Fresh, functional, premium: where pet food is growing in 2026

Owners are spending more and asking more — for proven health benefits, fresher formats and products made for their pet’s species. The numbers behind the trends, and what they mean for your next product.

PNL

Guires PNL InsightsWritten by the nutrition science and regulatory teams

Reviewed byGuires PNL scientific team

Published26 Sep 2026

Last checked26 Sep 2026

Reading time7 minutes

Key takeaways

The global pet industry is expected to reach about $500B by 2030.
Gut health is a leading purchase driver: 70%+ of owners would switch brand over digestive discomfort.
Fresh pet food keeps growing — one leading US brand passed $1B in sales in 2025.
Weight and oral care claims appear on only about 5% of launches — a clear gap.

EvidenceMarket dataRated by the Guires Pet Nutrition Lab scientific team

ScopeGlobal, with US, EU, UK, India, Australia

DataPublished 2023–2026 sources

Last reviewedSeptember 2026

01A growing, premium market

Market	Figure	Source
Global	About $320B in 2023, heading to nearly $500B by 2030 ¹	Bloomberg Intelligence
United States	$158B total pet spending in 2025; 95M pet-owning households ²	APPA
Europe	€29.3B pet food sales; 139M pet-owning households ³	FEDIAF
India	USD 2.52B pet food market in 2025, projected USD 4.60B by 2034 ⁴	IMARC Group

02Trend 1: functional nutrition, led by gut health

In a 2025 survey of 5,000 owners across five countries, more than 70% said they would likely switch product or brand if their pet showed digestive discomfort, and 60% would like to add fibre to the diet. Among 2025 launches with digestive-health claims, 51% featured prebiotics ⁵.

What this means: digestive benefits are now expected, not special. Products stand out with measured outcomes — stool quality and digestibility data — rather than ingredient lists alone.

03Trend 2: fresh and minimally processed formats

A leading US fresh pet food brand grew net sales 13% in 2025 to more than $1B ⁶. Fresh formats bring higher pathogen risk and shorter shelf life, so kill-step validation and chilled shelf-life studies become part of development.

04Trend 3: cat-first innovation

In a January 2026 survey, half of cat owners agreed that manufacturers sometimes treat cats as “second-class citizens”, and fresh cat food remains underdeveloped ⁷. Cat products designed from feline biology — not adapted from dog recipes — are a clear opportunity.

05Trend 4: the white space

Launch data show recyclable-packaging claims on 26% of launches, but weight and oral-care claims on only about 5% ⁸. With 59% of US dogs and 61% of cats overweight ⁹, weight management remains one of the largest unmet needs.

What to do next

Build digestive products around measured outcomes.
Plan safety validation early for fresh formats.
Design cat products from feline biology first.
Consider weight-management and oral-care ranges.
Back sustainability claims with measurable data.

Guires Pet Nutrition Lab verdict

Functional, fresh and cat-first products are growing fastest — and weight and oral care remain under-served.

06Questions brands ask

Which benefit is most in demand?

Digestive health: more than 70% of owners in a 2025 survey would switch brand over digestive discomfort.

Is fresh pet food a passing trend?

Sales data show continued double-digit growth for leading fresh brands through 2025.

Sources

Bloomberg Intelligence (2023). Global pet industry to grow to $500 billion by 2030. Source ↗
APPA (2026). U.S. pet industry reaches $158 billion in 2025. Source ↗
FEDIAF (2025). Facts & Figures 2025. Source ↗
IMARC Group. India pet food market. Source ↗
GlobalPETS (2025). Gut health gains ground as a priority for pet food buyers. Source ↗
Pet Food Processing (2026). Freshpet achieves $1 billion in net sales. Source ↗
Pet Food Processing (2026). Pet food innovation experiences a feline-first shift. Source ↗
PetfoodIndustry (2026). 5 trends driving pet food innovation in 2026. Source ↗
APOP (2022). Pet obesity survey results. Source ↗

Evidence reviewed by the Guires Pet Nutrition Lab scientific team. This article is general information for product developers and is not legal or veterinary advice.

How to cite this article

Choose your referencing style, then copy. Check your university’s, journal’s or regulator’s guide for local variations.

Guires Pet Nutrition Lab. (2026, September 26). Fresh, functional, premium: where pet food is growing in 2026. Guires Pet Nutrition Lab Insights. https://www.petnutritionlab.com/insights/market-trends-2026

This article summarises published evidence for product developers. Cite the original sources above for specific findings, and do not reproduce this article as your own work.

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