Product premiumisation is pushing growth within the global pet food market, says SARVAL, the UK supplier of high quality protein ingredients. SARVAL commercial manager Ashley Burdock has stated that product premiumisation is driving this trend:
“In 2016, the global pet food market surpassed a value of more than $74.8bn – a 28 percent increase compared to 2011. As one of the industry’s leading players, Mars took the lion’s share, boasting annual sales of more than $17bn.
“While the entire industry is experiencing growth, market trends are quickly moving toward luxury foods. In fact, with the typical customer spending an average £11.04 every week on their pet (a total £3bn across the UK), premiumisation is the new buzzword.
“Manufacturers now demand a stricter quality of ingredients from their suppliers – including protein products – to guarantee this premium offer. Ethical sourcing is also becoming increasingly important, with the end customer keen to pamper their pet in a sustainable way.
“At SARVAL, we pride ourselves on delivering the best possible product quality, while delivering a clear commitment to traceability and ethical business practice. Using state-of-the-art processes, we ensure compliance to the highest industry standards and manufacture superior products to respond to market requirements.
“As with all foods, the nutritional value of a product is derived from the make-up and freshness of the raw material and (as any chef will testify) the nature of cooking and production. Our products are sourced from within the UK and processed in the most effective way to deliver a premium-grade offer for some of the world’s leading pet food manufacturers.
“From the trends that we see, premiumisation will continue to drive market expansion. As such, we are channelling considerable investment into furthering our production processes and capabilities to leverage this opportunity, all while ensuring we effectively meet the changing requirements of the end user.
“Earlier this year, for example, initial groundworks commenced on a new processing facility at our dried product manufacturing site in Nottingham. The development will exclusively process poultry products, responding directly to a growing market requirement for single source meat protein products.
“As the pet food market continues to expand, we believe that product premiumisation will continue to play a driving role. The opportunity for manufacturers is huge – but we must work together to fund research, deliver innovation and develop products to suit end user demand.”
