General Mills is stabilizing its pet food business by capitalizing on strong cat food growth with brands like Tiki Cat while addressing challenges in its Blue Buffalo Wilderness line, which is expected to take 18 to 24 months to recover. The company is also seeing significant momentum in fresh dog food, with Love Made Fresh sales surging 80% in the fourth quarter after addressing supply chain and retail distribution issues.
- Cat food is the growth engine: Tiki Cat is growing at double-digit rates and General Mills acquired Whitebridge Pet Brands for $1.45 billion in December 2024 to expand cat food exposure.
- Fresh dog food breakthrough: Blue Buffalo Love Made Fresh sales increased 80% in Q4 and another 30% in Q1 fiscal 2027, now in approximately 6,000 refrigerated displays.
- Wilderness recovery timeline: General Mills expects 18 to 24 months for Blue Buffalo Wilderness to return to growth after implementing significant innovation and improved marketing.
- North America Pet segment grew 6%: Net sales reached $2.61 billion in fiscal 2026, with organic sales declining 3% but boosted by acquisitions and calendar benefits.
- Market shifts driving strategy: Slower pet adoption, migration toward smaller dogs, and increased demand for fresh food formats are reshaping General Mills' pet food portfolio.
General Mills executives pointed to cat food and fresh dog food as areas of momentum in the company’s North America Pet business while acknowledging that challenges with Blue Buffalo Wilderness could take up to two years to resolve.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Harmening and Chief Operating Officer Dana McNabb discussed the pet food business Sept. 8 during a fireside chat at the 2026 Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference. General Mills also reaffirmed its fiscal 2027 financial outlook in conjunction with the event, according to the company’s Barclays conference announcement.
McNabb characterized the underlying health of General Mills’ pet business as strong despite differences between retail demand and company shipment data. She said the company continues to believe in the pet category’s long-term growth potential while acknowledging mixed results in recent years.
Cat food represents one of the strongest parts of the portfolio.
According to the Investing.com transcript of the Barclays session, Tiki Cat was growing at a double-digit rate, while Blue Buffalo Tastefuls was growing at a mid-single-digit rate. General Mills plans to continue expanding Tiki Cat distribution.
General Mills acquired Whitebridge Pet Brands’ North American premium cat feeding and pet treating business in December 2024 for $1.45 billion. The transaction included Tiki Pets and Cloud Star. At the time, General Mills said the acquired business had generated approximately $325 million in U.S. measured retail sales during the previous 12 months, according to its announcement of the completed acquisition.
The acquisition increased General Mills’ exposure to cat food, an area that has continued to attract industry attention. Petfood Industry recently examined broader market trends in “Cats continued US pet food market growth in 2025”.
Wilderness recovery could take up to two years
Performance in dog food remains more uneven.
McNabb said General Mills continues to see strength in Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula but faces “acute challenges” with Wilderness. She said the company plans significant innovation, product renovation and improved marketing for the brand.
General Mills expects it could take approximately 18 months to two years for Wilderness to return to growth, according to the Barclays conference transcript.
McNabb also pointed to broader changes affecting dog food consumption, including slower pet adoption, a shift from larger to smaller dogs and migration toward fresh food. Smaller dogs consume fewer pounds of food, affecting volume in traditional dog food formats, she said during the conference.
General Mills’ fiscal 2026 results illustrate the differences among pet food segments. North America Pet net sales increased 6% to $2.61 billion for the fiscal year, including a 6 percentage point benefit from the Whitebridge acquisition and a 2 percentage point benefit from an additional week in the fiscal year. Organic net sales declined 3%, according to the company’s fiscal 2026 fourth-quarter and full-year results.
Fourth-quarter North America Pet net sales increased 4% to $702 million. Cat food sales increased at a double-digit rate, dog food increased at a low-single-digit rate and pet treat sales declined at a low-single-digit rate. Segment operating profit increased 14% to $160 million.
Love Made Fresh sales accelerate
General Mills also reported improved performance for Blue Buffalo Love Made Fresh, its refrigerated fresh dog food line.
McNabb said General Mills learned several lessons following the product’s launch. The company did not initially have a stand-up, resealable pouch ready because of supply chain challenges, she said. General Mills also found that retail representatives needed to visit stores more frequently to help ensure refrigerated displays remained stocked.
After addressing those issues, McNabb said Love Made Fresh sales increased 80% in General Mills’ fiscal fourth quarter and another 30% in the first quarter of fiscal 2027. She said the products were in approximately 6,000 refrigerated displays at the time of the Barclays conference, according to the Investing.com transcript.
General Mills first announced Love Made Fresh in June 2025 as part of an expansion of its North America Pet portfolio. The company said the products were intended to be fed either as complete fresh meals or alongside dry dog food in its original fresh pet food announcement.
Petfood Industry covered the launch in “General Mills launches fresh pet food line, brings Edgard & Cooper to US market”.
Blue Buffalo launched Love Made Fresh nationally in October 2025 in scoop-and-serve resealable tubs and slice-and-serve rolls. Petfood Industry reported on the rollout in “Blue Buffalo launches fresh pet food category in US”.
The line has since expanded to include Tender Meatball Recipes. In March, Blue Buffalo supported Love Made Fresh with its Dog Tax Credit consumer promotion. Petfood Industry covered that campaign in “Blue Buffalo launches 'Love Made Fresh Dog Tax Credit' promotion”.
General Mills’ comments at Barclays suggest its pet food portfolio is moving at different speeds. Tiki Cat and Blue Buffalo Tastefuls are benefiting from cat food momentum, while Love Made Fresh is gaining sales following adjustments to its rollout. At the same time, Wilderness remains the principal issue within dog food, with management expecting the recovery to extend over the next 18 months to two years.
