Pet food manufacturing is a massive industry that’s constantly evolving to meet the needs of health-conscious consumers. Americans spend more money on pet food and supplies than other countries, but the United Kingdom is a close second. Dry food for cats and dogs was once the top seller in the UK, but wet food has become more competitive and now leads the sales in the pet food market. With the introduction of more premium brands and subscription services, the largest pet food companies are trying to maintain their market shares by buying out smaller private companies.
Top 20 Largest Pet Food Manufacturers in the UK
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- Mars Inc.
- Nestlé Purina Petcare
- Colgate-Palmolive
- Harrington’s Pet Food
- Harbro Group LTD.
- Butcher’s Pet Care Limited
- Pet’s Choice
- Armitages Pet Products Limited
- Nature’s Menu
- Rosewood Pet Products
- Lily’s Kitchen
- Fold Hill Food
- Cambrian Pet Foods Limited
- Bulldog Products Limited
- HiLife (Owned by: Town and Country Petfoods Limited)
- Grove Pet Foods
- Supreme Petfoods Limited
- 1Burns Pet Nutrition
- Natural Instinct
- Fish4Pets Limited
Top 20 Largest Pet Food Manufacturers in the UK
1. Mars Inc.
Mars is world-famous for its candy and chewing gum factories, but it is also the largest pet food manufacturer in the world. Since 1935, Mars Petcare has led the competition in producing food and treats for dogs and cats. The company also manages veterinary facilities such as BANFIELD, AniCura, Linnaeus, VCA, BLUEPEARL, and ANTECH. Recently, the firm introduced a new service in the UK called Natusan that delivers eco-friendly cat litter. The litter is compostable and can be used as agricultural fertilizer.
2. Nestlé Purina Petcare
Like Mars, Nestlé Purina Petcare is well-known for its sweet treats, and it is a significant player in the UK pet food industry. In 2001, Nestlé bought Ralston Purina and became one of the largest pet care corporations. In 2007, Purina became one of the first companies to offer probiotic supplements (FortiFlora) for dogs and cats.
3. Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive makes numerous products like soap and toothpaste, but Hill’s Pet Nutrition division is a market leader in premium wet and dry pet food. Hill’s Pet Nutrition produces the Science Diet, Healthy Advantage, and Bioactive brands, but its Prescription Diet stands out as its most innovative offering. Prescription Diet foods are formulated for pets with medical issues, and you can only buy them with a veterinarian’s recommendation.
4. Harrington’s Pet Food
Harrington’s began as a milling business in the late 19th century but switched over to pet food manufacturing in the 1980s. The UK-based company makes all-natural pet food for dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and rabbits, and it offers a subscription service for monthly deliveries. Its brands include Harrington’s Natural, Harrington’s Grain-Free, and Just 6.
5. Harbro Group LTD.
Based in Turriff, UK, Harbro Group LTD. offers a wide range of products for farm animals, pets, and humans. Although their agricultural feeds make up the bulk of their sales, they also produce dog food and feed for wild birds. Their brands include Woofers Dog Food and Peckers Wild Bird Feed.
6. Butcher’s Pet Care Limited
Butcher’s Pet Care began as a small family-owned company in Northampton, UK, and developed into an international corporation. It produces high-protein meals for cats and dogs without added preservatives, artificial colours, or artificial flavors.
7. Pet’s Choice
The origins of Pet’s Choice date back to 1881 when it was the Davies Dog Food Company. Now, Pet’s Choice is a growing pet food giant that owns 13 brands. In 2016, the company added Webbox Natural and TastyBone to its long line of products.
8. Armitages Pet Products Limited
Armitages is one of Europe’s top pet supplies and pet food producers, and it has a royal warrant for supplying pet food to the Queen.
9. Nature’s Menu
Although the raw food market is relatively new to the United States, Nature’s Menu has produced high-quality raw meals for dogs and cats since 1981 in Norwich, UK. The company gives tailored menu advice to their customers and provides portions based on the animal’s weight. Nature’s Menu uses responsibly sourced human-grade meat and whole fruits and vegetables in their recipes. Most of its products are for dogs, but the Especially for Cats brands feature several unique treats and meals for felines. Nature’s Menu’s brands include Especially for Cats, Country Hunter, Home Prepare, and Nature’s Menu Original.
