By: Marcel Blok
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/grain-salt-marcel-blok/
In an interesting article written by Maria Lange of GfK and recently published in Petfood Industry she mentioned an intriguing development: regraining!
The hype about no grain has not yet come to its full potential and we already start to see a counter-movement. Back to grain. Whereas, for starters, the bulk of the market has never left grain anyhow. But, there is a new element to be considered: we’re not going back to just any other grain. No, we start to use ancient grains. To make the difference and to imply that these were part of the historical diets of our beloved pets’ ancestors. And ancient of course also has this aura of not being tampered with. It is authentic, it applies to our need for ingredient integrity.
And yet, as I understand it, ancient grains have grosso modo the same genetic make-up as their more modern offspring; so I reckon that the desired and implied effect of using ancient grains is open for debate.
And what about no grain? Is it maybe max 5% of our pets or rather dogs that suffer from grain-intolerance (I understand that only a limited number of breeds are prone to this intolerance anyway)?; and if this is the case, why is no grain so popular across the board?
Because we instill fear! Because we do not tell the whole story. We imply, we do not claim; because we cannot claim. We use self-appointed experts, sometimes called celebrities, to tell our story. We jump on the bandwagon without checking the tune that is being played. We are following the Pied Piper.
And in doing so we establish a new segment or category in the market that becomes noticeable and is worthy of further investigation and monitoring. Which will prove beyond any doubt that the segment is a very interesting one.
But, in a flat market, where does the segment steal from? Is it all about upgrading or does the growth of one segment lead to the decline of one in a comparable quality/price position. Most likely the latter is the case which means that market-shift has been achieved and not market-growth; other than maybe some value. From a macro point-of-view this can be considered a futile excercise if you take the strategic relevance into account.
When do we see the true boost? The initiative that grows and changes the market, that leads us into the next stage of development? Holistic, no grain, low grain, ancient grain create some micro-waves in the pond, but the boat is not truly rocked. It may not be ingredient, but a different approach to product and distribution that will change the scene and break the mould.
Find the article and all references here
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