by Shannon Landry
November 20, 2025
The combination of budgetary strain and unwavering emotional commitment is fueling an important growth area in the pet food landscape today: supplemental and flexible feeding.
As US pet owners navigate another year of economic challenges, their purchasing behavior continues to evolve in ways that test the resiliency of the pet food market, while spurring innovation. Inflation has eased from pandemic highs, yet elevated prices for essentials—including pet food—remain top of mind. In Packaged Facts’ latest surveys, two-thirds of pet owners express concern about rising pet food prices, and many report adjusting their spending accordingly. But even as economic pressure pushes some households to reconsider what they place in their carts, pets remain core family members whose nutrition and well-being matter deeply. The combination of budgetary strain and unwavering emotional commitment is fueling an important growth area in the pet food landscape today: supplemental and flexible feeding.
This trend is reshaping how pet owners approach mealtime. Rather than relying solely on a single kibble or wet food, many are augmenting, stretching, enhancing, or partially replacing their base diet with toppers, mixers, add-ins, and alternative formats such as fresh, freeze-dried, or baked. Supplemental and flexible feeding meets multiple needs at once: pet health, palatability, and affordability, while enhancing pet owners’ emotional bonds with their pets as valued family members.
The post-pandemic economy continues to influence how pet owners shop. More than 60% report reducing spending on “extras,” and nearly half say high pet food prices are a top challenge. While most still view pet food as essential and maintain brand loyalty, notable shifts are emerging. Roughly 40% of dog and cat owners changed foods in the last year, either temporarily or permanently, with many trading down to lower-priced brands. Yet even those staying the course with their primary diet are exploring less expensive ways to elevate or supplement that diet.
For budget-conscious consumers, supplemental feeding is attractive because it allows them to:
This flexibility also helps owners who feel financial strain but refuse to compromise on their pet’s well-being. With toppers and mixers widely available at every price point—from grocery-store bone broths to boutique freeze-dried raw—consumers can customize meals in a way that feels both responsible and rewarding.
Fresh and gently cooked foods continue to outpace the broader market, posting double-digit annual growth even during inflationary times. However, their cost and storage requirements make them difficult for many households to adopt full-time. As a result, fresh foods are increasingly positioned—and used—as partial-meal solutions.
Refrigerated or frozen rolls, scoop-and-serve tubs, and fresh-frozen nuggets are increasingly marketed as meal toppers or mix-ins rather than full diets. Major brands including Blue Buffalo, Merrick, Open Farm, and JustFoodForDogs have leaned into this flexibility, giving shoppers permission to “mix fresh and dry” in whatever ratio works for their budgets and routines. For retailers and manufacturers, this strategy expands the consumer base without cannibalizing core kibble sales.
Freeze-dried and air-dried products serve a similar function. They deliver many of the perceived benefits of raw or fresh—meat-first recipes, minimal processing, visible ingredients—without the storage or safety concerns. Half of pet owners express interest in “kibble+” products combining traditional dry kibble with freeze-dried or air-dried pieces. These hybrids are ideal supplemental feeders: easy to portion, high in palatability, nutrient-dense, and cost-efficient on a per-serving basis.
This category also hosts a steady stream of innovation. Recent launches such as Orijen Wild Reserve with freeze-dried morsels, Full Moon’s air-dried Pure Protein line, and The Pets Table’s air-dried offerings demonstrate that brands view flexible feeding not as a niche behavior but as a mainstream shift.
Pet obesity, aging-related issues, digestive problems, and food sensitivities are widespread—and owners increasingly recognize the need to intervene nutritionally. More than 70% believe high-quality pet foods support preventive health and are willing to pay more for wellness benefits when possible. But not all households can afford a full therapeutic diet or want to overhaul their primary food. This is where supplemental feeding becomes especially powerful.
Functional toppers, targeted mixers, and add-ins offer a cost-effective way to personalize nutrition without switching entire diets. Examples include:
Brands across the spectrum are capitalizing on these needs. The appeal lies in both practicality and emotion: owners feel empowered to “do more” for their pets without committing to a full dietary overhaul.
Pets’ elevated status within the household directly drives supplemental feeding behavior. With more than 90% of owners viewing pets as family and more than half saying they enjoy pampering their pets with food, the addition of toppers and add-ins serves as a small daily indulgence that strengthens the emotional bond.
Many fresh and freeze-dried products intentionally resemble human foods—meatballs, gravies, shreds, broths, and bite-sized morsels—making them appealing for owners seeking ways to share experiences around food. Supplemental feeding also lets owners cater to picky eaters without sacrificing quality or digestibility.
Even premium indulgence lines—like Fancy Feast’s Gems and multi-course offerings—fit squarely into flexible feeding patterns, allowing cat owners in particular to vary flavor and texture without compromising the core diet.
As private label gains traction—including rising acceptance among younger pet owners—store-brand toppers and add-ins present meaningful opportunity. Many retailers already offer high-value broth toppers, wet gravies, and limited-ingredient mixers that appeal to shoppers seeking a middle ground between quality and affordability.
Flexible feeding gives private label a way to compete in superpremium spaces without requiring the R&D investment of full diet lines. Retailers can deliver high-impact, low-volume supplemental products that position their brands as both practical and premium-leaning.
Supplemental and flexible feeding is more than a short-term economic workaround. It is becoming a durable component of pet nutrition behavior—a middle path that accommodates budget constraints, wellness priorities, humanization, and the desire for variety.
The trend will continue to create opportunity in several areas:
In an era when every dollar counts but pets remain central to the household, supplemental and flexible feeding gives owners adaptability without sacrifice—and gives marketers a powerful pathway to growth and loyalty.
Want to learn more? Check out Packaged Facts’ Pet Food in the US, 19th Edition (November 2025) or visit the Packaged Facts Pet Knowledge Center, your resource for in-depth pet market intelligence.
About the blogger: Shannon Landry is the Research Director for Packaged Facts Pet and a veteran pet market research analyst. Landry regularly presents at pet industry conferences including Petfood Forum, GlobalPETS Forum, the Pet Food Association of Canada’s annual conference, and the National Animal Supplement Council’s annual conference. She also has a bi-monthly column in Pet Food Processing and is a regular contributor to PETS International.
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