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Trends & Products: Treats
Glenn Polyn//January 26, 2021
TIME FOR A SNACK ATTACK
No matter the pet category, treats are major factors in driving sales. Due to their popularity, treats are getting placement in multiple locations of pet stores for maximum visibility.
Treats can come in the form of baked biscuits, soft chews and body parts Such body parts as pig ears, bully sticks and stuffed hooves are a must-carry and often do best on display in a treat bar. However, treats are not limited to dogs and cats, as the owners of birds, herps and small critters also are seeking snacks for their companion animals.
Today’s treat options are more varied than ever, and pet owners are committed to premium treats that offer their companion animals high quality nutrition with drool-worthy flavor. The innovative forms and recipes are also in demand.
Retailers should also be mindful of treat packaging, as it’s the first — and some would say the best — way to attract pet owners to the product. Strong packaging not only should be bold and attractive, but also clearly state what’s in the treat as well as what it doesn’t contain. More consumers than ever are paying attention to ingredients, and recent sales trends are showing that pet owners are fond of limited-ingredient treats as a way to avoid artificial favors, additives and preservatives.
Einstein Pets makes its treats in small batches with form, function and versatility in mind. The recipes are an example of treats containing wholesome, natural ingredients and essential nutrients while avoiding artificial preservatives or flavor. These heart-smart treats are low in calories and made in the U.S.A., and the packaging design and names of its products — including Love Bites and Ugly Sweater Party — gives the brand an appeal over its competitors.
“Einstein’s brand is easily recognizable thanks to its signature heart-shaped treats,” said Kelly Ison, CEO of Einstein Pets. “These nutritional treats not only represent the love and passion that goes into creating them, but they aid in digestion, heart health and offer super nutrients in every bite for optimal health and wellness.”
“Not only do our treats look good, but they also taste good,” Ison added. “The two new packages really communicate how drool-worthy our products truly are, while keeping the brand fun, friendly and engaging.”
While space is always at a premium, retailers need to stock a variety of treat options to cover their individual needs of pets and provide customers with a varied assortment of premium treats.
Nugget’s Bone Broth Jerky
Nugget’s is all about gut-healthy snacking, so the brand has combined proven immune builders with nutrient-dense whole foods for a power-packed, savory treat in Bone Broth Jerky. The No. 1 ingredient is actual bone broth. It simmers for days, is humanely sourced and is cooked with organ meat and purified with reverse osmosis water.
ZIWI Chews
Mother Nature knows best, so when it comes to a healthy treat, we follow her lead. Featuring grass-fed lamb sourced from New Zealand’s lush pastures, our Lamb Green Tripe chews are prepared with no added preservatives or flavors—just slow and gentle air-drying. Simple and delicious with only one ingredient, it’s the perfect tail-wagging chew to keep your dog happy.
Jones Natural Chews
Jones Natural Chews produces several lines of treats, including Jones Select. These premium treats include 100 percent Chicken and 100 percent Turkey Pure Meat Slices. These single-ingredient treats are natural, high-protein snacks from meat raised and sourced in the USA. There is only one ingredient on the label, with no artificial flavors, fillers or preservatives.
Hauspanther Cat Treats
Hauspanther single-ingredient cat treats are made from nutrient-rich organ meat that’s freeze dried to lock-in freshness, creating a delicious and convenient treat for cats. Freeze-dried to lock in freshness, these grain-free and gluten-free cat treats are available in chicken liver, beef liver and turkey heart in 1.5-ounce bags. These treats are 100 percent sourced and made in the U.S.A.
www.hauspanther.com
Mika & Sammy’s
Mika & Sammy’s specializes in the healthiest, all-natural products available on the market. The brand’s homemade hickory smoked beef marrow bones and jerky treats are USA-sourced and made at its Philadelphia facility. The brand never uses additives, preservatives, mold inhibitors, added hormones, animal by-products, animal meal, fillers or any other chemicals. Mika & Sammy’s provides only the highest quality treats and chews for your pup.
West Paw Dog Treats
West Paw Treats are simple, sustainably sourced, meaty single-protein, balanced superfood blends and creamy treats that pair perfectly and nutritiously with its award-winning treat toys. West Paw Treats include innovative Creamy Treats, Limited Ingredient Freeze-Dried Treats and Single Ingredient Freeze-Dried Treats. West Paw treats are backed by West Paw’s “Love It Guarantee.”
True Chews
Made with real chicken, True Chews Premium Jerky Cuts are produced with uncompromising care from high-quality ingredients. Their scrumptious taste and enticing aroma are sure to delight. Capturing the imagination of pet parents and their dogs’ cravings is the brand’s mission, and why True Chews has created its Premium Jerky Cuts treats.
