Why should we fear a shortage of pet food on the shelves?

Are you going to have trouble finding food and food for your dog or cat in the coming weeks? It looks like this, and it can even cost a lot more, according to Les Échos. While more than one in two households owns a pet (mainly dogs and cats), the pet food sector faces several issues that can cause product shortages on the shelves. And it is not only small French companies that are affected, large groups such as Mars – which owns the Pedigree, Sheba, Ronron, Royal Canin or Whiskas brands, as well as Nestlé, which notably lists Friskies, Gourmet, Felix or Purina – are in the same situation.

Problem, especially due to bird flu and swine fever, meat production has decreased. But the food we give to pets consists essentially (90%) of animal proteins. Even if specialists in the sector use little consumed parts such as offal, the observation is clear and the available raw materials have become scarce, notes the general delegate of the Federation of manufacturers of prepared food for dogs, cats, birds and others. pets (Facco).

ALSO READ

The golden business of kibble for cats

Packaging, grains, biofuels…

And who says shortage, says soaring prices, with, for example, an increase of 42% on poultry, details Les Échos. Producers also had to find alternatives for certain products, such as duck. And it has an effect on exports, as producers who sourced 49% from France will now look much further afield for their raw materials. But the cat food sector also faces other pitfalls, such as skyrocketing grain prices that are crucial to the production of pellets. But also biofuels. Why ? Because food manufacturers use animal fat to “coat their croquettes”, as the director of a Breton SME explains.

However, these fats are in the sights of the biofuels sector and prices have tripled. It is also necessary to take into account the price of the packaging and the delivery times thereof. In a year and a half, the director of this Breton SME has estimated the overall increase in costs at between 30% and 50%. As a result, it is the customers who drink, as animal products have increased by 13.26% in one year, according to the NielsenIQ company. And if some are tempted to take entry-level products, the deal is the same: They have flared up even more (more than 15%), and above all, they don’t always fall in the taste of your favorite little animals!

ALSO READ

Organic croquettes: pets also succumb to ecology!