The Nordic Petfood Association (NPFA) estimates the number of pets in the 2 main categories in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden last year at 6.7 million: 3.9 million cats and 2.8 million dogs. This is an increase of 4% compared with pre-pandemic times, when there was an estimated total Nordic pet population of 6.54 million cats and dogs, according to the trade association.
Consumer behavior
The trends in the Nordic countries are similar to most other European nations, with pet parents showing rising interest in buying high-quality, healthy, ecological food. “High-quality pet food has been important for a long time, but grain-free products are what many pet parents are opting for nowadays,” says an NPFA member to industry insiders, grain-free diets are especially popular in Finland. Meanwhile, interest in raw food has decreased, partly due to the “growing awareness of the risks to the animals and the pet parents themselves”.
Multinational pet food manufacturers represent a large chunk of the Nordic markets, but there is also a significant presence of local companies across all countries with the exception of Finland. The use of local products in pet food formulation appears to be a crucial factor for consumers. “Pet parents in the Nordic countries know that cats enjoy being served Baltic herring, but this might not work as well in other markets,”
Retail value of pet food
Other pet food products containing well-known Nordic specialties like reindeer, elk, and salmon as ingredients are appreciated by pet parents. In contrast, the use of sausages in pet food formulation is still widespread in Finland.
Online and offline retailing
Sweden, which is the largest of the Nordic countries, has the biggest number of brick-and-mortar stores selling pet food: approximately 350 shops, including grocery stores, pet product stores, and even veterinary stations that are part of bigger chains. In terms of specialized pet care retail chains, Denmark had the most in 2021, according to Statista, with a total of 8. Next came Norway (5), followed by Finland (4) and Sweden (3).
Retail value of pet products
Consumers are purchasing a growing percentage of pet-related goods online, and local players believe that this will continue to increase in the coming years. According to recent research by online payment service Paytrail, around 25% of Finnish households with pets have ordered pet products online.
Environmental Commitment
Over the last few years, environmental awareness seems to have grown among pet owners. the Nordic countries have developed a shared vision of recycling and enable pet parents to access sorting instructions through QR codes on product packaging.
Essential industry
Since the Nordic pet food manufacturers serve a relatively small market, the different players work together to try to grow the pie for everyone. “Our market is small, so our impact grows bigger when we collaborate,” says Due. For example, the NPFA succeeded in getting officials to recognize the pet industry as an essential sector during the pandemic, which meant that pet stores could remain open during the lockdown.
“Therefore, our next lobby action is to ensure the supply of energy for pet food production and to get the decision-makers to understand that pet food should be considered just as critical as human food,” states NPFA’s chairman.