Nudges Jerky Chews
Nudges Jerky Chews are a tasty, all-natural chew treat that people can feel good about giving to their furry friends. Created to fill the need for a high-quality treat to keep pets engaged and satisfied. Made with flavorful hardened chicken middle wrapped in chicken jerky for two delicious layers of real, USA chicken. All-natural and rawhide free. Available in both medium/large and small varieties to cater to dogs of every size
K9 Granola Gourmet Donuts
Among the popular homemade from K9 Granola Factory are its gourmet donuts. Among the popular flavors are Double Peanut Butter Crunch, Coconut Cream and Carob Covered Strawberry, which are all loaded with scrumptious toppings that a dog will love. Don’t forget about K9 Granola’s “Donut of the Month” … a different donut each month!
Earth Animal No-Hide Chews
No-Hide Wholesome Chews are the healthy, hand-rolled alternative to rawhide. The treat line has been designed to deliver nutritious, long-lasting chewable bliss to dogs of all shapes and sizes. Earth Animal calls it No-Hide Nirvana! Available flavors are chicken, beef, pork, salmon, venison and peanut butter.
Simply Kind Hearted
Simply Kind Hearted Cat and Dog Treats are highly palatable treats for a pet’s holistic health that inspire bonding. These functional treats are crafted with high quality oils, essential vitamins, and nutrients. Squeezables lickable treats can be fed directly from the tube, from your finger or hand, or as a topper with food. Simply Kind Hearted treats are 50 percent treat, 50 percent supplement, 100 percent love.
Yeti Cheesy Granola Bar
Yeti Cheesy Granola Bar is an all-natural treat that contains nothing but healthy and delicious ingredients. The bars are fully digestible and is a perfect bite size treat or reward. Perfect during hikes with your lil’ buddy or as an anytime snack.
Einstein Pets
Every Einstein Pets pet treat recipe is natural, made with simple, wholesome ingredients and essential nutrients and never contains any artificial preservatives or flavors. Their brand-attractive, U.S.A. made treats are heart-smart and low in calories, and easily digestible snacks for dogs, making them the perfect complement to a dog’s healthy diet while still being delicious. Happy, healthy treating!
Clear Conscience Pet Sliders
Clear Conscience Pet’s relaunched, reformulated Sliders are positioned as functional dog treats, combining 100 percent human-grade cuts of USA-sourced beef and pork with whole superfoods and nutraceutical supplements. The first formulas are Cool-It Beef Cheddavegg and Pork Veggapple, both of which have a proprietary ingredient blend that makes turmeric and curcumin, its active component, more bioavailable and longer lasting.
www.clearconsciencepet.com
Bacon Pop-Its Freeze-Dried Treats
Stewart Pro-Treats is launching its patent-pending Stewart Bacon Pop-Its Freeze-Dried Dog Treats. This treat line will add sizzle to store shelves, since it’s the only treat with USDA-certified bacon as the first ingredient. Stewart’s Bacon Pop-Its Treats offer dogs more protein, fewer ingredients, less calories and no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, corn, wheat or soy.
Nothin’ to Hide Chews
Nothin’ to Hide Chews are an innovative, collagen-based rawhide alternative that are available in new flavors and shapes. The new 3-inch bagel in peanut butter and beef flavors and a package of Rings and Bones in chicken and beef flavors. The peanut butter flavor is all natural and “allergen free” so consumers can feel comfortable knowing that these items won’t cause an allergic reaction and our Rings and Bones are sized perfectly for small to medium dogs. All Nothin’ to Hide chews offer a 96.7 percent digestibility rating compared to traditional rawhide chews.
Beef Cheek Chips
Beef Cheek Chips from Barking Buddha are easy to digest, making them a great alternative to rawhide. They are rich in collagen, additive free, chemical free and preservative free. Great for small dogs! Using a natural cleaning method and with a slow baking process in custom-made, human-grade ovens, Beef Cheek slices preserve their natural beef flavor and a more natural color. Barking Buddha products are made in an FDA-approved facility and sourced from South America.
Tremenda Chewy Bulls
Dogs go crazy for Tremenda Chewy Bulls! This treat is made of a strip of beef bladder wrapped around a beef esophagus stuffed with ground bully sticks and wheat flour. The texture is softer and chewier compared to bully sticks. Especially recommended for picky eaters or dogs with missing teeth.
Vitakraft PurrSticks Meaty Morsels, Lick ‘n’ Lap & Souprise Snack
Finicky cats agree: Vitakraft treats please! PurrSticks are made with over 70 percent real meat and individually wrapped for freshness. Meaty Morsels semi-soft treats are small-batch made with vital nutrients. Lick ‘n’ Lap makes treat time fun with a creamy, low-calorie snack served right from the tube. Souprise Snack tasty broth with real chunks of meat keeps cats satisfied and hydrated.
