Here’s the Big Trend in Pet Food Right Now

It involves a sort of paradox.

When it comes to the modern pet-food consumer, there’s sort of a paradox.

They often want many of the same qualities they look for in their own food, Supermarket News reports. That means organic and natural products.

But they also want it at a low price.

“While people love their pets, and while people love spending money on their pets, value is still very, very important,” says Rachel Shemirani of San Diego, CA-based Barons Market.

Two big trends in the pet industry right now are the “humanization of pets and the premiumization of pet food,” Supermarket News reports, citing Evelia Davis, vice president of dog and cat consumables for PetSmart.

And some consumers take the trend beyond simply wanting natural foods for their pets. They want specific qualities that mimic their own eating patterns.

That can mean products that, for example, are gluten-free or meat-free, said analyst Shannon Brown of Packaged Facts.

Read more at Supermarket News