Novel Proteins & Today's Pet Parents: What's Next? Guests: Nicole Hill, MarketPlace; Allison Burdick, Pet Sustainability Coalition; Co-host: Dr. Bob Mason, Balchem

This episode was recorded at the 2025 Petfood Forum in Kansas City, Missouri. Guests introduce themselves and their backgrounds (00:59)Nicole’s presentation at Petfood Forum was based on two surveys her company conducted in March and April 2025, asking 1200+ dog parents and 1200+ cat parents about species-specific decisions they make for pet nutrition and care, focused on novel proteins. They asked which novel proteins of a comprehensive list would pet parents be willing to offer their pet a sample of as an ingredient in a pet food. Options ranged from bison and elk to alligator, ostrich, insects, and cultivated meat. From there, the surveys asked what other drivers and purchase considerations were important and if pet parents would be willing to pay more for foods containing those novel proteins. (8:06)Nicole goes on to define novel proteins and discusses consumer familiarity with that term. She also explains why novel proteins might be in demand as a pet food ingredient. Allison notes that there is interest in the carbon footprint of novel proteins as well. (11:14)Survey results indicated that dog parents were most interested in bison, rabbit, and elk, while cat parents were most interested in rabbit, bison, and quail. Nicole and Bob talk about technical challenges and opportunities in the novel protein space, including supply chain, palatability, nutraceutical aspects, and raw product variability. They also discuss if certain novel proteins are better suited to a particular form of food (kibble, wet, minimally processed, etc.). (15:06)Nicole and Allison talk about how companies might evaluate the social and environmental impacts of a novel protein ingredient. Allison mentions her company uses an ingredient database called HowGood that measures ingredients against eight different impact categories. (24:04)The panel talks about the humanization of pets and how pet parents align their values with purchases for their pet. Bob talks about some of the nutraceutical trends he’s observed. Allison notes that Gen Z and millennial consumers are very aware and concerned about their pets’ health and wellness. (27:37)Nicole talks about current marketing trends, including video format as a source for pet parents to get inspiration about pet health and wellness. The group then dives into the topic of influencers, misinformation, and the role that science can play in providing accurate information to consumers. (35:31)Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (45:39)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange - Companion Animal virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to [email protected]. Include your size and mailing address, and we’ll mail you a shirt.