COVER STORY What to
COVER STORY What to Expect for Dog and Cat Food at Zoomark Pet industry keeps growing The pet care market continues to grow strong. According to Euromonitor, global pet care sales increased by 5.9% to USD197.6 billion from 2023 to 2024. The largest markets include North America and Europe, capturing more than 60% of commercially manufactured pet food worldwide. Recent developments In the area of pet food, premiumisation and humanisation have been trends for years. Despite financial restrictions, pet owners seem to make household savings in areas outside of the pet area. Humanisation leads dog and cat food trends to follow human food. With plantbased diets on the rise, pet owners may look for plant-based options for their pets. At the other end of the spectrum, some owners believe diets consisting of mainly raw meat are the only suitable option. Influencers, social media and online resources play an important role in driving decision making of pet owners for their own diets, and that or their pets. One of the focus points for pet owners and pet food manufacturers alike is on functional ingredients. Ingredients need to be in the recipe for a reason, otherwise they are easily classed as ‘fillers’ under online scrutiny. Pet food brands aiming to be in favor of similar online opinion may look to make meat protein the first element in the ingredient listing, due to the perceived health benefit for pets over, for example, cereals forming the main component. Another point of differentiation between pet food brands is product type. Dry, extruded kibble and wet food continue to represent the majority of commercially produced complete pet food volumes. Variations to complete food formats include cold-pressed, frozen/fresh and gentle processed. In contrast, the area of snacks and treats allows more playful variation in formats as biscuits, training treats, liquid snacks, drops, or pillows. What is Zoomark? Zoomark is a bi-annual, international trade show that takes place in Bologna, Italy in early May. This year is set to break its own records, estimating 1500 exhibitors including brands of pet food, accessories and care products, alongside suppliers Alexandra Wesker (Msc, RNutr) is an independent Pet Nutritionist and Formulator in the EU and UK. She uses her technical knowledge and industry insight to support petfood manufacturers and suppliers on a consultancy basis. of raw materials, machinery, packaging and services that make it all possible. This attracts close to 28,000 visitors. The Zoomark website reports about 90% of buyers comprise retail, distribution, trade, manufacturing and groomers. The remainder includes mass retailers, garden centers and veterinarians. With more than a third of all attendees being Italian, there is a strong focus on the Italian market. What does Zoomark offer? While reports of other recent events showed disappointment in the lack of innovation, Zoomark is promising the latest inventions and future developments. These are to be showcased in the ‘Pet Vision’ area, organised by four trends: ‘Value for money’, ‘Green transition’, ‘Brain & Health’, and ‘Mini Mania’. Also, young start-ups and newcomers can feed their creative ambitions with tech, industry trends and investment in the ‘NEXT 5.0’ area in hall 16. The themed ‘Factory’ area provides everything required for making pet food: machinery, packaging, raw materials and services. Aside from trade stands and meeting areas there are also lectures and seminars. Three days will not be enough to see all 10 halls, so here are the main things to look out for. 6 Photos: Gabriele Fahlbusch What to look out for at Zoomark? Squeezed household budgets cause pet owners to look sideways to alternative Technology & Marketing
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