10. Rosewood Pet Products
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Located in Telford, UK, Rosewood Pet Products makes pet supplies and treats for dogs, cats, birds, and small animals. Whether you need a dog bed, cat toy, or treat for your pet gerbil, you’re likely to find something to make your pet happy from Rosewood.
11. Lily’s Kitchen
Lily’s Kitchen was named after the owner’s beloved terrier Lily who suffered from a skin condition. Lily’s condition improved after eating homemade meals made from fresh meat and garden vegetables. Lily’s Kitchen still offers some of the same recipes served to the friendly terrier. In addition to its premium dog and cat food recipes, Lily’s Kitchen makes specialized recipes for cats and dogs with sensitive stomachs and skin problems.
12. Fold Hill Food
Fold Hill Food specializes in farm-to-table meals for dogs and cats. The Grant family has farmed the Boston area of Lincolnshire for over 100 years, and today they farm 3,000 acres and employ over 160 local employees. Fold Hill relies on local sources for its ingredients, and it uses a solar power system to conserve energy and minimize its carbon footprint. Its signature brands include Chewdles, Fold Hill, Laughing Dog, and Pointer.
13. Cambrian Pet Foods Limited
Located in Llangadog, UK, Cambrian Pet Foods Limited is a dry and wet food manufacturer that helps private entrepreneurs and small companies develop unique pet food recipes. After designing proprietary recipes with their clients, Cambrian Pet takes care of the pet food production, packaging, and distribution.
14. Bulldog Products Limited
Founded in 1996, Bulldog Products eventually became the UK’s largest manufacturer of wild bird food, fatballs, and bird treats. Bulldog’s Linkpet brand uses environmentally friendly sources for its pet food, and it offers recipes for cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, hamsters, and small birds. Dawn Chorus, the company’s premium bird food line, makes high-energy suet treats, seed mixes, and fatballs for several bird species.
15. HiLife (Owned by: Town and Country Petfoods Limited)
Although Town and Country Petfoods Limited is much smaller than some of its competitors, it is provided high-quality cat and dog food to the UK for 30 years. The company owns the HiLife brand. HiLife offers several healthy recipes made from fresh meat and vegetables. HiLife prides itself on its all-natural ingredients, and it claims the tuna recipe for cats has ten times as much tuna as the leading brands.
16. Grove Pet Foods
Grove Pet Foods specializes in manufacturing premium dog food, but its Alpha brand also makes recipes for cats and ferrets. It sources ingredients from local farms and offers several different protein levels in its dry dog food line. Alpha focuses on dry pet food and does not make recipes with wet food.
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17. Supreme Petfoods Limited
Founded in 1991, Supreme Petfoods is one of Europe’s top producers of small animal food. Supreme has a veterinarian-recommended line of products called Science Selective and a natural brand-named Tiny Friends Farm. Tiny Friends Farm makes pet food and small animal bedding.
18. Burns Pet Nutrition
Established in 1993, Burns Pet Nutrition was founded by veterinary surgeon John Burns. In 1997, Burns became the first UK pet food company to introduce chemical-free pet recipes. After discovering that you can preserve food with vitamin E and rosemary rather than anti-oxidizing chemicals, Burns used the process in its dry food line. Burns makes food for cats and rabbits, but most of its products are for canines.
19. Natural Instinct
Natural Instinct is a raw pet food company based in Chippenham, UK, that uses 100% British meat and fresh fruits and vegetables in its recipes. It produces high-protein recipes for cats and dogs and offers a variety of unique pet treats. Natural Instinct delivers their meals frozen so you can thaw what you need and store the rest in the freezer.
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20. Fish4Pets Limited
Located in Droitwich, UK, Fish4Pets Limited has produced pet food for cats and dogs since 2004. The company specializes in making premium dog food (Fish4Dogs) primarily composed of fresh fish, but it also carries a cat food line called Fish4Cats. Fish4Pets is an ideal choice for pets who have allergies to pork, beef, lamb, or poultry.
Final Thoughts
The top three pet food manufacturers—Mars Inc., Nestlé-Purina, and Colgate-Palmolive—control the largest share of the UK pet industry, but smaller operators are gaining ground and changing the landscape of the competitive market. Consumers are becoming more willing to buy higher-quality meals that cost much more than the standard kibble and canned food. Fresh pet food and raw meal services make up a small percentage of the UK market, but their growing popularity indicates the companies will eventually command a more significant share of the pet food profits in Europe.
Featured Image Credit: pedphoto36pm, Shutterstock
