Dog owners spend more to ditch kibble for premium pet food

Britain’s legion of pampered pooches certainly know nothing of any cost of living crisis as new figures show middle-class dog owners are spending large sums to feed them natural, “wholefood” diets.

From game and duck casseroles to fish and brown rice suppers, shoppers are upgrading to premium dog foods, according to the online supermarket Ocado.

It said that sales of upmarket brands that offered “natural” ingredients, such as Lily’s Kitchen, Scrumbles, Forthglade and Edgard & Cooper, were up 34 per cent year on year.

Top selling brands included Forthglade, Tails.com, Scrumbles, Edgard & Cooper and Lily’s Kitchen

EMILY NKANGA FOR THE TIMES

Individual meals that proved particularly popular included Edgard & Cooper’s grain-free game and duck with beetroot and cranberry, Lily’s Kitchen’s beef goulash and Forthglade’s white fish with brown rice. Demand for these products jumped between 40 per cent and 500 per cent over the past year.

Ocado said the rising sales reflected a wider change in how we think about our four-legged friends. It surveyed more than 2,000 people and found almost half of dog owners (48 per cent) admitted they would not feed their dog any ingredients they would not eat themselves. Two-thirds (66 per cent) said that they were more conscious of what is in their dog’s diet than they were a year ago, with a similar proportion saying they checked ingredients before buying dog food.

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Even “treat time” is getting healthier. Ocado reported that sales of Forthglade’s digestive health soft bite treats, made with “all-natural ingredients”, were up 205 per cent year on year, while the same brand’s calming treats were up 111 per cent.

Ocado said: “Functional treats are flying off the shelves as owners look for more than just indulgence — they want every biscuit to do their dog some good.”

One dog owner who has embraced the trend is Terri Beresford, 36, a data analyst from East Mosley in Surrey. She said that her four-year-old cocker spaniel, Laila, was “part of the family” so it was important to her that she only fed her ingredients that she “understands and recognises”.

Terri Beresford and Laila

She said: “I read every label and check every ingredient to make sure every meal is as natural and healthy as possible, as it’s not just about making sure Laila’s fed — it’s about nourishing her so she thrives and can live her best life, and she definitely enjoys her meals.”

She added: “It’s worth every penny knowing that I’m taking care of her in the same way I’d take care of myself — in fact, probably even better than I take care of myself and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

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However, such pampering does not come cheap. Natural wholefood brands cost about three times more on average than standard brands, such as Pedigree. A 150g tin of Edgard & Cooper’s Game & Duck meal, for example, costs £1.50 or £10 a kilo and can only be bought as singles. By comparison, a 100g pouch of Pedigree’s “mixed selection in jelly” costs just 35p each if you buy a pack of 40, the equivalent of £3.50 a kilo.

Premium dog foods might not quite be prime steak, but still hit the spot

EMILY NKANGA FOR THE TIMES

Nonetheless, the Ocado research found that the trend for premium dog foods looked set to continue, as 80 per cent of pet owners said they wanted to make more health-conscious choices for their animals.

Millie Stevens, a pet food buyer at Ocado, said: “We’ve seen a shift in how people are shopping for their pets. Customers are increasingly looking for dog food that mirrors the quality and ingredient standards they’d expect for themselves – whether that’s grain-free recipes, recognisable ingredients, or higher welfare meat.”

Marc Jacobson, of Edgard & Cooper, said: “Pet parents aren’t just feeding their dogs anymore — they’re nourishing them, with the same care and quality they’d expect for themselves. Our growth shows this isn’t a fad, but a meaningful shift in pet care, driven by the humanisation of pets and the demand for transparency and wellness.”

The survey data backs this up. It found more than half of pet owners (55 per cent) said they already gave their dogs a “natural, wholefood diet”, and 41 per cent of these had made the switch in the past year.

Proof then, that Britain’s clean eating movement has officially gone to the dogs.