GS1 Italy’s Immagino Observatory: pet food in grocery retail is becoming increasingly healthier

According to the 19th edition of theGS1 Italy Immagino Observatory, sugar and calories are also in the spotlight when it comes to feeding beloved dogs and cats at home.

Healthy pet food is on the rise

In fact, pet food products labelled with the claims “sugar free” and “low calories” are becoming increasingly numerous and in 2025 recorded increased sales, including by volume (respectively +2,1% and +6%). However, in pets’ diets, the volumes of products labelled “grain free/low grain” (+4,9%) or enriched with prebiotics (+4,4%) or with proteins (+1,3%).

are also increasing. In this new edition of the Immagino Observatory, the six-monthly study through which GS1 Italy monitors Italians’ consumption habits via the labels of products purchased in supermarkets, hypermarkets and self-service stores and digitised by the GS1 Italy Servizi Immagino service, the pet food sector is represented by 19 claims identified on the labels of 4.056 products intended for feeding dogs and cats. In 2025 it exceeded 1,2 billion euros in sell-out, with an annual trend of -0,4% in value and +0,0% in volume.

The baskets

Thus, just as with their owners’ diets, pets’ diets are also becoming healthier. And in 2025 the trend that emerged most strongly was that of free from (59,8% in value share and 51,3% of the product references), which generated turnover of more than 722 million euros, with slight annual growth (+0,2% in value and +0,8% in volume), driven by cat food (+1,9% in value and +2,4% in volume).

The second-largest basket by share (54,1% in value and 49,9% of the product references) also belongs to the healthy segment: it is rich-in, with 2.023 products and more than 653 million euros in sell-out, stable compared with 2024 (+0,7% in value and +0,9% in volume) and driven essentially by cat food.

The trend for “gluten free” was in the opposite direction: combining claims and the AIC logo, in 2025 it recorded a sharp loss of -8,6% in volume and saw turnover fall by -4,0%.

The basket forItalian originalso posted a negative result, recording over 12 months a decline of -1,8% in value and -1,5% in volume. With its 513 products, it ended 2025 with turnover of more than 115 million euros. The main loss of market share concerned the claim “100% Italian” (-8,3% in volume and -11,5% in value) and the image of the Italian flag (-1,4% in volume and -1,8% in value).

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.