According to the report "Pet Food in the US, 9th Edition," released by Packaged Facts, US retail sales of petfood reached US$18.4 billion in 2010, up 2.8% over 2009 sales, but the growth was the slowest the market has seen since 1999.
Mass-market outlets led in petfood sales: dog food, the largest petfood category, grew 1.5% in 2010 to reach $3.7 billion, according to the report. However, pound volume was down 1% at 3.7 billion pounds. Biscuits and treats grew nearly 8% over 2009, and the smallest segment, frozen/refrigerated dog food, jumped 10%. Mass-market sales of cat food declined 0.2% in 2010 to US$2.4 billion, but cat treats performed well, and the frozen/refrigerated segment rose from virtually nothing in 2009 to US$600,000 in 2010, according to the report.
Looking ahead to the next five years, the Packaged Facts report indicated that petfood sales returning to their pre-recession annual growth rate of 5% to 6% is unlikely, but a gradual improvement is possible. For 2011 to 2015, the report gave an annual growth rate of 3.5%, with US retail pet food sales reaching US$21.8 billion in 2015.
Feature
By Lindsay Beaton
Packaging continues to be a primary way for pet food companies to speak to their customers.
Feature
By Lindsay Beaton
Pet treat trends are largely following pet food trends as pet parents look to bond with their animals.