For many of today's consumers, food is considered an essential component of overall health & wellness. Grocery shoppers are not only looking for clean-label, "free-from" foods, they're also seeking products with added health benefits such as disease prevention and weight loss. 

The U.S. pet industry reached $86 billion in 2017 and continues to have a strong growth trajectory, according to a comprehensive new report by Packaged Facts titled U.S. Pet Market Outlook, 2018-2019.

While sales of pet products and services rose nearly 5% last year, threats of disruption keep industry players scrambling to adjust to a rapidly shifting market landscape.

More consumers are trying out plant-based dairy alternatives. This trend is connected to concerns about health and wellness, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare.

Some consumers seek dairy alternatives because of food intolerances, allergies, or vegan diets. Others choose dairy alternatives as part of the “clean eating” regimes often touted by social media stars and food bloggers.

In case you haven’t already heard, Packaged Facts released a downloadable PDF that describes the top 9 pet companies in the U.S. in 2018 — including retailers, pet product companies, pet food manufacturers, and petcare companies — that have the highest estimated revenues.

Grocery retail has never been more cutthroat. With razor thin profit margins and new pricing pressure from Amazon, Lidl, and ALDI, U.S. food retailers must adapt quickly in order to remain competitive and appeal to shifting consumer preferences. 

Based on the latest studies by the market research firm Packaged Facts, here are four disruptive food industry trends to keep on an eye on in the coming months and years. 

Many health-conscious consumers have started adding grass-fed meat into their repertoire, and grass-fed dairy products are also rapidly growing in popularity as well. This includes grass-fed milk, yogurt, ice cream, and butter.

Since more and more people treat their pets as family, it’s no surprise that pet Halloween costumes have become a popular tradition.

Check out a new infographic by the research firm Packaged Facts to learn about recent pet Halloween costume trends, and find out which dog costumes are favorites.

MarketResearch.com has five in-house publishing divisions that produce quality market intelligence for top industry decision makers. 

These publishers not only provide market research reports, they have also released a number of free white papers, presentations, and e-books on a variety of dynamic markets. These resources are designed to give you a quick view of an industry, leading companies, or trends. 

Consumers are not only looking for free-from products that eliminate pesticides, chemicals, and toxins from their diets, they are also seeking nutrient-dense foods that offer additional health benefits. In response to growing demand, many different companies are incorporating funtional foods into their product lines.

Increasingly people want the freshest and most natural products made from the fewest ingredients without artificial additives — and the dairy aisle is no exception.

Consumers are closely examining nutrition labels and factoring them into their purchase decision, often favoring clean-label foods and beverages made with natural and organic ingredients.