How Ingredient Science Is Reshaping the Future of Dog Food
Freshpet’s SVP of Research & Development explains how ingredient science, label transparency, and fresh refrigerated food are reshaping pet food industry trends, and what pet parents and retailers should check next.
DVM, Ph.D.
Ingredient science starts in the formulation lab, not on the package.
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The next generation of dog food is taking shape not in marketing campaigns or flashy packaging, but in formulation labs and cold storage units. As companion animals become more deeply integrated into family life, pet nutrition is shifting from convenience-based purchases toward evidence-driven decisions: diets informed by science, clean-label formulations, and real ingredient transparency.
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Why Pet Food Is Becoming More Personalized
Advancements in ingredient science are making diets tailored to a dog’s age, breed, size, and health goals more achievable than ever, following the same path human wellness took toward functional ingredients, digestive support, and immune health.
Market data reflects this progression. The American Pet Products Association’s (APPA) 2025 Dog & Cat Report found that 53% of dog owners administered vitamins or supplements to their pets in 2024, a 56% increase since 2018. Premium dog food sales grew 5% year over year over the same period, and Innova Market Insights found that dog and cat supplement sales rose 84% between 2018 and 2022. This sustained pattern suggests pet nutrition is increasingly treated as a proactive investment rather than a routine purchase.
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Why Label Transparency Matters in Pet Food
Label transparency is becoming a key differentiator in purchasing behavior, as buyers grow more informed about how protein origin, additive function, and processing methods affect digestibility and nutritional efficacy.
There’s a real gap between expectation and perception here. A 2025 survey from PETS International and Yummypets found that 88% of pet owners cited labeling accuracy and transparency as important, yet 58% felt current labels were misleading. Vague claims like “natural,” “premium,” or “sustainably sourced” were cited as a frequent source of that distrust.
Professional bodies like the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) recommend that manufacturers clearly state who formulates their recipes, how products are made, and what quality-control processes are in place. Freshpet’s own recipes, for example, are formulated by a team that includes Ph.D.s in animal nutrition, board-certified veterinary nutritionists, and food scientists, not just a single named consultant. Some brands also build this transparency into testing. Freshpet also runs more than 20 quality and safety tests on every batch and complements standard lab analysis with third-party feeding trials, going beyond current feeding-trial protocols to confirm real-world digestibility and palatability.
How to Evaluate a Pet Food Brand’s Transparency Claims
Checking whether a pet food brand is genuinely transparent takes four quick steps: confirm an Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) adequacy statement, look for named ingredients over vague categories, see if the brand shares sourcing and testing details, and read marketing terms with some skepticism.
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- Check for an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement. AAFCO sets the nutrient guidelines pet food must meet to be labeled “complete and balanced,” a statement confirming the food meets baseline nutritional standards for a dog’s life stage, and the one label element with real weight behind it.
- Look for named ingredients, not vague categories. “Chicken” or “beef” tells you more than “meat by-products” or “animal fat.”
- See if the brand publishes testing and sourcing information. Companies willing to share batch testing results, feeding trial data, or ingredient origin openly are signaling more than a label legally requires.
- Treat unregulated marketing terms with skepticism. Words like “natural,” “premium,” or “sustainably sourced” often carry no consistent legal definition. Read past them to the specifics underneath.
Third-party certification is one of the clearest signals a brand is backing up its claims with independent testing rather than marketing language alone. Freshpet, for instance, became the first pet food brand to have its entire U.S. and Canadian product line certified by the Clean Label Project, a nonprofit that tests for more than 100 contaminants, including heavy metals, pesticides, and BPA, that don’t appear on a standard ingredient label.
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Why Fresh Food Is Leading the Science-Backed Shift
Refrigerated dog food is emerging as a category well-matched to these shifting expectations, since gentle cooking and recognizable ingredients make it easier to apply (and verify) ingredient science in a visible way.
Formulations in this category increasingly emphasize digestibility, nutrient bioavailability, and measurable health outcomes over aesthetic selling points. Freshpet’s approach illustrates this directly. Freshpet steam-cooks its recipes at controlled temperatures specifically to preserve nutrient bioavailability, an example of formulation science applied at the batch level rather than just marketed on the package.
