Opportunities, Challenges for Pet Supplements

Despite ongoing challenges posed by an uncertain regulatory environment, the market for nutritional supplements for pets is on the rise. A recent story in HerbalGram examined the growth trends in nutritional products for companion animals, as well as providing an update on the current and evolving regulations in the market.

Both market research firms and marketing companies gave optimistic reads on the current sales growth of the market, with Packaged Facts estimating sales of pet supplements and nutraceutical treats topping $1.2 billion in 2007. Additionally, there is greater interest in complementary and alternative therapies among the holistic veterinary community, underscored by the products’ efficacy and safety—particularly in the face of concerns about the side effects of pharmaceuticals. There hasn’t been a great deal of published research on the safety and efficacy of nutritional formulas for companion animals; however, there is greater interest among companies and at research institutions in conducting such trials to substantiate real world results.

On the regulatory side, things have been evolving over time, as pet supplements are not covered under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), and FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has only onerous standards related to drug approvals. Instead, the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) has been working on self regulatory efforts and urging companies operating in the space to establish the highest standards of production and safety testing, ultimately expecting to see federal regulation that could be based on the industry’s own self regulatory efforts.