Pet food is unrivalled as the pet health and wellness product considered most important by consumers. As shown by Packaged Facts January 2026 survey data, pet food is ranked among the most important pet health and wellness products by 74% of pet owners, with flea/tick medications a somewhat distant second at 51% and pet treats following closely at 47%. Moreover, the priority on pet food as a pet health product rises up the generational ladder, tying in part to a greater likelihood of having senior pets.
In this context, pet food dollar sales growth for many years has mainly been a function of marketers upselling pet owners on higher priced fare, with “natural” formulations positioned as more healthful at the forefront of this premiumization strategy. This more natural, more healthful positioning hasn’t become outdated, but it has become insufficient.
‘Highly processed’ pet food under additional consumer scrutiny
Notably, more and more pet owners look for pet foods that are less processed as well as having natural or otherwise high-quality ingredients. Packaged Facts data show that 69% of pet owners somewhat or strongly agree that they “worry about the healthfulness of highly processed pet foods” (see Table 1). At the other end of the spectrum, less than 9% of pet owners somewhat or strongly disagree.
Consequently, 31% of pet owners report they are buying less processed pet foods, with this percentage holding fairly steady across generational cohorts.
“Human-grade,” in turn, has become a marketing signal of less processed pet foods, with fresh pet food marketers particularly leaning into this positioning. Consistent with the appeal of human-grade positioned foods is that many pet owners are already feeding their pets human foods, and this practice is more pronounced among younger pet owners. Among the Boomer generation, only 18% of dog or cat owners report regularly giving their dogs “fresh, natural foods” (other than packaged/processed human or pet foods). Among Gen Zers, this percentage rises to 38% of dog or cat owners.
Science-based pet foods attractive to pet owners
At the same time, pet owner demand for science-based formulations continues to rival demand for natural pet foods. Packaged Facts survey data show that 35% of dog/cat food purchasers strongly agree that they like the idea of pet food backed by scientific research, with 29% somewhat agreeing. In the same way that Hill’s over a decade ago began reformulating Science Diet in response to consumer demand for natural ingredients (Petfood Industry, September 12, 2012), marketers whose historical raison d'être has been natural pet food lines have expanded focus to include science-based claims. Wellness Pet, for example, introduced Wellness CORE Digestive Health in 2021 and the Wellness CORE+ Large Breed line extension in 2023.
As part of the over-arching pet owner trend of seeking out higher-quality and more ambitious products to maintain pet health, wellness and longevity — whether such products are natural and/or science positioned — pet owners have long turned to “functional” pet foods. These products are matched to an individual pet’s size or breed, life stage or lifestyle, and/or target specific health conditions or concerns.
This trend is nothing new but holds growing appeal as preventive pet health care in challenging macroeconomic times, particularly as younger-generation pet owners take a more do-it-yourself, and somewhat less vet-centric, approach to pet health care spending. And while puppy/kitten and senior pet food formulations have been around for decades, many more recent introductions more markedly target the specific nutritional needs of either younger or older pets.
Older and (relatedly) overweight pets receive special focus because they are at heightened risk for myriad health issues, including joint, urinary tract, cognitive and immune system, as well as diabetes and cancer. And with puppy (especially) and kitten adoption currently at very moderate rates, senior-specific products hold extra market potential because the human/animal bond tends to deepen as pets age, and by extension the demand for special pet health care products and services.
More broadly, functional pet foods and treats tie into the pet market's overarching trend of customization. Packaged Facts survey data show 12% of dog owners and 13% of cat owners report buying customized pet food formulations for their pets, with the percentage rising significantly among younger-generation pet owners. The future for pet food innovation, therefore, continues to lie in increasingly specific, substantive and credible product positionings and claims.
