In the past few years, turmeric moved to the front of pet food packages, as pet owners came to associate health benefit claims with turmeric such as anti-inflammatory, relief of arthritis pain, gastrointestinal disorder help, steroid replacement and allergy relief.

Some plants offer more than basic nutrition when used in pet food formulations. Plants such as hemp, turmeric and ashwagandha, along with other light-eaters, algae, serve as functional ingredients in both human and pet foods by aiding animals’ bodies in ways beyond calories counts and protein levels. For example, formulators used turmeric in pet food for years, but it only appeared on the ingredient panel and largely served as a natural colorant. In the past few years, turmeric moved to the front of pet food packages, as pet owners came to associate health benefit claims with turmeric such as anti-inflammatory, relief of arthritis pain, gastrointestinal disorder help, steroid replacement and allergy relief. Read more.

Wall, Tim. “4 Novel Functional Pet Food Ingredients, like Turmeric.” Petfood Industry, 21 Aug. 2020. https://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/9510-novel-functional-pet-food-ingredients-like-turmeric. Accessed 24 Aug. 2020.