Just like their owners, it seems that pets like to eat ‘on the hoof’. Procter & Gamble, which owns the Iams dog and cat foods, is licensing US travel meals to make travel packs of convenience cat and dog foods. The development highlights that the impact of consumer trends can reach far beyond where you might expect.

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Convenience it seems is the buzzword for everyone – and now also everything. The licensing deal between Procter & Gamble and Travel Meals will mean that it won’t just be busy humans that reap the benefit of convenience goods, but pets too.


While the trend for convenience in the human food sector is well established, with product launches from the hand-held savory snack sector, such as Chef America’s Hot Pocket microwaveable sandwiches, the same has not been true for pet food… or has it?


Nobody is seriously suggesting that the average cat leads a “cash-rich, time poor” lifestyle, but its owners increasingly do. Owners are seeking time saving solutions, and convenience pet food in easily disposable packaging or that makes the owner’s lives easier when traveling with their furry friends is a worthwhile option for many.


Procter & Gamble and Travel Meals have recognized this, and the license will see food packages for pets that double as disposable feeding bowls. The products will also contain poop-scoop bags for dogs and disposable litter trays (inclusive of litter) for cats.

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Whether the licensing deal will exploit a successful niche in the long term of course remains to be seen, but it highlights that the most innovative manufacturers are developing a total view of the needs of their customers, and finding innovative solutions based on these insights.


While not all innovation is successful – indeed only around 1.6% of the innovative ideas that consumer goods manufacturers come up with survive more than one year – this type of innovation is leading the way. The challenge for other manufacturers is to spot these trends and work out where else, apart from the obvious areas, they will make a difference.


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