Consumers care. Packaged Facts survey data from February through March 2017 shows that 58 percent of U.S. consumers are more concerned about food animal welfare than they were just a few years ago. The demand for transparency around where their food comes from has most consumer packaged-goods companies listening.
For those partners already a part of the Global Animal Partnership (GAP) Labeled Product Authorization (LPA) Program, there are more than 100 standards for animal welfare met on the farms from which they source ingredients.
Source: Global Animal Partnership, November 27, 2018. Link. In dog food, shoppers are also examining the ingredients and choosing foods where meat, and not grain, is the primary product ingredient. In the 52 weeks ended Dec. 30, 2017, dog food products with meat listed as the first ingredient accounted for 46% of the category, up 7 percentage points vs. the previous year.
INSIGHTS: We don’t always appreciate the responsibilities that accompany traceability, regulatory oversight and source verification. As animal health pros, we are doing better and must continue to improve our standards of care on farms and in our own backyards.