Nulo's Dr. Greg Aldrich on Minimally Processed Manufacturing and the Journey to the "Perfect Pet Food"

At Global Pet Expo , one of the main themes that I observed was the explosion of pet food brands focusing on minimal processing, and making the connection between minimally processed diets and greater nutrient retention, density and availability. The show featured numerous new product launches that made use of alternative manufacturing techniques, and focused on presenting consumers with an alternative to raw diets, while still limiting the use of heat in the production process (e.g., freeze-dried, air-dried, steam-dried, cold-pressed, and slow-cooked). Along with a steam-dried launch from ZIWI, and "Kibble in the Raw" from Primal Pet Foods, Nulo Pet Food 's launch of its "Cold-Pressed" offering was one of the highlights of the show.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to have Dr. Greg Aldrich , Chief Operating Officer at Nulo Pet Food, join me on Petworking to discuss Nulo's latest innovations in minimally processed pet foods and the brand's philosophy on optimal pet nutrition.

Dr. Aldrich, who previously worked as an associate professor at Kansas State University studying pet nutrition, joined Nulo about 15 months ago after consulting with the company for over a decade. He has been working closely with Nulo founder Michael Landa on developing foods that align with an active lifestyle for both pets and their owners.

A key focus for Nulo is minimizing the processing and heat applied to their foods in order to maximize nutrient retention and availability. Dr. Aldrich explained that traditional manufacturing processes like extrusion for kibble and retort canning subject all ingredients to very high heat, which can damage nutrients and create undesirable chemical interactions.

Nulo is exploring techniques like cold pressing, gently cooking, air drying, and freeze drying as alternatives that apply lower temperatures for shorter periods.

"We're starting to move more into the notion that the cooking time and temperature has an influence on both the nutritional bioavailability, as well as destruction of some, or reduction in some nutrients. We even get some cross-linking of some components that might be anti-nutritional. [...] We're trying to find the perfect time and temperature for each component."

Nulo's approach toes a middle ground between raw diets, which have food safety and shelf-life challenges, and highly-processed kibble and cans. Dr. Aldrich explained that the company strives to use pasteurization to control pathogens while minimizing nutrient loss.

In line with the idea that dogs and cats are carnivores, Nulo has adopted a nutritional philosophy focused on high animal protein and low carbohydrates from low-glycemic sources like miscanthus grass, which we discussed in depth on a previous episode featuring M-Fiber COO, Dustin Dover . Aldrich cited research linking high protein to better lean body mass, and concerns that highly-digestible starches may contribute to obesity and diabetes in pets.

"We're also learning that higher levels of readily available, highly digestible starches may actually contribute to signals for obesity and dogs and cats becoming overweight, and it may even influence insulin requirements and diabetes."

Aldrich is aiming for continued progress toward the "perfect pet food" through optimal ingredient selection and processing tailored to each nutrient type. However, he emphasized the need for more research funding specifically for pet nutrition to advance knowledge in this area.

Dr. Aldrich made the excellent point that billions of taxpayer dollars go towards funding human nutrition research through the National Institutes of Health, and livestock nutrition research through the USDA. However, research on companion animal (pet) nutrition receives zero taxpayer/public funding. It is funded exclusively by the pet food industry itself. As a result, the field of pet nutrition research lags about 50 years behind human nutrition research.

From a consumer perspective, one of the things that Nulo may be best known for is its partnership with Simone Biles. Biles serves as an ambassador for Nulo through its "Fuel Incredible" campaign. Dr. Aldrich explained that to emphasize the nutrition and performance connection, Nulo has partnered with elite athletes like Biles and plans to feature more Olympians heading into the Paris 2024 games. He noted that these elite athletes focus intensely on nutrition for optimal performance before big events and competitions, and often cite nutrition as the key variable that limits or enables their performance. By partnering with athletes like Biles, Nulo can promote its nutritional philosophy to aspirational athletes who also want to feed their pets optimally. The idea is that consumers will be more receptive to nutritional advice from the athletes they admire.

To that end, I asked Dr. Aldrich if he expected that we would see even more tailored nutrition and rotational nutrition, depending on a dog's activity levels, and whether its owner was engaging it in activities like running or skijoring. Dr. Aldrich did not give a definitive answer, but suggested it could be an area we see develop further in the future. He acknowledged that breed, activity level, size, weather/climate could all potentially factor into optimal nutritional needs for dogs going forward. However, because of the current funding limitations in pet food research, he framed it as something that may emerge over the "next few decades" as research advances, rather than something imminent.

"Long-term, I think there's going to be more segmentation in the market that we'll take into account, not so much breed as much as specific nutritional requirements for various levels of activity and sizes, and even weather or climate impacts."

At the present time, Nulo's latest innovations include its new cold-pressed offering, gently-cooked shelf-stable pouches, a rebranding of its freeze-dried diet, and new canned cat foods. However, the company plans to continue its innovation efforts, with new treat launches at SuperZoo 2024. Dr. Aldrich said Nulo will have more of a focus on treats at SuperZoo, applying their high protein, low carb nutritional philosophy to the treat category. He mentioned they are working on "some clever new ideas" for treats that can either be given as indulgences or incorporated into their "Mix-It Meal" concept. Additionally, Nulo will unveil updated packaging for its FreeStyle line of foods, with the goal of providing more easily manageable packaging for consumers.

Listen to the episode to get all the details, and be on the lookout for the launch of Nulo's Cold Pressed, which is expected to be on shelf in late May or early June.

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