Pet Food Testing Market Expected to Reach $11.4 Billion by 2032—Allied Market Research

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, “Pet Food Testing Market," The pet food testing market size was valued at $6.9 billion in 2022, and is estimated to reach $11.4 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2023 to 2032. Pet food testing refers to several analytical and quality control processes that are used to ensure the safety and quality of pet food by analyzing the nutritional content of pet food, performing chemical tests, conducting microbiological analysis, shelf-life testing, and more. For instance, nutritional analysis includes the determination of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fatty-acid profiling, and others.

Chemical tests such as testing pet food for pesticide residues, heavy metals, mycotoxins, allergens, antibiotics, and others are quite popular. Shelf-life testing is another commonly used pet food testing method that is used for determining sensory evaluation, water activity, label claims, pH, and other factors. The microbiological analysis helps in the determination of pathogenic microbes like salmonella that can negatively affect the quality of pet food as well as your pet’s health. Furthermore, the popularity of pet food products in the countries namely the U.S., UK, Canada, Italy, France, and others is driving manufacturers to innovate and introduce new, high-quality, and nutritionally rich offerings. In the pursuit of providing a better lifestyle for pets, owners are placing utmost importance on the quality of ingredients, leading to a shift in consumer preferences towards natural, organic, and non-processed pet foods.

Notably, the United Kingdom stands out as the largest pet food market in Europe and the third most prominent globally. The presence of influential animal and health advocacy groups in the region is shaping domestic regulations, particularly regarding product labeling and ingredients. The emphasis on advertising pet food benefits related to heart health, bones, muscles, and joints in the United Kingdom has further propelled the popularity of pet food products, driving the demand for rigorous testing to ensure the veracity of these claims and the overall quality of pet food offerings. Thus, thorough analysis and examination of pet food using the above-mentioned methods is anticipated to boost the pet food testing demand during the forecast period.

The factors such as regulatory variations governing the pet food industry across different countries, specificity of testing standards, approval & standards regarding the use of specific ingredients in the pet food, and other factors are anticipated to restrict the pet food testing market opportunities in the coming years. For instance, the regulations regarding pet food vary from country to country and region to region owing to which the testing requirements, and permissible ingredients in pet food can vary. Also, the governing bodies or the organizations differ from country to country and the testing requirements set by these organizations will vary. Based on ingredients present in pet food, the testing procedures related to ingredient verification and safety can increase the cost and complexity of pet food testing methods, which is anticipated to hamper the market growth in the coming years.

Increasing adoption of personalized pet nutrition is anticipated to offer excellent opportunities for the pet food testing market growth. This is because the testing protocols need to be flexible and comprehensive, addressing not only the nutritional content but also the safety of ingredients in the customized formulations. By assuring pet owners that the pet food they choose has undergone rigorous testing, laboratories contribute to building trust and confidence in the market. The pet food testing market has a substantial opportunity to cater to the growing trend of personalized pet nutrition. By providing robust testing solutions that ensure the quality, safety, and nutritional accuracy of customized pet food formulations, testing laboratories can play a pivotal role in meeting the dynamic and specific needs of individual pets.

The pet food testing market share is segmented on the basis of type, application, pet food type, and region. By type, the market is divided into label validation & marketability testing, nutritional analysis, packaging leak detection, stability study, and others. The nutritional analysis sub-segment is further divided into proximate composition, determination of carbohydrate, fatty acid profiling, vitamins, minerals & other trace elements. The packaging leak detection sub-segment is further classified into bubble emission method, pressure decay method, vacuum decay test, dry chamber technique, ultrasonic measurement. The other sub-segment by type is further classified into allergens testing, antibiotics residues, pesticides residues, heavy metals, and mycotoxins. By application, the market is classified into dog food, cat food, and others. By pet food type, the market is classified into dry, wet, and snacks & treats. The snacks & treats sub-segment is further classified into semimoist, biscuits, jerky, and rawhide products. By region, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.

The key players profiled in the pet food testing market report include AGROLAB GROUP, Intertek Group plc, SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA., Eurofins Scientific, Mérieux NutriSciences Corporation, Tentamus, Alex Stewart Agriculture, Bureau Veritas, Neogen Corporation, and Kemin Industries Inc. In December 2022, Mérieux NutriSciences, a world leader in Food Safety and Quality, has acquired Food Technology Consulting International Inc., a Canadian Food Safety consulting, training, and auditing solutions provider.

The report offers a comprehensive analysis of the global pet food testing market trends by thoroughly studying different aspects of the market including major segments, market statistics, market dynamics, pet food testing market demand, regional market outlook, investment opportunities, and top players working towards the growth of the market. The report also highlights the present scenario and upcoming trends & developments that are contributing toward the pet food testing market analysis and driving the pet food testing market forecast. Moreover, restraints and challenges that hold power to obstruct the market growth are also profiled in the report along with the Porter’s five forces analysis of the market to elucidate factors such as competitive landscape, bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, threats of new players, and emergence of substitutes in the market.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Pet Food Testing Industry

• The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in the pet food testing industry owing to reduced research & development spending by the companies as the companies had to operate with limited staff due to social distancing norms.
• The financial uncertainties, delayed orders, and limited supply have affected the manufacturing and sale of pet food globally. Growing consumer awareness regarding the safety and quality of pet food was impacted due to reduced operating capacity that has affected the routine pet food testing.
• Though globalization in pet food testing is taking pace, during the pandemic the import-export of pet food was impacted due to closed borders and security concerns that have affected the pet food testing procedures.

Key Findings of the Study

• Based on type, the nutritional analysis sub-segment emerged as the global leader in 2022, and it is predicted to show the fastest growth in the upcoming years.
• Based on application, the dog food sub-segment emerged as the global leader in 2022, and cat food is predicted to show the fastest growth in the upcoming years.
• Based on pet food type, the dry sub-segment emerged as the global leader in 2022, and it is predicted to show the fastest growth in the upcoming years.
• Based on region, North America registered the highest market share in 2022 and Europe is projected to be the fastest growing during the forecast period.