IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘EU – Dog And Cat Food – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

Cat and dog food consumption in the EU increased tangibly in 2020, which indicates that during the pandemic, pet owners did not curb their pet spending patterns. Over the last decade, the number of domestic animals has increased steadily in the EU. This trend is forecast to continue in the medium term, encouraging the further expansion of the prepared pet food market. 

Key Trends and Insights

According to Eurostat data, production of packaged cat and dog food in the EU in 2020 increased by 3.2%, buoyed by stable demand. During the pandemic, pet owners started to spend more time with their animals, continuing to splash out on their treats.

The first half of 2020 brought a sharp rise in the sale of pet food, as pet owners laid in supplies to last them through the pandemic. Afterward, sales of pet food calmed down but still enabled the annual market volume to grow by +6.8% against 2019.

Over the past decade, demand for cat and dog food has pursued a positive trend due to domestic animals becoming increasingly popular in the EU. The last report by the European Pet Food Industry (FEDIAF), estimates that approx. 42 million households in the EU own at least one cat or dog. From 2010 to 2019, the population of cats in Europe increased by 26%, and the number of dogs grew by 19%. This trend is expected to continue on the backdrop of a rising population and incomes, which should prompt the expansion of the pet food market to 9.7M tonnes by 2030 (IndexBox estimates).

Pet nutrition remains a subject under close scrutiny in the EU and stringent standards apply to pet food production. High quality prepared feed provides balanced diets for pets, maintain their health and save the owner’s time when preparing food for animals. These factors promote the market expansion by moving away from homemade pet food and switching to prepared feed.

Cat and Dog Food Consumption by Country

The EU dog and cat food market rose notably to $12.6B in 2020, surging by 8.7% against the previous year. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs, retail marketing costs, and retailers’ margins, which will be included in the final consumer price). The market value increased at an average annual rate of +3.3% from 2012 to 2020.

The countries with the highest volumes of dog and cat food consumption in 2020 were France (1.7M tonnes), Germany (1.3M tonnes) and Italy (953K tonnes), with a combined 46% share of total consumption. Spain, Poland, Belgium, Romania, Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Sweden, Ireland and the Czech Republic lagged somewhat behind, together accounting for a further 44%.

From 2012 to 2020, the most notable rate of growth in terms of dog and cat food consumption, amongst the leading consuming countries, was attained by Romania, while dog and cat food consumption for the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

In value terms, the largest dog and cat food markets in the European Union were France ($2.8B), Germany ($2.8B) and Italy ($1.1B), together comprising 52% of the total market. Poland, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania, Ireland and Hungary lagged somewhat behind, together accounting for a further 37%.

The countries with the highest levels of dog and cat food per capita consumption in 2020 were Ireland (44 kg per person), Portugal (35 kg per person) and Hungary (34 kg per person).

Cat and Dog Food Imports in the EU

For the ninth consecutive year, the European Union recorded growth in overseas purchases of dog and cat food, which increased by 5.6% to 4.7M tonnes in 2020. The total import volume increased at an average annual rate of +4.6% from 2012 to 2020. In value terms, dog and cat food imports expanded markedly to $8B in 2020.

In 2020, Germany (775K tonnes), followed by France (468K tonnes), Poland (395K tonnes), Italy (366K tonnes), Belgium (345K tonnes), Romania (283K tonnes) and Spain (238K tonnes) were the major importers of dog and cat food, together committing 61% of total imports. The Netherlands (210K tonnes), Portugal (198K tonnes), Austria (185K tonnes), the Czech Republic (174K tonnes), Hungary (142K tonnes) and Sweden (134K tonnes) took a little share of the total imports.

In value terms, Germany ($1.6B) constitutes the largest market for imported dog and cat food in the European Union, comprising 21% of total imports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by France ($822M), with a 10% share of total imports. It was followed by Poland, with a 9% share.

The average dog and cat food import price in the European Union stood at $1,690 per tonne in 2020. Prices varied noticeably by the country of destination; the country with the highest price was Germany ($2,124 per tonne), while Romania ($831 per tonne) was amongst the lowest.

Source: IndexBox AI Platform