2016 research by the US market research company Nielsen, found that 95% of US pet owners considered their pets as members of the family. This means that pet owners or pet parents now have greater expectations when it comes to what they feed their pets. A concept that many pet parents believe in is the idea that, if a food or food ingredient is “good enough for me, it is good enough for my pet”.

Source: Stockphoto, Pixaby

Already finding many applications in human foods, pea protein, starch and fibre are great examples of ingredients that support the concept that if “it is good enough for me, then it is good enough for my pet.” On this basis alone, they make great raw materials for pet food. However, pea products offer many more advantages to the petfood industry and benefits for pet parents.

When it comes to functionality in pet food, pea protein, starch and fibre all have proven functionality in wet and dry petfood, snacks and treats. These benefits have seen them find applications in many commercially manufactured petfood already in the market place where factors like “grain free” are important for some pet owners.

Vestkorn Pea Starch Concentrate

The concept “if it’s good enough for me, it’s good enough for my pet” means much more than what the ingredient is and its functionality. For pet parents, it is not only about the ingredient and humanization also means there are many other requirements that must also be satisfied. These include:

• Clean label / process – Food ingredients produced without the addition of additives or chemicals
• Sustainability – Food ingredients produced in an ethical, responsible, sustainable manner that cares for the environment and where future sustainability is maintained
• Transparency – Following the melamine crisis of 2007, pet parents require us to demonstrate where our raw materials come from and the overall process for conversion into pea products
• Food safety – Pet parents expect the same standards of food safety management as used to ensure food safety of the food they eat

These expectations are all linked to the common concept of trust. For today’s pet parents, it is essential that they can trust the petfood supply chain to deliver quality products that they expect.

Vestkorn Milling can deliver products that satisfy all the demands on quality, functionality and trust. Choose Vestkorn Milling as your preferred supplier of high quality pea products.