Dietary needs
OVERVIEW
What is this field?
The Dietary Needs field captures specific nutritional requirements, dietary restrictions, or formulation characteristics of a pet food or treat product. It answers the question pet owners are actually asking when they filter food: "Is this grain-free? Is it high-protein? Does it contain fish?"
Pet food customers are among the most ingredient-aware shoppers in e-commerce. They have dogs with allergies, cats on prescription diets, and rabbits with sensitive digestive systems. Dietary needs data turns your food catalog from a grid of bags into a personalized recommendation engine.
BUSINESS VALUE
Why this field matters
Food allergies in pets are common — grain, chicken, and beef allergies drive specific filter behavior
Vet-recommended diets (renal, hepatic, hypoallergenic) are high-intent, high-margin searches
Raw and freeze-dried food segments are growing rapidly and need explicit dietary classification
Protein source ("salmon-based", "duck-based") are real search queries that need structured data to match
Subscription customers need dietary consistency — this field enables intelligent subscription logic
ACF SETUP
How to configure this field in Accentuate Custom Fields
Where
ACF dashboard → Templates tab → Product scope → Add new field
Label
Dietary Needs
Name / Key
dietary_needs
Namespace
accentuate (default)
Field type
Shopify >> Single-line text (List)
Multi-value
Yes — a product can be grain-free AND high-protein AND limited ingredient simultaneously
Dietary attributes stack, so multi-value is essential. Shopify >> List type gives you built-in multi-select and storefront API compatibility.
STEP-BY-STEP IN ACF
In ACF, open Templates tab and select the Product scope
Click "Add new field"
Label: "Dietary Needs" — Key auto-fills as "dietary_needs"
Namespace: leave as "accentuate"
Field type: Shopify >> Single-line text (List)
Enable "Allow multiple selections" — dietary attributes stack
Click Done, then Save
Open a food product and test filtering by multiple dietary values simultaneously
Shopify admin (optional pinning): Pin in Shopify admin: Settings → Custom data → Products. Namespace: "accentuate", Key: "dietary_needs", Type: Single-line text (List). ACF confirms the match with a green checkmark on the field definition.
Repeatability: Shopify >> List handles multi-value natively. Do not also enable "Repeatable section" — that is for groups of fields, not multiple values of a single field.
REFERENCE VALUES
Example values — adapt to your catalog
Value
When to use
Grain-free
No wheat, corn, rice, or other grains; for allergy-prone pets
Gluten-free
No gluten-containing ingredients; different from grain-free
High protein
Protein above 30% dry matter; active dogs and muscle support
Limited ingredient
Single protein source, minimal ingredients; elimination diets
Raw / Freeze-dried
Minimally processed; biologically appropriate raw food diets
Hypoallergenic
Novel protein sources to minimize allergic response
Omega-3 enriched
Added EPA/DHA; coat, joint, and cognitive benefits
No artificial preservatives
Free from BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin; clean label products
Probiotic / Prebiotic
Added gut health support; digestive microbiome
Vet-recommended formula
Formulated to meet veterinary nutritional guidelines
BEST PRACTICES
Always cross-reference dietary claims against the actual ingredient list — accuracy is a legal matter
Use "Grain-free" and "Gluten-free" as separate values — they are not synonyms
Keep dietary values consistent with how customers search, not how manufacturers market
Add a note in product description for vet diets requiring professional recommendation
Update dietary values whenever a supplier changes the formulation
COMMON MISTAKES — AVOID THESE
Using marketing phrases as dietary values: "Premium quality" is not a dietary attribute
Claiming hypoallergenic without specifying which allergen is avoided
Omitting this field for treats — a dog with a chicken allergy cannot eat a chicken dental chew
Not updating dietary values after a formula change — this is a safety and legal issue
Confusing this field with Ingredients — dietary_needs is the classification, not the raw list
IN CONTEXT — EXAMPLE PRODUCT
Wild Salmon & Sweet Potato — Grain-Free Adult Dog Food
Pet type: Dog
Age group: Adult
Dietary needs: Grain-free, High protein, Omega-3 enriched, No artificial preservatives
Breed size: S / Small, M / Medium, L / Large
Health support: Skin & coat, Joint support
Developer Implementation
Liquid note: Use .value to unwrap the Shopify >> List type. Render as pills — each dietary attribute is a separate array element.
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