Key Takeaways
- ▸Protein content drives 49% of pet food purchase decisions
- ▸Gut health now appears in 31% of new pet food launches
- ▸43% of owners would consider fermented protein, 36% cultivated meat
- ▸62% of owners want to know where their pet's food was made
EUROPE PET FOOD WATCH · Nº 2
Under the fair's noise there is a dataset. At Petfood Forum Europe, Innova Market Insights put numbers on what the industry is actually launching — and what owners actually reward.
Protein is the purchase driver — 49% of owners say it decides what lands in the cart. That is the tailwind behind every named-organ, high-inclusion recipe on the market. Meanwhile gut health appears in 31% of new launches: the microbiome went from conference topic to mainstream claim in about three years.
The openness numbers deserve a careful read: 36% of owners say they would consider cultivated meat, 43% fermented protein. Consideration is not purchase — but it tells formulators the audience will not punish experimentation.
The sleeper stat
62% of owners want to know where their pet's food was manufactured. Origin transparency is quietly becoming a mainstream claim — and it can only be claimed by brands whose suppliers can prove it.
Trends change the front of the bag. The back of the bag — real protein, real origin — is where suppliers live.
The 4DW Angle
Every trend on that chart increases the value of documented, spec-consistent animal protein: gut-health diets need digestible proteins; premium claims need traceable origins. The boring paperwork is the moat.
▮ Frequently asked questions
What are the top pet food trends in 2026?
Protein leads, driving 49% of purchase decisions, while gut health now appears in 31% of new launches — mainstream within about three years. Owners are also open to novelty: 43% would consider fermented protein and 36% cultivated meat, according to Innova Market Insights data presented at Petfood Forum Europe.
How important is gut health in pet food?
Gut health now features in 31% of new pet food launches, moving from a niche conference topic to a mainstream claim in roughly three years. Microbiome-focused diets need digestible, high-quality proteins underneath the claim, which raises the value of documented, spec-consistent animal raw materials for the suppliers behind them.
Do pet owners care where pet food is made?
Yes — 62% of owners say they want to know where their pet's food was manufactured, making origin transparency a quietly mainstream claim. It can only be claimed honestly by brands whose suppliers can prove chain of custody, which rewards documented, traceable raw-material sourcing over anonymous commodity supply.
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