Functional Treats Or"Fun" Ctional Treats?

FUNCTIONAL TREATS or "FUN"ctional TREATS?

A lot of companies have been touting "functional" treats these days and they are getting a lot of attention! In 2021, the global functional treat market was valued at $291 million USD and, with a forecasted 9.2% CAGR, expected to grow to $722.8 million USD by 2031. Personally, I think that estimate is way, WAY underestimating both the category and the industry's ability to market the hell out of it (here is an example: "treats that are made with natural, raw ingredients and offer nutritional, health-promoting and energy-boosting benefits)! I mean, the overall treat market in North America alone last year eclipsed $11.04 BILLION USD and new Marketers are born every day!

So what makes a treat "functional"? It is the inclusion (or combination) of ingredients that provide a benefit that is associated with certain health conditions like dermatitis, dental health, immune system support, gastrointestinal health, the reduction of postprandial glucose levels, etc. Like most things on our lives, we want to get the most "bang for our buck" and try to be healthier so something like a treat that provides a health benefit....sign us up! The problem is that while we like the concept, very few of us actually do our homework to see if the "healthy/functional" part is true or if we are just suckers for good marketing and keywords! Why eat cotton candy when you can enjoy a "healthy" serving of Fruit Fluff?

I won't belabor the point, but the majority of functional treats should contain air quotes or at least be spelled differently (maybe FUNctional treats?).

Since we are in February (Dental Health Month), let's compare a real functional treat with a "FUNctional treat". Here is the ingredient deck (and benefits) for Brand A (Vegetable glycerin, Gelatin, Water, Oat fiber, Chicken, Natural flavor, Parsley, Ground Flaxseed, Calcium carbonate, Citric Acid (a preservative), Sodium bicarbonate, Chicken liver, Peppermint oil, Tocopherols (a preservative)

and here is the ingredient deck for Pawfect's new Dentamust Chew (Cow's milk, Blue spirulina, Blueberry, Papaya, Clove extract, cinnamon extract, lime juice and salt).

You can judge for yourself but for me, only one is a truly functional treat where the other is a "FUN" treat (it is fun and engaging!) that has just put a spin on lower cost ingredients. The ultimate test of the functionality of a treat should be determined by results. When choosing the product, shouldn't we be looking at the mechanisms behind the functionality or are we good with the "wink and nod"? Just look at the different claims: "infused peppermint and parsley to freshen breath" vs. "potent anti fungal and antibacterial properties to combat bad breath and gum disease." Once we understand (or discover) what ingredient supports the claim, we then need to do our homework and honestly look at the results that are achieved. From my own personal experience, the Pawfect Dentamust delivers. For full transparency, I have worked with Pawfect and their founder Prash for several years now. While some will claim I am biased to the line because of my connection, the truth is that we are connected because of their efforts to do what is best for dogs and cats, naturally. Heck, if you simply listen to me alone, you are still stuck in the "marketing spin", just from an individual instead of an agency. Do your research (www.pawfectfoods.co.uk), compare products and claims and then give it a try.