The ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has launched a new ice cream collection – designed for dogs.
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The ice creams come in two flavors – Pontch’s Mix which includes peanut butter and pretzel and Rosie’s Batch consisting of pumpkin and mini cookies – and are described as “delicious and frozen snacks made especially for dogs based on sunflower seed butter”. That is, the ice cream is not really made from the usual ingredients of ice cream, but rather it contains a very limited amount of milk and cream and includes pumpkin puree, which is good for the dogs to digest.
“We know our fans love their dogs and love to treat them like family. That’s why we created this product so dogs can enjoy something that is even better than petting them,” said Lindsay Bumps, the company’s global marketing director and certified veterinary technician. “Dog desserts are the sweetest snacks they will ever put their feet on.” According to reports, the inspiration for the new products came from two dogs who worked at the company’s headquarters.
Ben & Jerry’s is joining another line of companies that have also turned to the field of dog food, amid the rise in the number of Americans adopting pets. According to the Association of Animal Products, the number of U.S. households raising pets has increased by 6.5% to 84.9 million in 2020-2015.
General Mills, which makes breakfast cereals and then-pelvic ice cream brand, acquired Blue Buffalo live food brand in 2018, while candy maker JM Smucker acquired Big Hart Pat Brands in 2015. Similarly, Nestle has acquired the British food brand Lily’s Kitchen. At the same time, spending on dog snacks has soared in the last 5 years by 44% to $ 5.5 billion.