2022, Volume 25, Paper 1
ISSN: 2209-6612

Trends and Opportunities for the Pet Food Industry in Australia: A Value Chain Perspective

Yi Lu – Postgraduate student, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville.
Garry Griffith – Associate Professor, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville.

Abstract

Australia has a well-developed pet food industry, mainly resulting from the pet-friendly culture and high pet ownership rates. However, due to the saturation of the market, growth in value has been stagnant for the past decade. Many reasons exist for this situation, including the changing nature of the pet-owner relationship, food safety concerns and an obsession with providing nutritional diets. These trends may account for the limitations on industry growth, but they also can be considered as opportunities for the Australian pet food industry, indicating the possibility of value adding along the value chain. The broad aim of this study is to build insight into the Australian pet food industry and to evaluate value chain upgrading options. To achieve this goal, a value chain analysis is adopted. It evaluates the product flow, information flow, and value flow within the pet food supply chain, unveiling potential opportunities and possible actions for the industry in the context of the current Australian and global environment. The results of this project add to the understanding of the Australian pet food industry and may provide feasible solutions to stimulate market growth.

Keywords: pet food, value chain, food safety, upgrade options

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