America’s Pampered Pets Gobble Up $14.5 Billion Worth of Pet Food

New York, August 24, 2006 — America’s fascination with upscale gourmet is being passed on pets, as sales of premium pet foods—natural/organic, fortified/functional, weight control, and lifestage, among others—helped boost 2005 sales to $14.5 billion.

According to Pet Food in the U.S.: Riding the Premium Wave, a new report from Packaged Facts, converting consumers—and their pets—to higher priced, premium foods will continue to be a major market driver of success in the pet food market, which is projected to reach nearly $19 billion by 2010. Echoing human trends, scaling up pet food will mean ever healthier, more functional fare with increasingly targeted benefits; more convenient products based on new forms and package types (especially preportioned, single-serve, and resealable); and additional gourmet/luxury products, keying in to pet owners’ growing proclivity to pamper their pets.

Marketers are furthering the “pets as family” boom, spending more than $275 million in advertising, almost all of which encouraged deeper attachments with pets. Simultaneously, 2006 is shaping up to be a banner year for sheer number of new product entries. During the first six months, marketers launched 175 new pet (dog and cat) food products, including extensions of existing lines, encompassing 844 SKUs, almost as many as appeared in all of 2005.

“The push is really on to feed pets human quality food that meets the same stringent taste, nutritional, and portion size demands that consumers are experiencing with their own food,” said Don Montuori, the publisher of Packaged Facts. “We expect this market to continue to grow at a healthy pace based on the overwhelming consumer acceptance of higher quality and higher priced pet foods.”

Covering products for all types of companion pets including dogs, cats, birds, small animals, fish, and reptiles, Pet Food in the U.S. examines new product trends, offers competitive profiles of industry leaders (and up and comers), and looks at consumer current and evolving trends and behaviors surrounding pet food. Priced at $3,500, this report is available from Packaged Facts by visiting: http://www.packagedfacts.com/pub/1190796.html. It is also available at MarketResearch.com.

About Packaged Facts
Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of industries, including consumer goods, food and beverage, and demographics. For information visit www.PackagedFacts.com, or contact Tom Ehart at 240-747-3014, or tehart@marketresearch.com.