- Shorter supply chains and direct-to-retail logistics also make ingredient traceability easier to implement across this category, offering added assurance to consumers and regulators alike.
What This Means for Retailers
Retailers adapting to fresh and functional products need to invest across four areas: cold-storage infrastructure, staff training, trial-reduction programs, and digital transparency tools.
- Refrigerated infrastructure. Fresh offerings require investment in cold storage and designated shelf space, infrastructure some brands have spent years building. Freshpet, for example, has spent over 20 years developing the chilled delivery networks and retailer relationships that make refrigerated pet food sections possible at scale.
- Staff education. Frontline associates benefit from familiarity with concepts like AAFCO compliance, formulation by veterinary nutritionists, and bioavailable ingredients.
- Trial facilitation. First-time buyers often respond well to risk-reduction measures like sampling programs or satisfaction guarantees.
Build a personalized Freshpet meal plan and have fresh food delivered on a recurring schedule.
- Personalized meal plans for your dog
- Fresh meals delivered to your door
- Recipes designed by veterinary nutrition experts
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- Digital transparency tools. The 2025 PETS International/Yummypets survey found 63% of respondents want nutritional analysis available through digital tools, and 59% want detailed ingredient sourcing online. That’s a gap QR codes and in-store signage can help close.
The Bottom Line on Pet Food’s Next Chapter
Pet food innovation is no longer driven solely by palatability or shelf stability. Today’s market rewards brands that pair scientific formulation with clear communication and verifiable sourcing, and retailers and manufacturers that invest in education, infrastructure, and trust-building tools will be best positioned for a customer base that increasingly treats the pet food aisle as a wellness destination, not just a convenience stop.
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be, depending on the dog’s specific needs. Diets formulated around age, breed, size, and health goals (similar to trends in human nutrition) are designed to address issues like digestive support or joint health more precisely than a one-size-fits-all formula. Talk to your vet about whether a more targeted diet makes sense for your dog.
Look past marketing terms like “natural” or “premium,” which have no consistent definition, and check for a clear AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement, named ingredients rather than vague categories, and manufacturer transparency about sourcing and testing. Brands willing to share this information openly tend to be more reliable.
Cold-storage infrastructure comes first, since fresh products can’t be merchandised without it, followed by staff training on concepts like AAFCO compliance and bioavailable ingredients. Trial-reduction tools like sampling programs help convert first-time buyers, and digital transparency tools (QR codes linking to sourcing or testing data) meet a demand most shoppers already have but few retailers currently satisfy.
Transparency has become a competitive differentiator. Brands that voluntarily share sourcing, testing, and formulation details build trust that translates into loyalty and repeat purchases, while vague or unverifiable claims increasingly read as a liability as shoppers grow more label-literate. The gap between what pet owners want disclosed and what most labels currently provide is exactly where transparent brands can differentiate.
Fresh dog food is heat processed to make it safe without destroying key nutrients and flavors, and then kept refrigerated rather than shelf-stable. It’s part of this broader shift because its short supply chain and recognizable ingredients make the kind of transparency and traceability pet parents increasingly want easier to deliver and verify.
💡Key Takeaways
- Pet nutrition is shifting from convenience-based purchases to evidence-driven decisions, with supplement use up 56% since 2018 and premium food sales growing 5% year over year.
- Label transparency is a growing expectation, though a real gap remains: 88% of pet owners want accurate labeling, but 58% find current labels misleading.
- Evaluating a brand’s transparency means checking for an AAFCO adequacy statement, named ingredients, published testing data, and unregulated marketing terms.
- Fresh, refrigerated dog food is well-positioned for this shift, since its shorter supply chains and recognizable ingredients make traceability easier to deliver and verify.
- Retailers adapting to these trends need to invest in cold-storage infrastructure, staff training, trial programs, and digital transparency tools like QR codes and online sourcing information.
DVM, Ph.D.
Dr. Gerardo Pérez-Camargo, DVM, Ph.D., serves as Freshpet SVP, Research & Development. A veterinarian with a Ph.D. in Applied Biochemistry and Food Science from the University of Nottingham, U.K., Dr. Pérez-Camargo has 30 years of experience in pet nutritional research and product development in the pet food industry.
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