Germany Pet Food Market Report 2026
Germany's pet food market remains resilient, but growth is becoming more selective and value-led.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for pet food
- Opportunities
- Lead with prevention: make health benefits explicit and relevant for everyday
- Prove premium at shelf: make value visible and justifiable
- Add meaning to protein: lead with source and benefit
- Reimagining pet food for a health-focused, value-added future
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THE MARKET
- Snapshot – market size and forecast
- More Germans choose pets
- More owners, fewer pets per home: growth shifts to first-time entry
- Persistent cost pressures reinforce consumer pessimism
- Veterinary costs become a core pressure of pet ownership
- Graph 1: consumer price index for veterinary and other services for pets, 2020-25
- Declining birth rates elevate pets’ role within the family
- Pet ownership adapts to tighter housing conditions
- Graph 2: pet ownership per living area, 2026
- Market size and forecast
- Continued value growth expected in pet food market
- Graph 3: retail value sales and forecast of pet food, 2021-31
- Stable volumes expected throughout forecast period
- Graph 4: retail volume sales and forecast of pet food, 2021-31
- Growth stays grounded in everyday feeding
- Graph 5: value sales of cat and dog food, by segment, 2023-25
- Big brands hold ground as own label stays powerful
- Graph 6: market value shares of pet food, by company, 2024-25
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THE CONSUMER
- Pet food types
- Staples, snacks and upgrades: how Germany feeds its pets
- Graph 7: types of pet food bought for dogs and cats, % of respondents, 2026
- Homemade pet food as an expression of control and care
- Generational differences drive format choice
- Generational attitudes to processing shape pet food format choices
- Health and functional pet food
- Health benefits redefine permissibility
- Routine supplement use signals elevated care standards
- Engaged feeders show a higher likelihood to manage pet weight
- Wellbeing mindsets blur the line between human and pet health
- Protein sources in pet food
- Protein source matters to most buyers
- Insect protein needs to move beyond novelty
- Plant proteins best positioned as a complement
- Fish signals trust and premium quality in pet food
- Cost concerns in pet food
- Selective spending shapes pet food demand
- Premium prices need visible proof
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PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- From breadth to focused innovation
- Balance the need for weight-focused nutrition with picky eating habits
- Strong appetite for grain-free options
- Grain-free claims move further into the mainstream
- Specific benefits drive functional innovation
- Protein’s role evolves as new launches remain stable
- Protein innovation goes beyond the usual cuts
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APPENDIX
- Market definition
- The market
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology – fan chart
- Market size and forecast of pet food – volume
- Market size and forecast of pet food – value
- Market forecast of pet food – volume
- Market forecast of pet food – value
- Market segmentation – pet food
- Market shares – pet food
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Germany generation groups
- Other data source methodologies
- Mintel Spark
- Abbreviations
- A note on language – Germany
"Emotional attachment protects spend, but more selective purchasing raises the bar: make health benefits explicit in everyday feeding and anchor quality in clear, tangible cues, such as recognisable human health ingredients."
Javier Munoz, Research - Mintel Reports
Germany Pet Food Industry – Trends and Insights
- Germany’s pet food market remains resilient, but growth is becoming more selective and value-led. 74% of pet owners consider themselves parents to their pets, reinforcing the emotional centrality of pets even as practical constraints, such as financials or housing, shape ownership and spending.
- Value growth is grounded in everyday feeding, while ownership growth increasingly comes from first-time owners rather than more pets per household. At the same time, veterinary cost increases and ongoing cost sensitivity are encouraging more deliberate purchasing and greater interest in preventative care through nutrition.
- An opportunity lies in making health benefits explicit and relevant for everyday feeding. Functional benefits are becoming part of normal pet care, as supplements move into more routine use. Grain-free or fish-based formulas, hybrid proteins and targeted health outcomes all show how value can be built through clearer benefit communication.
- Supplements, homemade feeding and specialist formats are expanding the definition of functional care beyond core food, while private label remains powerful. This raises the stakes for brands to defend the role of complete pet food by making its value—whether functional, nutritional or emotional—immediately clear and harder to substitute.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- Rising pet ownership, with affordability, housing constraints and ongoing care costs shaping future growth
- The impact of the economy and cost concerns on pet food, showing a resilient market with premiumisation remaining viable
- Types of pet food and supplements used, highlighting how functional feeding becomes more embedded in daily care
- Behaviours and attitudes towards protein in pet food, with insect protein offering potential to go more mainstream
- Innovation in pet food, with grain-free formulas, protein quality, weight management and pet wellbeing shaping future opportunities
Market Definitions
This Report covers packaged, prepared wet, moist and dry complete food and snacks prepared specifically for cats and dogs.
It excludes unpackaged products and foods for pets other than cats and dogs.
Value and volume sales data comprises sales through all retail channels, including direct to consumer.
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