Page 52 - Retail World March 2021

PET NEEDS FROM PAGE 49 Transparency before grain free? In ‘The Future of Pet Food: 2020’ report, Mintel notes that questions will continue to swirl around grain-free pet food for the next two years. The report cites two factors underlying the grain-free pet food trend: pet owners applying their own dietary preferences to the diets of their pets, and the move towards ancestral diets in dog food. Mr de Villiers claims Safcol’s entire pet food range is grain free. “We were one of the leaders of the grain-free trend in the supermarket space from a branded perspective,” he said. “We started with grain-free offerings in 2015, way ahead of the surge now.” While some in the industry are not sold on grain free, the Mintel report suggests that the main focus for pet brands should be transparency, which is regarded as a great way to gain pet owners’ trust. Mr de Villiers agrees that transparency will be key to growth. “I believe that consumers are going to continue to grow in knowledge and be more and more concerned about what’s in their pet’s food and how natural the ingredients are,” he said. “There’ll be an increasing push for more transparency in manufacturing processes from consumers.” Digesting the health trend Transparency, of course, is also associated with just how healthy foods are for pets. Health and wellbeing have been a trend in the category for some time now, showing no sign of slowing down. If anything, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend. However, Ms Sackville believes a more targeted approach in health and wellbeing will be popular, and “will be the difference this year”. “For example, pet food is a growing market and therefore there’s a lot of interest, resulting in market saturation,” she said. “There’ll be products with a more targeted ingredient list for specific areas of health, such as calming, gut health, allergies, joint health, dental health and immunity. I believe the focus on targeted health will transfer to greater demand for chewable supplements and/or blended mixes, to satisfy our pets’ health needs.” A targeted health aspect cited by 50 RETAIL WORLD MAR, 2021 “Consumers are going to continue to grow in knowledge and be more and more concerned about what’s in their pet’s food and how natural the ingredients are.” Mintel is that of digestive health. “As consumers become more aware of the importance of specific dietary components for healthy gut microbiota, this trend will also continue to extend to their pets as well,” the Mintel report stated. The report, looking at the global picture, also states that 84 per cent of surveyed Polish pet food buyers agree that actively looking after pets’ digestive health is essential for their overall health. Mr de Villiers says the Safcol team has developed a number of digestive health formulations, having sold these since 2013, and will continue to develop new lines in this area. Bell & Bone launched a Dental range of dog food in March 2020. “There’s previously been little innovation in this area, meaning our superfood-rich, science-backed range has hit the market hard,” Ms Sackville said. She adds that the company’s products include “leading Australian proteins like kangaroo, salmon and chicken, and the inclusion of superfoods like coconut, chia and mint for freshness”. “But our biggest point of difference is the use of active Ingredients that reduce plaque and tartar when given daily,” she said. “Having a targeted, clear point of difference has helped us find immediate success with this range.” TO PAGE 52