They steal our hearts, become a part of our families and even go viral on their own social media pages (with the help of their human families, of course). Then, it shouldn’t be a surprise that more people want in on pet ownership in the post-Covid landscape — and pet food processors have stood up and taken notice.
According to data shared by the American Pet Products Assn. (APPA) in December 2023, pet ownership in the U.S. was on the rise pre-pandemic (2009-2019), with 4.7% growth in the number of pet owners during that decade. Between 2020-2022, however, American pet ownership grew by 9.77% — a significant increase the APPA attributes to a variety of factors, from people working from home more frequently to simply wanting additional companionship.
Those factors influence nearly every inch of the pet marketplace, creating extra opportunities for businesses who are prepared to serve human consumers ready to pamper their furry family members with premium products and services. Pet experiences, toys, grooming services and food and treats have all gotten boosts from the humanization of pets and the premiumization of their edibles.
Pet health in focus
Dog and cat food has gone well beyond the basic kibble and canned mash to fresh and raw foods, which continue to gain popularity, says Steve Hofford, chief operating officer at Darwin’s Natural Pet Products.
“We think it’s wonderful that more pet owners are becoming ‘raw curious’ and exploring all the health benefits of providing a natural diet to their furry companions,” he explains. “Darwin’s just celebrated our 20-year anniversary — and we’ve seen a sea change in that time.”
A short trip through the aisles of a pet store (or browsing online retailers) shows a large variety of proteins, grains and produce options for the most discerning pet palate — or those who simply believe they are feeding their pets better food. Some of these pet foods, in fact, are lightly processed and resemble something the humans in the household might put on their plates.
“There is an influx of brands making fresh pet food — which has some level of cooking or processing — as well as raw food, which is natural and very minimally processed in order to preserve vitamins, nutrients and ‘good bacteria’ that’s so important to pets’ gut health,” Hofford says. “The good news for pet health is that there are so many more alternatives to traditional kibble now, and dog and cat owners are increasingly discerning.”
Even treats continue to roll out in this market, featuring minimal ingredients and health-conscious claims as alternatives to the traditional rewards. For example, three-year-old company Farm to Pet, which already produces single-ingredient Chicken Chips and Turkey Chips, expanded its product line in July to offer Beef Chips. All three products from the Chicago-based company are positioned as healthier, simpler alternatives to treats with multiple ingredients.
Keeping up with demands
Pet food companies continue to invest significantly to keep up with the changing and growing demands. Raw pet food processor Instinct opened the first of its multi-phase expansion to its Lincoln, Neb., processing plant in June. The expansion allows the company to produce more raw pet food quickly while simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint by consolidating work to one location.
Meanwhile, Petsource, a contract manufacturer of freeze-dried pet foods, tripled production capacity at its Seward, Neb., plant through a 70,000-sq.-ft. expansion that opened in February.
But it’s not only full-scale plant expansions that processors are working on to keep up. Hofford says Darwin’s has continually worked hard to maintain its high standards of safety and quality throughout its 20-year history.
“Over two decades, quality and safety have remained top priorities at Darwin’s,” he says. “While we’ve innovated, we have not needed to revamp — and now, we’re seeing consumer trends catch up to the way we’ve always done business.”
Hofford says the company, which has always manufactured its meals in-house, was able to reduce its dry-ice use by 50% by using a biodegradable cornstarch packing paper that outperforms traditional solutions in terms of controlling the dissipation of the dry ice.
“We’re constantly innovating and looking for ways to improve,” he says. “We’re in the process of transitioning [fulfillment] to our own internal systems; it doesn’t make sense to take so much care to produce a safe and healthy product if it’s poorly packed and shows up at our customer’s door in less-than-optimal shape.”
Even the large, more traditional pet food companies are positioning themselves to take advantage of the pet food market conditions. Nestlé Purina PetCare Co., for one, announced in April it was planning a $195 million expansion of its Jefferson, Wis., plant, which was expected to increase wet pet food production by nearly 50%.
At the time of that announcement, the company said it remained on track to invest $2 billion in Purina factory and capital expansion projects between 2020 and the end of next year (2025). Included among those projects was the grand opening of its new dry pet food plant in Eden, N.C., a $450 million, three-year renovation of a former MillerCoors brewery facility.
As more people continue to start their own furry families, these aggressive growth and expansion moves seem to make sense. Mintel data released in June 2024 corroborates the popularity of pet ownership in the U.S., where 73% of respondents to a June 2023 survey said they had a pet at home.
The APPA believes the high growth trend in pet ownership over the past several years shows little sign of slowing, and pet food processors appear to be taking heed, investing now to take advantage of the additional furry friends to feed.
