Health and prevention

Dog food remains one of the most resilient corners of the pet trade. The American Pet Products Association (APPA) reports that total US pet industry expenditure reached $158 bn in 2025, up 3.7% year on year, with food and treats alone accounting for $68.3 bn, or roughly 43% of the total. Dog ownership rose from 51 to 53% of US households over the year – around four million additional dog-owning homes – even as spending turned more value-oriented.

Europe shows the same pattern. Fediaf, the European pet food industry federation, puts the market at €29.4 bn for 2024 in its 2026 Facts & Figures report, a 9-per-cent rise since 2021. Dogs live in around 91 million European households, and dog food makes up 58% of the volume produced on the continent and 47% of its value – the single largest segment. Worldwide estimates vary widely by research house, from roughly $62 bn to almost $100 bn for 2025, but most agree on growth of five to seven per cent a year, driven by humanisation and premiumisation.

Against this backdrop we asked manufacturers three short questions on loyalty, price positioning and the trends shaping the next two years. The respondents – Hill’s Pet Nutrition and AlphaPet Ventures – could hardly differ more in profile: a global, science-led brand owned by Colgate-Palmolive on one side, a German multi-brand specialist built largely through acquisition on the other. Yet on the most important product trend they answered identically. Both chose ‘animal health and prevention’ – and both explicitly ruled out functional nutrition and clean label, sustainability in accessories and packaging, and digitalisation. For two such different companies to converge so precisely is the most telling result of the exercise.

On loyalty, both named product quality and formulation, ingredient transparency and clean-label communication, and the recommendation of a vet or specialist retailer. AlphaPet Ventures went further, citing digital channels such as apps and loyalty schemes alongside an analogue loyalty-card scheme run via specialist retailers and an online subscription model…