While pet food sales in the U.S. grew only slightly during the past few years, frozen or refrigerated fresh pet foods have boosted overall dog food sales growth by more than 1%. While convincing retailers to install or delegate freezer space to pet foods may have been a challenge a decade ago, cold supply chain infrastructure is emerging as a strategic differentiator, reported Cascadia Capital analysts in “Pet Industry Overview: Winter 2025/2026.”
Unlike shelf stable dry pet food, fresh and frozen brands require continuous temperature control from production through sale and home storage. This includes refrigerated manufacturing environments, cold storage warehouses, specialized transportation fleets and in-store freezer capacity. As consumer demand for fresh pet food grows, the ability to manage these requirements efficiently may become a gating factor for national expansion. However, failures anywhere in the chain raise spoilage risk and can expose brands and retailers to costly recalls and reputational damage.
Cold chain as a competitive advantage
E-commerce leaders have accelerated cold chain investment to capture fresh pet food growth. Chewy expanded refrigerated and frozen fulfillment capabilities across its national network, supporting both third-party brands and its private label fresh dog food line, Get Real, launched in September 2025. Amazon has similarly strengthened cold chain logistics through Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market, enabling temperature-sensitive pet food to scale online.
Distributors are also playing a critical role, Cascadia reported. In October 2025, Pet Food Experts announced a partnership with Freshpet to distribute refrigerated products across all of its regions. Within retail locations, freezer space has become both an investment priority and a competitive signal. Independent pet specialty chains such as Hollywood Feed and Mud Bay continue to expand in-store freezer capacity to support additional fresh and frozen brands. Larger chains are following suit as PetSmart expanded its partnership with JustFoodForDogs across more than 900 stores in April 2025, while Petco partnered with Uber Eats to accelerate delivery of fresh and frozen pet products.
These investments carry cost implications, along with increasing pet food’s energy use and carbon footprint. Refrigerated storage, energy use, transportation and labor all increase operating expenses. However, Cascadia suggests that retailers and distributors without cold chain capabilities risk losing relevance as fresh pet food moves from niche to mainstream.
“Investing in cold chain infrastructure is not only critical for regulatory compliance and minimizing spoilage, but it also directly impacts brand reputation and consumer trust, as pet owners are increasingly discerning about product quality,” Cascadia’s analysts wrote.
