This is a final research report from Hort Innovation’s historical archives. Please note that as these reports may date back as far as the 1990s, the content and recommendations within them may be superseded by more recent research.

What was it all about?

Fruit and vegetable products had been used in companion animal pet foods for some time. They primarily were used at a low inclusion level to provide visual variety to both animal and owner. The fruit and vegetables used in commercial pet foods at the time were premium quality ingredients that could also exist in the human food chain. It would be advantageous to both fruit and vegetable processors and the pet food industry to identify by-product streams that complemented existing human quality ingredients without competing for materials destined for human food channels.

The findings of a jointly funded project identified the potential to develop novel raw materials for use in pet food products that offered benefits in terms of product performance or nutrition. Further work needed to be undertaken to provide cost-effective, stable and value-added fruit and vegetable-derived ingredients to the pet food industry.

Further work included, but is not necessarily limited to:

• Applying appropriate hygiene standards to allow collection in a safe manner
• Intentional segregation of different materials currently collected as waste
• Developing cost effective methods to rapidly stabilise waste product and by-product materials

The project outcomes identified a number of fruit and vegetable by-product streams that, with concentration and conservation of nutrient content, could potentially be used in pet food products to supplement existing raw materials and / or deliver enhanced nutrition to cats and dogs. In order to give the best possible chance of a successful outcome, a co-development agreement between fruit and vegetable processors and a major pet food manufacturer was considered likely to be an efficient way to assess and commercialise opportunities identified.