Innovation in a value economy

How pet food leaders win when pet parents ‘trade down'

March 10, 2026
In the current economy, pet owners are looking for more value — but that doesn’t mean industry innovation should slow down.
In the current economy, pet owners are looking for more value — but that doesn’t mean industry innovation should slow down.
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Pet food innovation feels harder right now, and not just because budgets are tight. Launch pipelines are slowing, retailers are raising the bar and pet parents are making more deliberate choices about what they buy. Value has moved from a background consideration to the primary lens through which innovation decisions are judged.

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