Petfood Industry - September 2009

Market Report

Senior, overweight pets
underpin health push

For several years, virtually all dollar growth in the US petfood market has come from pricier products, reflecting both higher ingredient costs and deliberate fforts of marketers to “premiumize” products. Also, the potency of the human/animal bond is a driver of consumer willingness to spend amounts that would have been almost unimaginable less than a decade ago (even during a recession), especially on health and wellness products. But not all the action is marketing driven. Two other macrotrends are responsible for much of the power behind the premium pet health product surge: senior pets and pet overweight/obesity.

Older pets = stronger bonds

The most direct driver of interest in senior pet products is of course the aging pet population, since a larger population of older

Helping animals live well.

• A unique, functional pet food ingredient that helps maintain pets’ overall health and wellbeing

• Top quality, safe and fully traceable

• Manufactured in an environmentally and socially responsible manner

• Recognized as GRAS under AAFCO

• Certified organic by Pro-Cert Organic Systems Ltd.

Tasco® is:

Tasco® is manufactured by Acadian™Agritech, a division of Acadian Seaplants Limited (902)468.2840 1.800.575.9100 info@acadian.ca tasco.ca/petfood

Two macrotrends are
behind the premium
pet health product
surge.

pets means that more companion animals are suffering from age-related issues such as joint, coronary, cognitive and immune-system-related conditions. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2007 US Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, the percentage of the US dog population age 6 or older increased from 42% in 1996 to 44% in 2006, while the percentage of cats age 6 or older rose from 37% to 44%.

In the American Pet Products Association’s 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey, among single-dog owners the average age of the pet is 6. 6 years, while among single-cat owners the average age is 8 years. Pets are living longer because their owners are taking better care of them, both medically and nutritionally. Perhaps even more important, longer lives mean ever stronger emotional bonds and thus an increased willingness among pet owners to do whatever it takes to keep their pets healthy and happy for as long as possible.

Swelling population

Correlating with the rising population of senior pets is the growing tendency of pets to be overweight or obese. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention’s (APOP) second annual National Pet Obesity Day Study, conducted in October 2008, 44% of dogs and 57% of cats are either overweight or obese, with the proportions of overweight dogs and cats up 1 and 4 percentage points, respectively, since 2007 (Figure 1, p. 61).

The study also reveals older animals have a higher incidence of being overweight, with 52% of dogs and 55% of cats over age 7 found to be overweight or obese. “This is a particularly concerning discovery for veterinarians,” explains the study’s lead investigator and APOP founder, Dr. Ernie Ward, in a press release. “Extra pounds in older pets amplify any pre-existing conditions and complicate treatment. We’re seeing more diabetes, respiratory and arthritic conditions as a direct result of obesity.”