As UK-based vegan pet food brand Hownd this week announced its expansion into the UK's largest pet store chain, Pets at Home, we take a look at the ethical pet food brands currently available in traditional pet retailers. When we decided on it, we discovered that there were at least 15 producers. Currently featured in brick-and-mortar stores around the world.
Consumers are beginning to question the logic behind killing animals to keep them alive and making purchasing choices that align with their own ethics. In a market report last December, the vegan dog food market is projected to increase from $12.27 billion in 2021 to $31.48 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 12.5%.
Additionally, a study published last year in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE found that if all dogs and cats in the world were fed exclusively vegan food, approximately 7 billion land livestock and billions of aquatic animals could be saved each year. It was concluded that there is a possibility that Plus, feeding dogs a vegan diet could save an area larger than Mexico.
great milestone
In a significant move for the brand and the movement as a whole, HOWND has launched its vet-approved superfood range online at Pets At Home. This product contains prebiotics and probiotics, marine algae as a rich source of omega-3s, and an innovative cruelty-free alternative to commercially available chondroitin for joint support and mobility. Contains phytodroitin, which is Product director Joe Amit described the rollout as a “tremendous milestone”, saying the launch on the Pets at Home website will give pet owners an alternative to traditionally produced pet meat. It will definitely bring awareness about the need for products.
In addition to the e-commerce listing, 'Hownd Superfood is also available for purchase at Pet Mania Ireland, Ocado and some specialist pet retailers. We hope Pets at Home will be stocking Hownd Superfood in store in the near future. We hope that,” the company said.
Another brand making great strides is Omni, a leader in the UK’s plant-based pet food scene. Just four months ago, the veterinarian-led brand announced its expansion into Fressnapf, Germany's leading pet retailer and one of the world's largest. Fressnapf claims to be Europe's largest pet supplies retailer, operating over 1,400 stores in 12 European countries.
Driving industry change
Omni is also attracting attention. Pets at Home was an early investor in Meatly, the cultivated pet food maker formerly known as Good Dog Food, founded in 2022 by Agronomics and Roslin Technologies. And this week, it was announced that this is what will happen. The first retailer to sell Omni Feast Chicken Revolution cans for cats (reportedly approx. £1) Contains cultivated chicken produced by Meatly.
Omni Feast still needs approval from the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which founder Own Ensor told The Sunday Times he expects to receive within the next three months.
“…Finding sustainable alternatives to some of the proteins used in pet food around the world would be a major step forward.”“
David Wainwright, commercial director at Pets at Home, said: “Although it is still early days, we are committed to helping drive change in the industry and finding sustainable alternatives to some of the proteins used in pet food around the world is key. It will be a big step,” the forward said. “
Other cruelty-free brands currently sold in brick-and-mortar stores include:
Coming soon – Fermented protein for pets
In addition to all of the animal-free pet food products listed above that are already on the market, Colorado-based fermented protein manufacturing company Bond Pet Foods recently announced that it will be producing the first two tons of protein produced by fermentation. Now we can begin shipping and selling Hill's Pet Nutrition, a renowned global pet food manufacturer. Creation of prototypes for regulatory review and market evaluation.
Bond Pet Foods' proprietary fermented protein mirrors the nutritional profile of traditional meat, but without the environmental drawbacks. The collaboration between the two companies originally began in late 2021 to develop an alternative to one of Hill's most used meat proteins. Just last month, the companies unveiled a second joint development agreement to explore additional sustainable animal proteins for Hill's product line.
Dave Baroga, executive vice president of science and technology at Hill's Pet Nutrition, commented: We are excited to continue our relationship with Bond and support their truly innovative approach. [producing] We use animal protein in a more sustainable way that meets our high quality standards. ”
