By: Gina Del Vecchio
The modern veterinary field has become increasingly dynamic due to numerous macro healthcare trends, technological advancements, and ideological shifts – all of which have spurred new innovations and ideas in this vital sector. One such shift is the burgeoning fresh pet food movement, which has elevated discussion surrounding optimal nutrition for companion animals. The movement challenges conventional pet feeding practices, advocating for a diet rich in unprocessed, whole ingredients and mirroring the dietary preferences of a pet’s ancestors and wild counterparts.
At the forefront of the fresh pet food movement are discerning pet owners who seek to provide their animals with the highest quality of nutrition available; they forgo mass-produced kibble and canned foods in favor of freshly prepared meals crafted from human-grade ingredients. This change reflects a growing awareness of the impact diet has on pet health and well-being, paralleling the increasingly health-conscious attitudes prevalent in human nutrition.
“People are becoming more mindful about what they’re eating themselves,” Smalls CEO and co-founder Matt Michaelson said. “As that culture progresses, we’ve started to think about what we’re feeding our pets and how it affects their well-being, and as our relationships with our pets grow more intimate, more studies have come out that show people with pets are happier and live longer. So you put those two things together, and you have people becoming more mindful about what they’re feeding their pets, which is a really good thing because for a long time, we’ve been feeding them what amounts to breakfast cereal, and the health effects of that are really stark.”
In this vein, transparency has become a central aspect of the fresh pet food movement. More pet owners are demanding visibility into the sourcing and processing of ingredients, rejecting vague labels and ambiguous marketing claims, and valuing full disclosure. Increased emphasis on transparency fosters trust between consumers and pet food manufacturers, reinforcing the notion that pets deserve the same level of dietary scrutiny afforded to their human counterparts.
The movement’s implications extend beyond individual pet health to broader manufacturing trends. As consumer demand for natural pet food continues to rise, traditional pet food manufacturers face the challenge of adapting their offerings to meet evolving preferences. What’s more, notions of convenience and accessibility stand to define the fresh pet food sector’s immediate horizons.
“Making [fresh pet food products] more convenient and accessible is definitely an obstacle right now,” Michaelson said. “There are some people who just don’t shop online; they shop in-store and want to make pet food part of their regular errand run. Trying these products that way can be an easier journey than signing up online and waiting for a box to come. So I think partnering with retailers, retailers putting in more freezer space, and retailers committing to merchandising healthier food and making it a priority to educate their customers is one way where the product can become more accessible.”
Veterinarians will play a pivotal role in this movement’s longevity and overall impact. Even as some practices embrace fresh pet food as a viable alternative to established norms, many others remain on the fence due to a perceived lack of reinforcing data. According to Michaelson, this issue will define further adoption of the fresh pet food movement in the coming years – but the future, in this sense, is trending in a positive direction.
“Veterinarians are becoming more and more interested in having a conversation about nutrition, which I think is really positive,” Michaelson said. “A lot of them want to see more data-based evidence of the impact of fresh food, which I think is something that will happen as the category matures and more folks run long-term studies – ourselves included. As that community starts thinking more about nutrition in a holistic way, society as a whole shifts into that direction, and part of that is becoming more open-minded about having those conversations around nutrition in particular.”
Published by: Khy Talara
