The impact of rising food prices on dog and cat food
Pay more or accept less?
A mistake I often see:
People feed their pets lower quality food, and this causes health issues.
Obviously, the people who consult me and make this mistake are almost all madly in love with their dog and don't do it intentionally. In fact, the last thing they want is to give their pet bad food and make them sick! The worst part is that they often think they're giving their dog the best food, so when I tell them that's not the case, they're shocked! I never judge them in this regard, because the issue is simply that they lack the knowledge to choose the best food and unintentionally make bad choices!
It's truly not easy to navigate the jungle that is dog and cat food. I feel for the poor consumer who finds themselves facing a shelf or freezer overflowing with different foods, all claiming to be the best food on earth! The pet food market is extremely lucrative, and marketing is heavily used, for better or for worse. The worst part is that the consumer is even more confused by so many advertisements and clever marketing tricks.
As if things weren't complicated enough, an additional issue is now being added to the already existing challenge:
As you've probably noticed over the past few months, your grocery bill has increased. Meat has been particularly hard hit, with prices rising by more than 10% on average in the last year. Given that meat is the base of most dog and cat food, this increase will inevitably have an impact on the sector.
Therefore, in the coming months, rising prices and the scarcity of certain ingredients used in animal feed will most likely lead to changes in recipes and suppliers among many pet food companies that want to remain competitive and maintain their market share. For some companies, these changes have already taken place.
In the event of an increase in the price of raw materials, as is currently the case in dog and cat food, the manufacturer has 2 choices to maintain its market share:
- Maintain the same quality and increase the price
- Lower the quality and not change the price
Sometimes, some unscrupulous people do both; they take advantage of the general increase in prices to maximize their profitability by raising their prices and lowering the quality.
In concrete terms, we’ll be faced with 2 possibilities within dog and cat food companies:
- Companies will use cheaper raw materials, therefore of lower quality, to maintain their prices and not lose their market share.
- Others will want to maintain the same quality on principle and will have to increase their prices at the risk of losing market share.
What will influence companies' decisions will surely be linked to the company's values. Something that isn't really written on the website or the food bag, you might say…
So how will you know what decision your pet food manufacturer will make?
Generally, when a manufacturer lowers the quality of its product, it's not something they advertise on social media. Since pet food regulations are lacking and there's virtually no enforcement of the few existing regulations, companies have free rein and can make whatever decisions they want. In the absence of strict regulations, the decision ultimately rests with the executives of each pet food company.
One tactic used to avoid price increases is to change the recipe and ingredients of animal feed. This is an age-old trick in the field of animal feed formulation. Back when I was creating recipes (and I think I still am today), we called it low-cost formulation. The goal is to provide sufficient nutrients using the cheapest possible ingredients to minimize manufacturing costs. Of course, using this cost-cutting technique often has consequences for the quality of the feed.
Here are 2 phenomena observed during recipe changes aimed at lower-cost formulation:
Decrease in nutritional value
Here are 2 scenarios I've seen in my practice and that I anticipate for the coming months:
1. Increased sugar and fat levels and a decrease in protein levels.
Why? Protein is more expensive than sugar and fat.
What issues could this cause?
Too much sugar and too much fat can cause several health issues (inflammation, dermatitis, vomiting, diarrhea, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, cancer, etc.).
2. In raw foods, increased bone and fat content.
Why? Bones and fat are cheaper.
What issues could this cause?
Too much bone: Constipation, too much calcium, not enough protein, not enough phosphorus.
Too much fat: Protein deficiency, health issues related to excess fat, obesity.
A decline in the quality of food used to maintain the same level of nutrients, but at a lower cost.
Example: Some companies will use synthetic minerals and vitamins instead of fresh foods to meet mineral and vitamin requirements.
My opinion on the matter is that each company can make whatever decision it wants; we live in a free world, and I respect that. However, consumers must be informed and able to make an informed choice.
In an ideal world, the consumer is informed and educated enough to make an informed choice (either to keep the same quality and pay more or to pay less knowing that the quality is lower).
The problem is that most often, the dog or cat parent doesn’t have the information and knowledge to make this decision and makes bad decisions that will impact the health of their pet.
Here are some challenges that dog owners face when trying to make an informed and healthy food choice for their pet:
- Companies don’t necessarily notify consumers of recipe changes.
They’re not obliged to do so.
- Consumers must monitor and read labels and have a minimum level of knowledge to find their way around.
This isn’t often the case.
