While most of the 5,000 U.S. pet owners surveyed by Kansas State University (KSU) researchers share some common preferences for ingredients in the pet foods they buy, the study also uncovered some differences by income level.
In the study, conducted by Lonnie Hobbs Jr., Ph.D., assistant professor, and Aleksan Shanoyan, Ph.D., associate professor, with KSU’s Department of Agricultural Economics, pet food attributes perceived as most important among all respondents included ones in vogue for several years now. They included health attributes like digestive tract and joint health; ingredients such as natural and grain free; processes such as fresh, minimally processed, raw and wet/canned; and supply chain attributes like made in the USA, eco-friendly, sustainable and locally made.
The researchers presented some of their findings during KibbleCon 2024, hosted on October 24 by the university’s Pet Food Program.
Ingredient preferences strong for low-middle-income pet owners
Yet when sorting the respondents by income level, Hobbs and Shanoyan found differences. For example, higher-income pet owners deemed weight control as an important health attribute for pet food, while lower-income owners named brain aging. With ingredients, middle-income owners said no by-products is most important, and higher-income owners named organic.
Low-middle-income pet owners ranked the highest for considering preferences for pet food ingredients in general as most important, with other product attributes the least important for them. Not surprisingly, price showed up, too, though not at the same level. For middle-income owners, ingredient preferences are also most important and other product attributes least, but not at the same level for either as for low-middle-income.
Low-income, high-middle-income and high-income owners all assigned much lower importance to any of the categories (price, ingredient preference and product attributes), likely reflecting the demographic make-up of the owners surveyed.
Price differences for health-related pet food attributes
As part of their study, Hobbs and Shanoyan looked at price differences — premiums or differences — for several health-related attributes of pet food products on the market. An allergy relief claim commanded the highest premium, 15.5%, with sensitive skin a distant second at 5%. Other attributes or claims with price premiums included digestive health (2.53%) and sensitive digestion (3.15%). On the other end of the spectrum, dental/breath care claims drove the highest discount, at -7.5%, followed by muscle care at -4.4% and vitamins/minerals at -2.96%.
The researchers also delved into newer ingredients, such as alternative proteins, asking the survey respondents what they’re willing to pay for ones like plant-based and insects relative to what they pay for animal proteins. These pet owners seem unwilling to pay more for either, with plant-based protein pricing registering at $0.62 less and insect protein at $0.77 percent less than that for animal proteins.
Questions about the respondents’ perceptions of these alternatives revealed a general lack of knowledge; nearly the same percentage (25% and 27.4%) chose “I don’t know” in terms of positive or negative aspects, respectively, of insect protein. (Hobbs noted that such perceptions are not unique to insect protein; for example, he and Shanoyan saw similar results with novel grains like sorghum.) However, 36% of respondents believe insects are a source of high protein, while 26% consider them healthy.