Brits are paying more to feed their feline and canine companions after Nestlé hiked the price of its biggest petfood brands, The Grocer can reveal.
The fmcg giant – which owns Purina and Felix – upped the cost of the majority of its petfood product ranges at the beginning of this month.
Confirming the move, a Nestlé spokeswoman said the petfood industry was “experiencing significant and unprecedented challenges due to the rising costs of raw ingredients, packaging materials, transportation and energy”.
“All these challenges have impacted the cost of manufacturing our petfood products,” she added, stressing “as a company, we always do everything we can to absorb rising costs and only increase prices when absolutely necessary”.
“Our priority is to guarantee the quality and safety of our products.”
Assosia data shows the big four have largely passed the increase on to shoppers, with pre-promotion prices rising by as much as £1 in some cases for Nestlé SKUs over the past weeks [6 w/e 22 November 2021].
A 40x100g pack of Felix Ocean Feasts in Tesco, for instance, has risen from £12 to £13, while an 800g bag of Purina One Adult Dry Cat Food Salmon & Wholegrain has risen from £5.50 to £5.90 in Sainsbury’s, the data shows.
A pack of Bakers Dental Delicious Medium Dog Chews, meanwhile, has risen from £2 to £2.20 in Morrisons, while a pack of Felix Tasty Shreds Farm Selection pouches in Asda has risen from £3.75 to £4.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s moved first, according to the data, upping the price of a swathe of SKUs over the last week of October and the first week of the November, with Asda and Morrisons following over the course of November.
The Grocer has approached Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons for comment.
Petfood certainly isn’t the only category getting pricier right now, as the UK contends with serious inflation. Pasta prices, for instance, have surged amid a global shortage of key ingredient durum wheat.
Wine industry sources, meanwhile, have warned prices could skyrocket in 2022 with suppliers no longer able to absorb cost increases.
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