WANPY® Chicken Jerky Wins 2026 Pet Innovation Award as Premiumization Redefines the Future of Dog Treats

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WANPY^® Chicken Jerky was named “Jerky-Style Dog Treat of the Year” in the 2026 Pet Innovation Awards, underscoring a major shift in the dog treat category as premiumization moves beyond marketing claims and toward measurable standards in ingredient composition, nutrition, and processing.

 

The recognition arrives amid continued growth in the global pet care industry, where owners are increasingly viewing pets as members of the family and making more informed choices about their health, nutrition and daily well-being. According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), U.S. pet industry expenditures reached $158 billion in 2025. APPA projects that spending will reach $165 billion in 2026, reflecting continued growth across the pet care market.

Among these segments, food and treats have become key areas where consumers are seeking greater transparency. As more products compete using claims such as “premium,” “natural,” “high protein” and “real meat,” pet owners are increasingly looking for evidence behind those messages — including meat content and ingredient composition, nutritional benefits and production methods.

The dog-treat category offers a particularly clear example. Treats are purchased as rewards and for the enjoyment they provide, but they also form part of a pet's overall diet. In meat-based products such as jerky, the relationship between ingredient content, protein, texture, aroma and processing is therefore becoming increasingly relevant to how products are differentiated.

It is within that changing category landscape that WANPY^® Chicken Jerky has received one of the industry's notable product recognitions for 2026, being named the winner of the Pet Innovation Awards' “Jerky-Style Dog Treat of the Year.”

The recognition is notable not simply because it places a product in an award program, but because the characteristics highlighted in the judging rationale closely reflect the direction in which premium treats are evolving: toward more clearly defined product attributes rather than reliance on a single marketing proposition.

WANPY^®'s Chicken Jerky is built around the WANPY^® 345 Formula, a proprietary quality system developed for premium jerky. Its formulation establishes three measurable product benchmarks: 90%+ real meat, 40%+ protein and a 93%+ digestibility rate. It also sets four formulation standards — Zero Artificial Preservatives, Zero Artificial Colors, Zero Grains & Gluten, and Zero Added Sugar & Attractants.

The distinction matters because a high-level claim such as “high protein” tells consumers only part of the story. Meat content, formulation and digestibility describe different aspects of a product, while processing can influence the physical characteristics consumers experience when feeding it.

WANPY^® addresses the latter through a series of stated processes including Precision Fat Trimming, Gentle Tumbling, a 5D Freshness Lock and 24-Hour Low-Temperature Baking. The company positions these processes around preserving real-meat texture, natural aroma and a consistent, enjoyable chewing texture.

Those attributes were also reflected in the judges’ assessment accompanying the award announcement. Travis Grant, Managing Director of Independent Innovation Awards, pointed to WANPY^®'s high meat inclusion, nutritional density, digestibility, clean formulation standards and processing technologies as factors distinguishing the product within the jerky category.

The context is important. The 2026 Pet Innovation Awards attracted thousands of nominations worldwide across categories spanning food and treats, health, personalized and functional nutrition, sustainable products, retail and services, and other areas of pet care. Rather than treating the award simply as a seal of approval, the judging rationale provides a window into the attributes receiving attention within an increasingly competitive pet care market.

For manufacturers, that evolution raises the bar for premium positioning. A product may still need a clear ingredient proposition and a strong sensory proposition, but increasingly, those elements have to coexist with clearer nutritional and formulation standards.

Jerky is particularly well positioned to illustrate that change. Real meat content is immediately relevant to the product's identity; protein provides a measurable nutritional characteristic; formulation determines what has been included or excluded; and processing influences the final texture and chewing experience.

WANPY^®'s award brings those elements together in a single product example. Its significance, therefore, extends beyond the addition of another accolade to a product portfolio. It reflects a broader movement in pet treats toward more explicit, measurable and process-based definitions of quality.

As the pet industry continues to grow and owners become increasingly intentional about nutrition and wellness, that distinction may become more important. The next stage of premiumization is unlikely to be defined by a single ingredient or marketing phrase. Instead, products that can connect their claims with identifiable nutritional, formulation and manufacturing attributes may be better positioned to demonstrate why they belong at the premium end of the category.

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Sisi Chen
wanpypetfood@wanpy.com