Caution ahead: Pet food pricing pressures continue in 2024

Pet food producers are still facing higher costs, leading to higher retail prices, while pet owners want premium products but are spending more thoughtfully.

Debbie Phillips-Donaldson

February 7, 2024

Higher prices for pet food materials mean higher retail prices, creating a still uncertain situation for the pet food market in 2024.

Higher prices for pet food materials mean higher retail prices, creating a still uncertain situation for the pet food market in 2024.

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In interviewing pet food experts for her annual January article on top trends, Editor Lindsay Beaton discovered many also had a top concern for 2024: consumer spending. No surprise, given two years of high inflation in pet food (and many other consumer categories) following a period of economic uncertainty. Pet food is famously resilient, but as Beaton put it, “data show those with furry friends still want to spend on their animals … they just want to do it more thoughtfully.”

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