Dry pet food has held the biggest share in the worldwide pet foods market for a while now, followed closely by treats and snacks, and then wet pet food. Manufacturers operating in the world pet food markets are essentially becoming more responsive toward the demand from pet owners for much better standards of quality and much healthier products. This is due to the rising concerns of cat and dog owners that want to provide food to their pets that has a high nutrition level.
Thus the pet food producers have increased their budgets for research and development to start fulfilling the rising expectations of many pet owners. With increasing pet ownership numbers and the ever growing concern of many pet owners about the safety of their cats and dogs, the manufacturing and regulatory standards in the industry have been rising. This movement is already well established in the US, and the trend will expand further to more global regions.
Preservatives that are called antioxidants are often added to commercially produced dry foods and help to prevent the spoilage and the breakdown of nutrients. The preservatives that are used in commercial pet food are similar to the ones that are approved for human use by the FDA. Proteins, fats and vitamins are the most critical nutrients components that require to be preserved during storage. Fats can often break down when stored if they are not preserved properly. The oxidative destruction of fat and some other nutrients is what antioxidants guard against so they help to preserve the nutritional value and quality of the food.
Many additives are often added to all commercial pet foods in order to improve on the stability and the appearance of the foods. Additives do however provide no additional nutritional value. Additives also include emulsifiers that prevent water and the fats from separating. Antioxidants furthermore prevent fats from becoming rancid and the added antimicrobials can reduce spoilage. Additonally, added colors and flavors can also make the products more inviting to consumers and for their animal companions.
Finding the right food for your pets can be hard when they have intolerances and allergies. Most often these allergies can be caused by fillers such as corn for example, and wheat that is used in so many of the highly processed brands of commercial pet foods.
Good quality pet food is often in high demand in first world countries, and Canada is a good example. According to a report by the Pet Food Association of Canada, more than twelve million pets can be found nationwide, and they are mostly cats and dogs. All Canadians think of their pets as an integral part of their families and are therefore understandibly concerned for their well-being and especially about the foods that they eat. Monitoring agencies estimate that as much as eighty-seven percent of all dog foods and ninety-six percent of cat foods are pre-prepared.
Although pet food sales around Canada were up notably in 2017 as compared to 2018, this was mostly attributed to higher commodity prices that resulted in higher prices for processed pet foods. A relatively slow growth in retail sales can be expected for the next few years as well. Monitoring agencies are forecasting yearly increases of over two percent for 2019. Much like it is in Japan, the cat and dog populations of Canada are aging and this has caused a trend that is supporting a demand for health centered pet foods. Organic, natural and functional pet food is in high demand in Canada and consumers seek nourishing, quality products to feed to their pets.
