For most pet owners, the choice of pet food depends upon who they believe. Over a quarter of a century ago (sounds more impressive than 26 years), when I first got into this business, it was pretty simple. You relied on your veterinarian or your mom-and-pop retailer for informed recommendations.
Today, many pet owners are more confused than ever because of the range of influencers they encounter, mostly on the internet. The main problems, as I see it, are misinformation and that the credentials of many of these influencers are unknown or non-existent.
I frequently run into other pet food reps and, after swapping industry information and gossip, we mostly focus on our dealings with retailers and pet owners, and the difficulties we encounter with credibility.
That’s where transparency comes in. Consumers are demanding it in ever-increasing numbers, and manufacturers are sensitive to that. But achieving transparency isn’t as simple as it sounds.
Pet food labels read like a mad scientist’s shopping list, but regulations require the use of the chemical names of some ingredients, such as vitamins and minerals. Outside of the regulated wording, terms used by manufacturers can have different meanings to different people.
Next time you’re with other pet owners, ask each of them what terms such as “holistic” or “natural” mean. Most will have their own definitions based on the influencers they believe. And that, to me, is the root of the confusion.
An article by Lindsay Beaton in the July edition of Pet Food Industry featured a list of 18 influencers stirring the cauldron of information and misinformation. I’ll just give you the top five: friend/family recommendation, independent customer review, loyalty rewards program, TV commercial, friends’ social media posts.
There’s not much to criticize about loyalty rewards programs; they’re pretty good for everyone. The TV commercials we take with a grain of salt anyway, but the other three, to me, make up a circular firing squad.
Friend/family recommendation, independent customer review, and friends’ social media posts are subject to personal biases and prejudices, and information that is inaccurate in the first place. Having dogs all your life doesn’t necessarily make you an expert. I’ve driven cars for 56 years and have never caused an accident, but you don’t want me doing your next brake job.
And then there’s the definition of transparency, which can mean something different to the industry and to consumers. Consumers want to know where their pet food’s ingredients come from. Many companies willingly provide that information on packaging, product literature, or by calling their 800 number.
But there are companies that get ingredients from various sources, depending upon the whims of the commodities market, and aren’t able to provide updated information consistently. To some companies, consumer demand for information can compromise proprietary information and affect their competitive edge.
It’s up to the industry to start educating consumers. Otherwise, they’ll get their information from personal reviews, bloggers and freelance writers, which could leave them misinformed or more confused than ever.
If you go online, go to sites such as vet schools, the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Animal Hospital Association, and various states’ veterinary medical associations, all of which have “pet owner” pages. USDA, FDA and AAFCO are also good sources, although they tend to be more technical.
