The UK Pet Food Market Is Growing, But What's Driving Its Value?

Britain is a nation of pet lovers, with almost 18 million households, or 62%, now owning at least one pet, according to UK Pet Food's 2026 research. Feeding them is big business. The UK pet food market is worth £3.9 billion, and while sales value grew by 4%, the volume of food sold actually fell by 1%.

So where is that extra value coming from? Higher prices are one possible explanation, but changing expectations around pet nutrition may also be playing a part. Owners are looking beyond taste and ingredients towards foods that might help with weight management, digestion, or mobility.

The question is whether these health benefits are changing what owners buy, how much they spend, or simply which brands they choose.

Health concerns are reshaping the category

When a dog starts struggling on walks, its owner may be more interested in food that could support mobility than one promising premium ingredients. A specific health concern can change what owners look for and how they judge whether a product is worth paying more for.

But a growing appetite for health-focused products doesn't necessarily mean more money entering the market. An owner who adds a supplement or dental chew to their shopping basket may increase their overall spending. Someone switching from one complete food to another is simply moving that spending between brands. The first creates additional spending in the category. The second shifts sales between competitors. Both can drive growth for an individual brand, but only the first adds to total category spending.

The purchasing journey can start before diagnosis

Pet owners don't always wait for a diagnosis before making changes. They might notice their cat putting on weight, losing interest in food or becoming less active and start looking for answers themselves. That search could lead them to a new brand, a supplement or a different feeding routine long before they've spoken to a vet.

Cats Protection's 2026 CATS Report found that 30% of UK cat owners considered their cat overweight, while 39% said they do extensive research into how best to care for their pet. Yet 56% acknowledged they don't visit the vet as often as they'd like. This raises an important question for pet food brands. What happens between an owner noticing a potential health issue and seeking veterinary advice? Clinical records can't tell us where owners looked for answers, which products they considered, or whether they'd already changed their cat's diet.

Understanding the decisions made before a veterinary appointment could be just as important to a brand as what happens afterward. Consumer journey research could, for example, follow owners who recently changed their pet's food, using in-depth interviews to retrace when they first noticed a problem, where they turned for advice, which brands they considered, and what ultimately influenced their purchase. Comparing those journeys could reveal whether veterinary advice confirmed an existing preference or changed their minds, helping brands understand when and where they have the greatest opportunity to influence a decision.

Wellness language has moved into pet food

Walk down a pet food aisle, and you'll see plenty of familiar wellness claims. Gut health, immunity, cognitive support, and healthy ageing are no longer confined to products for people. The language may be familiar, but that doesn't mean owners understand what these ingredients actually do or whether their pets need them.

Take probiotics. A 2025 systematic review found growing interest in their use in pet food, alongside considerable variation in strains, formulations, and supporting research. Two products can both advertise probiotics while containing very different ingredients and having different levels of evidence behind their claims. That makes it difficult for owners to judge whether one is better suited to their pet, or worth paying more for.

But does a probiotic claim actually influence what someone buys? Choice-based research could test this by presenting pet owners with different food options, varying the ingredients, health claims, and prices to see which combinations they prefer. For example, would they choose a food with added probiotics over a similar product without them, particularly if it cost 15% more? The results could help brands understand whether probiotics genuinely influence purchasing decisions, how much consumers value the claim, and which other product benefits matter more.

Probiotics aren't the only area where a product's promise may be more compelling than what it actually delivers. Personalised nutrition raises similar questions. A detailed questionnaire can make owners feel they're getting something designed specifically for their pet, but what happens if the recommendation is virtually identical to one given to thousands of other owners? Tailoring portions, calorie content, or food formats can be useful. When the food itself barely differs, owners may be paying for the experience of personalisation rather than a meaningful nutritional difference.

Age-based nutrition presents another limitation. A seven-year-old dog isn't necessarily showing signs of ageing, while a younger animal might already struggle with weight or mobility. Understanding when owners notice these changes and begin looking for solutions could reveal opportunities that broad life-stage categories overlook.

