanization of pet food more about owners' needs or pets' needs?
Campbell: There's a little bit of both. People start with “What's good for myself?” but then they also look at, “I know my dog's not exactly like me. What else might he need specifically?”
MacArthur: What shifts could shape the kinds of pet foods offered? Will there be a climate change food?
Campbell: Areas like oral care and skin and coat will continue to grow because those tend to be evident. Sustainability is something we think about through our pet food processes as well, whether that's through the ingredients we source, how we source them or where we source them, the processes that we go through, the packaging. All those things will continue to evolve as we look at achieving and making progress toward our “Sustainable in a Generation” goals.
MacArthur: How is urbanization affecting pet ownership and diets?
Campbell: In our Ipsos study of the barriers for people getting a pet, nearly 20% said they don't have the right living conditions. We tend to see people in urban areas having smaller pets. You might not want to lug a gigantic bag of dog food, so you might buy smaller bags, even for a bigger dog. Someone might say, “I travel a lot for work, and I live downtown, so it's easier to have a cat than a dog because my cat can be more self-sufficient.”
MacArthur: How are pet food portfolios evolving to meet changing needs?
Campbell: It's nice to be able to offer a range and to democratize benefits that might typically be found only in specialty channels but to bring them to the masses.
The more we ensure pet ownership is a viable, sustainable, long-term option for people, the better.”
MacArthur: When we think about making places more pet-friendly, how does that shape pet food offerings?
Campbell: One example is we have a partnership with TripAdvisor with the CESAR brand where we consider what else is there to do beyond a visit and the hotel? What are other places I can take my pet with me so that they don't have to spend their whole trip in the hotel? For Restaurant Week in New York, we made a Pet Restaurant Week and had some of the food available for dogs.
MacArthur: Only 35% of Americans think pets should be allowed in all public spaces. What has to change to make pets in public spaces work for everybody?
Campbell: The foundation is responsible pet ownership. It’s understanding the boundaries where your pets are allowed and where it's best that they aren't. We have a program we call “Pets Welcome.” Throughout downtown Franklin, Tennessee, we created paw print markings in red, yellow and green for navigation, because the reality is pets can't be everywhere. Then it’s just making sure you are creating the best environment for both the people who do own pets and the people who don't.
← Read previous | Read next → |