Pet food is getting more like ours – is that good?

Pet food has gone upscale.

A recent article in The Atlantic, titled “The Humanifcation of Pet Food is Nearly Complete,” made for some interesting reading and discussion within the FanSided network of sites.

Some owners can definitely go overboard with their “fur babies,” though of course everyone wants to feed their pets as healthily as their budgets allow.

“Dogs are four legged members of the family,” Cristine Struble, FoodSided expert, said. “It makes sense that consumers want the same food transparency in dog food that they have in their own food.”

FoodSided is the FanSided stop for everything related to the culinary arts.

Consumers have spent more than $30 billion on pet food in 2017, according to The Economist, up from $18 billion in 2009 – not quite one dog generation.

“The average consumers sees and feels a difference when they eat better food with better ingredients. Why wouldn’t they want the same goodness in their dog’s food?” Struble continued.

That makes sense, and could explain the explosion of dry food made with grass-fed beef and premium brands like Blue Buffalo or Purina ONE. Even Tractor Supply is getting into the premium-health trend with their 4health line.

“This natural extension into the dog food aisle will continue on the same path as other consumer food trends,” Struble predicts. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see exotic produce showing up in the kibbles and bits in the near future.”

She would know, as exotic fruit has become a somewhat regular player in everyday recipes over the past decade.

(Wondering what fruit is safe for you dog? Surprisingly, quite a lot! See more info on our article on the subject here.)

Still, a pumpkin spice latte for canines made with goat milk is a little over the top.

“That article [from The Atlantic] was eye-opening,” Callum Gunn, Guilty Eats expert, said. “Although in a way, it’s not surprising. I swear, my dog eats better than me sometimes.”

Guilty Eats is the FanSided site dedicated to all things happening in fast food.

And speaking of fast food, McDonald’s recently announced it is launching an initiative to use cleaner ingredients. (Dogs should not necessarily eat McDonald’s, but that didn’t stop Princess the con artist.)

Some restaurants have started offering snacks for our puppers, too – burgers-and-ice-cream joint Culver’s offers the “Pup Cup,” and Canadian doughnut stop Tim Horton’s offer sugar-free doggy doughnuts.

Some vets, like Judy Morgan, advocate cooking homemade meals for your pups, as she describes in her cookbook Yin and Yang Nutrition for Dogs. 

This isn’t feasible for everyone, as most people can’t afford to buy fresh ingredients for themselves all the time, much less find the time to cook for their canines. But if you have the money, energy and desire to do so, this might be a good avenue to explore.

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