Veterinary advice has to work at home

A veterinarian's recommendation carries weight, but it doesn't guarantee a sale. The recommended food might be too expensive, difficult to find, or unavailable at the places where the owner usually shops. Even if they buy it, there's no guarantee their pet will eat it or that the feeding routine will fit into everyday life. Understanding where recommendations break down, from the consultation to the kitchen, can help brands identify problems that clinical assessments alone won't reveal.

Veterinary professionals see considerable potential in nutrition as part of preventive care. In our 2026 survey of 158 veterinary professionals across the UK and US, 91% believed functional nutrition could delay or reduce the need for future medical intervention in some cases. That is a strong indication of professional confidence in functional nutrition, although the benefits of individual products still need to be demonstrated.

FEDIAF's 2025 guidelines set out nutritional recommendations for pet food, while the World Small Animal Veterinary Association emphasises assessing each animal's individual needs. EU rules also require feed marketing claims to be supported by evidence. But meeting nutritional standards and supporting product claims are only part of the equation. Owners still need to understand what the food offers their pet and whether it's worth paying for.

That understanding can easily be lost when the messages change between the veterinary clinic and the store. If a vet explains one benefit but the packaging or the retailer's website emphasises something else, owners may begin to question what they're buying. Research with veterinarians and pet owners can test whether product claims are understood consistently across both audiences and identify where the messaging needs work.

Premiumisation will be decided by repeat behaviour

People love their pets and are often willing to spend more to keep them healthy. But that doesn't mean every product promising better health can command a premium. An owner might happily pay more for a food recommended to manage a diagnosed condition, yet be far less convinced by a preventive product promising benefits they may never notice. A health claim alone won't justify a higher price. What matters is whether the benefit addresses something owners care enough about to change their spending habits.

Pet owners across Europe don't all place the same value on health-focused food. What someone is willing to pay extra for in the UK may be less appealing in France or Germany, where household budgets, shopping habits and access to veterinary care differ. Research into these local differences can help brands understand which benefits are worth paying more for in each market, rather than assuming one pricing strategy will work everywhere.

There's also a difference between what owners say they're willing to pay and what they actually choose when faced with the cost. Would they spend an extra £10 a month on food promising better digestive health, or would they prefer their usual food and an occasional supplement? Choice-based research puts those competing options in front of consumers, testing how price and health benefits influence their preferences rather than relying on hypothetical willingness-to-pay questions alone.

Then comes the harder test: getting owners to buy the product again. A promising launch might generate plenty of initial interest, but sustained sales depend on whether the food delivers enough value to justify its place in the household budget. Longitudinal research and in-home usage studies can track what happens after that first purchase, showing which benefits owners continue to value, why they switch products, and what keeps them coming back.

What research can reveal about the changing pet food market

Kadence’s market research in animal health helps companies understand those decisions. Explore the findings in our latest report, From Treats to Treatment Systems, and download Kadence’s Veterinary Voices 2026 report for a closer look at how animal health decisions extend beyond the clinic.

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References

1. UK Pet Food. (2026). UK Pet Population 2026. UK Pet Food.
2. UK Pet Food. (2026). UK Pet Food Market Data Report 2026. UK Market Data.
3. Cats Protection. (2026). CATS Report 2026. Cats Protection.
4. Klinmalai, P., et al. (2025). "Probiotics in Pet Food: A Decade of Research, Patents, and Market Trends." Foods, 14(19), 3307. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14193307.
5. FEDIAF. (2025). Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs. 2025 guidelines.
6. World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). Global Nutrition Guidelines and Toolkit. WSAVA.
7. European Parliament and Council. (2009). Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed, particularly Article 13 on claims.
   EUR-Lex.
8. Kadence International. (2026). Veterinary Voices 2026. Online survey conducted March 11–23, 2026; 158 veterinary professionals (UK: 124; US: 34). Survey field dates, sample composition and the 91% finding require confirmation against the approved report.