The Petfood 2.0 Innovation Awards is a year-round program designed to celebrate companies demonstrating innovative, disruptive thinking across the formulation, distribution and packaging sectors of the pet food market.

At the inaugural Petfood 2.0 event, held Sept. 23 and. 24, 2014, in Chicago, the first five Innovation Award winners were honored during a special reception.

Formulation winners are selected based on elements such as ingredient mix, the R&D process, ingredient research or manufacturing technologies. The first two companies honored were JustFoodForDogs and Petcurean Pet Nutrition.

JustFoodForDogs, a California-based company, offers five daily diets (as well as supplements and treats) available for pickup at one of its two (and soon to be three) kitchens or delivery. Each diet—beef & russet potato, lamb & brown rice, fish & sweet potato, chicken & rice, and turkey & whole wheat macaroni—has undergone feeding trials through California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Petcurean Pet Nutrition, a Canadian-based, family-owned company, differentiates itself from other pet food companies by what it calls, “The Petcurean Difference." The company features three lines: GO!™, Now Fresh™ and Summit™ Original. It works with a network of farmers, ranchers and producers to obtain quality, flavorful, nutrient-packed and market-fresh meats, veggies, fruits and berries. By-products and growth hormones are never used, nor are artificial preservatives added.

Companies recognized for packaging are doing new and exciting things in areas such as food safety, shelf life and stability, brand differentiation and sustainability.

The Honest Kitchen, a California-based human-grade pet food company, redesigned its packaging in March with ingredient spotlights and a new culinary look and feel. It emphasizes the meat or fish source in each recipe, more clearly defines the life stage each product is designed for, and differentiates the grain-free from whole-grain diets to help shoppers select the right recipe for their pet. The recyclable packaging is made from post-consumer materials.

And finally, the category of distribution highlighted anything from sourcing considerations to unique strategies for getting products into consumers’ hands.

The first two distribution honorees were Chomp & Nibble and Mercola.

Chomp & Nibble is a California-based homemade dog food delivery service. Pet parents can sign up for fresh weekly or fresh-frozen monthly deliveries in the towns of Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos and Sunnydale. The meals are packaged in individual serving sizes in insulated bags to retain freshness. The freezable packing paper retains moisture, and pets can even eat Chomp & Nibble right out of the package.

Mercola distributes pet supplements—from probiotics and krill oil to digestive enzymes and eye support—through its online platform. The site also offers pet treats and dog bones; pet personal care products and a pet cookbook; and articles and videos so users can educate themselves. The site’s content and products are based on the expertise, knowledge and opinions of Joseph Mercola, D.O., Mercola.com’s founder.

For more information, visit www.animal.supplysideinsights.com.