Unlocking the Strategic Value of Performance Minerals to Drive Differentiation and Consumer Trust
Whether walking through a pet food store aisle or scrolling online, pet parents have never had more options to feed, treat, and supplement their pets and their pet nutrition purchases are increasingly mirroring their own food and beverage choices. As brands race to innovate and stand out with new formats and claims that align with human-centric values, every ingredient must earn its place in the formula by delivering clear, measurable value.
One often-overlooked ingredient category is now emerging as a strategic differentiator: minerals. Long considered basic nutritional components, minerals are stepping into the spotlight not just as essential nutrients, but as functional assets that can elevate brand positioning and consumer trust. The next wave of functional nutrition may already be in your formula but not yet part of your story.
From Commodity to Competitive Advantage
Historically, minerals have simply checked the box for essential nutrition – important, but not marketable. That’s changing. A recent study done by the International Food Information Council reinforces this trend, reporting that 65% of Americans consider specific minerals when choosing what to eat or drink and more than a third of these consumers claim to consider specific minerals always or often, a similar level of importance to other key nutrition factors such as total carbohydrates, fat, and fiber. Minerals are stepping out of the shadows to serve functional health-boosting roles in food and drink products such as weight management, energy levels and overall performance, immunity and beauty (Innova Market Insights, 2022).
Many food and beverage industry experts cite COVID-19 as the spark that ignited interest in minerals, specifically zinc, as a proactive solution for daily health and wellness. However, additional macrotrends are fueling this momentum:
- Preventive health mindsets: Consumers increasingly view minerals as foundational to immunity, energy, and cognitive function.
- Ingredient transparency: Minerals are familiar, recognizable, and trusted.
- Functional food growth: As functional foods go mainstream, minerals are among the most accepted fortification agents.
This evolution opens the door for a new class of ingredients to help brands stand out and meet increasing holistic health demands: performance minerals—those that deliver both foundational nutrition and functional health benefits. Unlike conventional inorganic and organic trace minerals that simply meet baseline nutritional requirements, performance minerals, only available by Zinpro® are made differently to unlock the full benefits of each mineral and enable them to make the leap from foundational ingredients to functional health solutions.
Bridging the Gap Between Human and Pet Nutrition
Today’s pet parents are more intentional than ever, expecting the same quality, transparency, and efficacy in pet food as they do in their own diets. According to NielsenIQ, nearly three quarters of pet food buyers actively seek products with ingredients they recognize and understand. Despite unlimited access to information, multiple consumer surveys indicate that most pet parents find their pet’s nutrition more confusing than their own, and ingredients are the most important factor when selecting food for their pets. 1,2,3
Studies have also shown that when consumers prioritize healthy food for themselves, they are more likely to seek healthy food for their dogs and even price sensitive shoppers who are loyal to their own food brands are also more likely to be loyal to their pets’ food and food brands.4,5
This consumer behavior marks a key opportunity for pet food brands: when consumers see science-backed ingredients in pet products that mirror those in their own diets, the perceived value multiplies. It’s no longer just about feeding pets; it’s about nourishing the entire household with purpose.
But trust isn’t automatic—it must be earned. Brands aiming to lead in this space while mitigating brand safety risks should prioritize ingredients supported by multiple peer-reviewed, pet-specific research studies and ensure claims can be substantiated and meet local regulatory requirements.
Zinpro® Performance Minerals® are uniquely positioned to meet human-centric and pet-proven expectations. Validated specifically in pets in addition to nearly 400 peer-reviewed studies, they enable brands to formulate with confidence with ingredients consistently proven to support high-value pet health benefits.
Strategic Moves for Pet Food Brands
For brands looking to lead in the emerging mineral movement trend, performance minerals offer a rare opportunity to align consumer desires with pet health needs while building a defensible point of differentiation.
Performance mineral innovation advantages:
- Essential + Functional: Performance minerals meet core nutritional requirements while delivering proactive pet-proven health benefits such as skin and coat health, immunity, mobility, healthy energy levels, and many more.
- Science Meets Simplicity: Scientifically validated and easy to understand, performance minerals uniquely bridge the gap between what pets need and pet parents are looking for.
- Built-in Benefits: Already part of the nutritional framework, performance minerals are an efficient solution for improving formula efficacy.
Performance minerals go beyond essential nutrition, they are strategic levers that help brands stand out in a crowded marketplace using ingredients already required in diets. By building a stronger formula foundation with performance minerals, modern pet food brands can amplify their outcomes by taking advantage of consumer trust, scientific credibility, and market momentum.
Connect with Zinpro’s team of pet experts to see how performance minerals can differentiate your brand and build loyalty that lasts.
1 PetFood News. Dog Owners have difficulty choosing pet food. [Last accessed February 28, 2019]. Available from: http://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/5407-survey-dog-owners-have-difficulty-choosing-pet-food.
2 Boya UO, Dotson MJ, Hyatt EM. A comparison of dog food choice criteria across dog owner segments: An exploratory study. Int J Consum Stud. 2015;39:74–82.
3 Simonsen JE, Fasenko GM, Lillywhite JM. The value-added dog food market: Do dog owners prefer natural or organic dog foods? J Ag Sci. 2014;6:86–97.
4 Jyrinki H. Pets as extended self in the context of pet food consumption. Eur Adv Cons Res. 2006;7:543–549.
5 Chen A, Kuang-peng H, Peng N. A cluster analysis examination of pet owners’ consumption values and behavior — Segmenting owners strategically. J Target Meas Anal Mark. 2012;20:117–132.
