Pet food good enough for humans to take a bite of

Unlike other two-year-olds, Timim loves broccoli and peas. He starts his day with two boiled eggs, each stuffed with a broccoli floret. His dinner includes a serving of boiled peas. “If my child doesn’t see vegetables, he won’t eat,” laughs Saurabh Khurana, a Delhi-based software engineer.

When Khurana, 35, adopted Tim, a retriever, from an animal shelter in 2022, it was clear he wanted to feed him fresh, nutrient-rich food. So, he would wake up at 5 a.m. and, with the help of his wife, prepare tamim, a mixture of chicken, rice and vegetables. But coupled with the office workload, it was exhausting.

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Early last year, Khurana began looking for brands that offered healthy pet foods that contained “human-grade” ingredients, or were manufactured in compliance with regulations for ready-to-eat human food products. Today, Khurana relies on three platforms to deliver food to pets. Kalbah – sometimes made of pork and lentils, often rice, chicken and vegetables, including peas, tastes similar to what humans eat.

“I tasted all the food I ordered. It’s like what we eat, without the salt and masala,” says Khurana, the spender. $15,000 on pet food every month, about 10% more compared to the time when he used to cook at home for Timtim. The dog seems to have adapted well to the “outside food”. “Why should he eat packaged, stinky food (referring to food), when I can give him food that looks like food and will keep him healthy?” Khurana says.

As Millennials and Gen Z reimagine parenthood, they’re willing to spend more time and effort ensuring their beloved pets eat nutritious food, even if it means spending more money. Many startups and brands rely on this deep desire. From gluten-free to vegetarian diets, the Indian market is slowly but surely seeing a rise in pet foods that look less processed and, in some cases, more similar to human foods.

According to Statista, the 2024 revenue in the pet food market in India is $640 million (approx. $5,300 Crores). It is expected to grow annually by 12.63% to reach $1.03 billion over the next four years. Globally, most revenue is generated in the United States (more than $57 billion in 2023).

Although there is no official data on the growth of “human grade” pet foods in India, a quick search online and in retail stores for customized and “holistic” options is enough to give an idea of ​​how serious people are about the health and wellness of their pets. Their pets. “Being a pet parent is different from being a human parent. “When you are a pet parent, you know that unless something untoward happens, you will live longer than your pet,” says Ishmit Singh Chandiok, a pet parent and chef who has… He holds assignments at the Hyatt and JW Marriott Hotels and is the founder of Harley’s Corner, a premium ready-to-eat dog food brand that claims to use human-grade ingredients and no preservatives to prepare its meals.

One of the dishes that Harley serves is goulash ( $625 for 900 grams; To give an idea, a 30kg dog needs 360-450g per meal), which is a low-fat meal consisting of a mixture of millet, sorghum, pumpkin seeds, brewer’s yeast, sweet potatoes, chicken, brown rice, cod liver oil and wheat germ oil. Vegetables, algae, calcium and seaweed powder. and subwoofer ( $800 to 900 grams), a “complete meal” combining fish, brown rice, quinoa, pumpkin, calcium algae and vegetables. My dog ​​and I tried the goulash. It looked and tasted like chicken khichdi, without the salt and spices. The dog finished it in seconds.

“Just by changing the food, if I can make my dog ​​live a year longer, that will be invaluable,” says Singh. “This type of belief is driving interest in human-quality pet foods, along with a growing awareness in general about wellness and what you eat yourself and feed your pet.”

Human grade pet food, in simple words, means food suitable enough for human consumption. “Humans can eat it but it is not recommended as pet food contains vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements that are more suitable for animals,” says Shivangi Raina, a veterinarian based in Bengaluru.

“Companies follow the strictest rules and regulations when it comes to human food. So, when you claim to offer human-grade pet food, it means “There is less risk of contamination and better nutrients.” He claims that “real chicken, liver and eggs keep them (the dogs) active, while the natural ingredients promote healthy skin and coat.”

Human lens

Gone are the days when dogs were only seen as guardians of the home and fed kitchen scraps, food made from surplus meat, and anything from feet to feathers.

The pandemic may have accelerated the trend (to humanize animals), but it’s something that started about a decade ago, when the functional factor (house guard dogs) moved to the emotional factor. “Animals are no longer just animals,” says Vineet Khanna, co-founder of Supertails, a pet care platform that offers everything from food and clothing to accessories and veterinary consultations. In 2022, Supertails launched its pet food brand, Henlo, which offers baked goods. Dog Food The food-like offering comes with claims of “100% human ingredients” and no artificial preservatives, fillers or chemicals used. “We follow a slow cooking process to ensure that the flavors and nutrients are well preserved,” says Khanna.

Delayed marriage, late pregnancy, loneliness and increased stress levels are among the reasons why more people are turning to pet parents, and “in many cases, this is their first big responsibility in life, so they want to ensure the best in everything for them,” says Khanna as he explains the idea behind Henlo.

None of the brands — Harley’s Corner, Supertails and Drools — wanted to share revenue numbers, though they said they were in expansion mode. For example, Henlo is adding more chicken items in flavors like pumpkin and pomegranate. Harley’s is looking to increase the options available for sweets and other chewy foods. The brands said a large section of customers are between the ages of 18 and 35 and from major cities, with orders flowing from tier I and II cities like Coonoor, Shillong and Mysuru.

One gap the Supertails team has encountered in the market is that many people don’t like the smell of packaged pet foods. Khanna says they keep this in mind, so that the food tastes and smells good.

However, there are no rules when it comes to “human grade” pet food. “In India, compliance with pet food standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards is voluntary,” says Salil Murthy, Managing Director, Mars Petcare. An 80-year-old American brand that has been in India for two decades. “There is a huge opportunity for us to collaborate with government and our industry peers to push for these standards to become mandatory. It is crucial to standardize certain nutrients and their amounts using a scientific rationale. Standardization will limit the spread of misinformation.”

For now, Khurana is happy to feed Timim food that resembles what is on his plate. “It’s not like I’m blindly following what companies claim. I do my research and see the impact it makes,” he says. Timtim is our baby. “I know what’s best for him.”