- Consumers should never trust a company blindly.
This happens very often. Many people think that because a food is on the market, it’s of good quality, with the false belief that it’s a regulated and monitored industry.
In my practice, even though I'm often asked, I make it a point never to label dog food as the best or worst brands. Instead, to empower dog owners to make informed and responsible choices and adapt to market changes, I focus on developing their knowledge and skills to make the right food choices based on specific criteria through my training programs.
When consumers know what to look for when making their choice, they are better able to make the best choices and are less at the mercy of market fluctuations.
Furthermore, nothing could be further from the truth than assuming that a product that's good today will be good tomorrow, the day after, or in 10 years. By assuming a company's product is high-quality and relying on that assumption blindly, dog owners are playing Russian roulette with their pet's health. Every company evolves differently and can change its philosophy over time. In recent years, I've seen some very popular dog foods go from excellent to very poor in less than a year. In these cases, I've seen many dog owners, unsure of what criteria to use when choosing their dog's food, rely on the company's reputation and end up with a pet suffering from major health issues related to these now-unhealthy foods.
As an example to illustrate how a company can react to a price increase, I'll tell you about something I recently experienced myself:
To give you some context, a few years ago I decided to launch my own brand of Green Lipped Mussel.
Why choose to do it when several companies were already manufacturing them?
Here are my reasons:
- In my opinion, this is the best joint supplement on the market, and many dogs suffer from this problem and need it.
- After trying Green Lipped Mussel from different suppliers with my elderly dog who has joint issues, I realized that I wasn't getting the same results depending on the brand of green lipped mussel I gave her, even though the products I tried had identical ingredients listed on the label. The only ingredient was green lipped mussel, nothing else. So, I realized that there were qualities in this product that directly impacted its effectiveness.
- So I put a quality Green Lipped Mussel on the market (I studied the quality criteria) to help dogs that had joint issues.
- I’ve been distributing the same high-quality Green Lipped Mussel for over 6 years. I haven't changed suppliers or raw materials because they meet my quality criteria and the results speak for themselves.
A week ago, my green lipped mussel supplier contacted me and explained that the price was increasing at my current producer. He offered me another one, at the same price, mentioning that the quality was the same.
For those who know me, you know I lead by example, I'm extremely critical, and I don't trust anyone, especially when it comes to assessing the quality of the products I distribute. So, I request analyses and verify the product's quality myself. Looking at the analysis, I realize it contains 50% less fat than the product I currently have. Knowing that the active ingredients in green lipped mussels, omega-3s, are found in the fat, less fat means less omega-3, and therefore less effectiveness. After analysis, I conclude that the replacement product my supplier is offering is not of the same quality as the one I currently sell. Therefore, I refused to replace my current green lipped mussel with the inferior product he was proposing. I was able to make this informed decision because I knew how to assess product quality; I had the knowledge to do so. This decision was also made in accordance with my philosophy and values that are important to me as a person and entrepreneur:
Quality and results
I will never sell anything that isn’t of the highest quality, that I wouldn’t give to my own dogs and that I don’t think is beneficial to my customers.
Furthermore, the consequence of this decision is that, as the price of my raw materials increases, I will have to raise the price for the consumer. I could have chosen the lower-quality product and kept the same price, and most consumers probably wouldn't have noticed the difference. But for me, it's inconceivable to sell a less effective and lower-quality product, so the decision was easy. It won't please everyone, but I will uphold my company values, which are to accept no compromise on quality or results. That's just how it is! That's who I am!
This situation illustrates how the industry works and can contain pitfalls, even for the companies that manufacture.
Now, I'll share a few tips to minimize the impact of this price increase on your pet's precious health:
- Educate yourself: You need to know how to read a label, calculate sugars, and read the ingredients of pet food; it's the foundation for making an informed choice. Don't know where to start? Pattedeau Bio training is here to help.
- Determine what is acceptable to you. Do you only want natural foods? No synthetic products? Are you willing to pay more for natural foods?
- From a budgetary standpoint, prioritize investing in basic food. If necessary, reduce spending on toys, commercial treats, collars, accessories, and other items less essential to the animal's health.
- Be on the lookout for visual changes in the food
- Ask the manufacturers questions
- Monitor changes in your pet: digestion, coat, stool, general appearance
In conclusion, this isn’t the first, nor the last time that the pet food market will undergo changes; it’s better to be prepared to deal with them if we want to keep our pet healthy and long-lasting!