Brutus Biscuits
Brutus Biscuits are made with human-grade Brutus Bone Broth and are crafted to provide exceptional flavor, free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Brutus Biscuits are available in eight-ounce resealable, stand-up pouches in beef or chicken flavors, each with 18 grams of protein per serving. They are nutrient-rich, making them the perfect snack for dogs of any age—giving dog owners an easy and convenient way to boost canine nutrition, in a portable and flavorful treat form.
Chip’s Naturals
Chip’s Naturals uses pure, natural ingredients sourced in the United States for its Chicken Chips, Liver Slivers and Sweet Taters. The Sweet Taters are one-ingredient treats that are high in fiber and low in fat. These treats are also high in beta-carotene and minerals that promote good digestive health in a sweet-tasting chew.
Fromm Crunchy Os
Fromm Crunchy Os feature a blend of premium ingredients, including meats or cheese, fruits and vegetables, with an airy texture that delivers a truly unique and audibly entertaining crunch. Fromm Crunchy Os flavors include Blueberry Blasts, Smokin’ Cheese Plosions and Pumpkin Kran Pow.
Jiminy’s Chewy Cricket Treats
Fewer than three calories per treat, these soft and chewy cricket treats from Jiminy’s contain wholesome ingredients like sweet potato, peas, oats and crickets for a delicious and nutritious reward. These treats are designed as a training reward, but they are also great for small dogs that prefer a soft, savory treat. Sustainable, humane and hypoallergenic—these treats have it all!
Grandma Lucy’s Organic
Grandma Lucy’s Organic Oven-Baked Dog Treats are 100 percent USDA-certified organic and certified kosher. Since they are made from the highest quality, human-grade organic ingredients, these treats are tasty for both pets and pet parents! They come in a variety of flavors, including pumpkin, coconut, blueberry, cranberry and lemon honey.
![4 Paws Butcher Shop Jerkies[3]](https://www.petage.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/4-Paws-Butcher-Shop-Jerkies3-300x130.jpg)
4 Paws Jerky
4 Paws Butcher Shop makes high-protein, low-fat, single-ingredient jerkies that contain human-grade proteins. These single-ingredient jerkies are sourced from U.S. farm-raised meat and are manufactured in the United States.
Nature’s Own Pet Chews
For almost three decades, Best Buy Bones, a family-owned and operated company from the heartland of America, has been making natural dog treats and chews. The company’s line of Nature’s Own Pet Chews premium treats and chews is made in the USA with no artificial additives, chemicals or preservatives. Manufactured under strict supervision to maintain consistent quality and safety.
LIQ
LIQ is an innovative, low-calorie and interactive treat for dogs and cats that is made in the United States. With four doctor-developed recipes and a unique bottle design that doubles as a pet massager, LIQ lives up to its mission: “Love on the inside. Love on the outside.”
Stella & Chewy’s Treats
Stella & Chewy’s offer three different categories of 100 percent freeze-dried raw treats for dogs, including Carnivore Crunch, Wild Weenies and Single Ingredient Treats. These treats offer the same great benefits of a raw diet. The newest Wild Weenies variety, Bac’n Me Crazy, is available in three- and 11-ounce zip tight bags.
Superior Farms Pet Provisions
Superior Farms Pet Provisions offers all natural, wholesome treats and chews that dogs love and humans feel good about. Try HydeOut Cheek Chips and Cheek Rolls, made from beef “cheek” (the skin above the neck) which offers a distinct alternative to traditional rawhide.
PureBites Freeze-Dried Treats
All PureBites dog treats are made with only one, two or three ingredients. PureBites are 100 percent pure, natural and grain free. These freeze-dried treats are made with human grade ingredients for a taste that dogs crave. PureBites Freeze-Dried Treats are sourced and made in the U.S.A.
Chasing Our Tails Dog Treats
Chasing Our Tails dog treats are sourced and made in the United States, including the company’s popular line of bully sticks. Made from 100 percent grass-fed bull pizzle, these treats are washed and trimmed by hand for superior quality. The extra-thick stick offers a worthy match for powerful chewers, and since it is made from just one ingredient, it’s suitable for dogs with allergies or sensitivities.
Chicken Breast Strips
Natural Cravings Chicken Breast Strips are made with simple, high-quality ingredients to ensure the best flavor and support a pet’s health. The combination of good proteins like succulent chicken meat and vegetable glycerin makes these treats low in fat and rich in protein. As a tender jerky treat, Chicken Breast Strips are great for dogs of all sizes that might need something softer to chew.
Wild Eats
Wild Eats, known for its top-quality Water Buffalo products, last year added another single-source protein. The new cod line consists of skin twists, fingers, patties and treats. They are certified sustainably sourced, include Omega-3 and are a non-GMO product with no added hormones, antibiotics, artificial preservatives, colors or flavors. Wild Eats cod treats are deal for dogs with allergies.
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