r demand for fresh and natural pet foods is having a significant impact on the European pet food market. 79% pet of pet owners, according to Datamonitor, claim that fresh is more nutritious. A number of pet food manufactures have realised this and are introducing brands or brand extensions in line with this strong claim.
But experimentation is also the name of the game and here there are increasing opportunities for manufactures to tell the story of their brand, particularly regarding innovation and the trends towards the premium end of the market.
For consumers, the rising perception of the quality of private label foods is driving demand, as price conscience shoppers seek quality pet food at an affordable price.
An examination of those companies exhibiting at the PLMA show in Amsterdam (20-21 May next) shows that private label manufacturers are searching out opportunities to supply the major retail groups.
With the acquisition by Mars of Procter Gamble's pet food brands, there is a change in alignment between the big brand owners as Mars and Nestlé battle it out for world domination.
