Elevate Mealtime with a Nutritious Mix | Current Issue | petbusiness … – Pet Business Magazine

Whether adding granola to yogurt for a special crunch, drizzling a tangy dressing over a salad, or covering a hot dog in mustard and relish, most humans enjoy expanding their palettes by mixing different flavors together. This desire to make mealtime fun and exciting has transferred over to the pet industry—and has existed for quite a while.
“Pet owners have always found creative ways to enhance their pet’s food flavors and make their everyday meals into an exciting treat,” says Mike Altieri, CEO of Doggondiments. “This usually entails adding ‘people food’ such as au jus, broths, oils or cheeses onto their pet’s dinner.”
These “people food” options can be expensive, sodium-heavy, and fattening to pets, but there are many, healthier alternatives available. 
“There are several different approaches to enhancing food flavors for pets, including liquids, gravies, powders and even freeze-dried or raw foods,” Altieri explains. “To help with the nutritional profile, these food toppers are often fortified with prebiotics, probiotics or other functional ingredients to provide an additional benefit for the pet.”
“Mixers and toppers can add more protein, provide extra moisture, offer flavor variety, and potentially add nutrients to an existing cat or dog diet,” adds Gina Garren, senior brand director of Merrick. The company provides dog and cat food mixers and toppers in a variety of proteins and flavors, including its Merrick Grain Free Bone Broth for Dogs. 
Given this category’s potential, it’s no surprise that it has seen an upwards trajectory in the past few years. 
“The mixers and toppers category has continued to grow in terms of sales as well as the variety of offerings available on the market,” says Matt Pirz, president of Primal Pet Foods, which offers a range of hydrators and fresh, raw frozen, and freeze-dried raw toppers. 
 
To accommodate a wide range of preferences, there are a myriad of different mixers and toppers available for retailers to choose from. Today, many trends in this category revolve around refrigerated, raw and freeze-dried foods. 
“The biggest trend is freeze dried meats for flavor enhancement,” says Charlie Bachkora, founder of JAC Pet Nutrition. 
He believes that since customers may not be able to afford to feed freeze-dried food as a main diet for pets, they’re using toppers as a cost-effective alternative while still enhancing a pet’s food. Mixers and toppers also present an opportunity for pet parents to gauge what their pet’s preferences are, before altering a pet’s main diet. In addition, pet parents are increasingly interested in functional ingredients. Beyond adding flavor, finding a mixer or topper with functional ingredients can make a positive impact on a pet’s health, such as supporting healthier skin or gut health. 
“With the consumer looking to address different issues [with their pets], functionality focused toppers will grow in the coming year,” Bachkora predicts. 
 
Incorporating new flavors and ingredients can be a fun experience for both pets and their parents. There’s nothing quite like seeing your dog or cat excited—that happiness is contagious. As this category continues to grow and expand, the options are endless for mix and match opportunities without having to back away from a pet’s tried-and-true kibble or canned food, according to Pirz. 
Now, there are some challenges when it comes to this category that retailers should note. One is that customers may not immediately consider certain mixer and topper options—such as frozen products. 
“People resist change—for about eight out of 10 shoppers, the freezer represents a change to where they shop for their pet’s food and treats; that’s always been one of our biggest challenges—however, it also represents a huge opportunity for our brand and retailers who choose to feature the freezer section in their store,” says Pirz. 
Customers may not realize that, by incorporating certain toppers and/or mixers into a pet’s diet, that they can serve as a solution for picky eaters, or for dogs that have strictly prescribed medicated meals that lack flavor. Of course, many supplemental food items can sneak in additional vitamins and minerals for pets that are absent in their kibble or canned food. The prescience of functional ingredients can elevate a topper from a flavor-enhancer to a valuable source of nutrition for pets. 
Another challenge is that a customer’s general knowledge of the mixer and topper category for dogs and cats may be lacking. However, this is a chance for sales associates to connect with customers and inform them about these products along with their nutritional value. They can share what these different products are, how they can help pets, and why they are worthy of an investment. 
“Retailers can help by finding out the issues with the pet, and by recommending a solution based on the needs of the customer,” says Bachkora. “I recommend stores have nutritional training for their staff. Nutrition training is not easy and no one recommendation fits all. That is why training is so important to build better nutrition in the bowl for each pet.” 
 
To take advantage of the opportunities the toppers and mixers category has to offer, retailers need to properly promote these products to further drive home why they’re worth the investment. 
“While this category holds great potential for retailers, it will be important for retailers to offer educational information at the store shelf to ensure consumers understand how and why to feed mixers and toppers,” says Garren. “Retailers should also consider navigational help and in and out of aisle signage to ensure consumers can find these products.
“Consider cross-promotions with dry or wet food with a focus on the health benefits and important nutrition information,” she advises. “Toppers and mixers are more likely to be an unplanned purchase than dog and cat food, which means it is beneficial to disrupt consumers on their shopper journey. Try signage and secondary displays to disrupt the shopper in-store. For online shoppers, banner ads, pop-ups on food pages and add to basket at checkout are beneficial tactics.” 
 
Retailers need to keep in mind that most toppers are not intended to serve as a pet’s main meal, and that it’s their responsibility to communicate this to customers. 
“It’s important for consumers to use toppers correctly; they aren’t intended to be used as the sole diet because they typically aren’t formulated to be nutritionally balanced and complete,” says Lucy Postins, founder and chief integrity officer of The Honest Kitchen. “Toppers should be introduced gradually for more sensitive pets and it’s important to make sure that any food sensitivities are kept in mind when choosing a topper.
One of the most important takeaways for customers is that a topper or other meal enhancer’s extra calories have to be accounted for. The 2021 Association for Pet Obesity Prevention annual survey found that 50 percent of dogs and cats are overweight or obese, even though “only 39 percent of dog owners and 45 percent of cat owners consider their [pets’ to be overweight or obese.]” 
“While toppers can help a dog to enjoy their meals more, owners must be careful not to trade one issue, a dog who is not eating well or is bored with their food, with another issue—a dog who is now overweight or less healthy,” Altieri explains. 
As a resource for customers and retailers, Primal Pet Foods offers a Bowl Builder Tool on its website, which provides information about a product’s nutritional content along with a feeding calculator. This is especially helpful to help pets avoid being overfed. 
“As long as they’re limiting toppers or hydrators to less than 10 percent of regular feeding, there isn’t much to be worried about,” says Pirz. 
Once customers have all the information about toppers and mixer options, it’s up to them to choose which option is best for their pets. Even though prices have gone up as a result of inflation, research shows pet parents aren’t willing to compromise when it comes to their pet’s health. A survey from NielsenIQ reveals as pet food costs rise, most pet parents intend to stick with their go-to pet food options despite any price increases, and are still prioritizing non-essentials (i.e., treats, supplements, vitamins) for pets despite price hikes. 
“For retailers, food toppers are a win/win,” says Altieri. “Since they are purchased in addition to, rather than instead of, other foods and treats, toppers offer the opportunity to increase the basket ring and overall sales.”  PB
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