LONDON — Treating pets as part of the family is a non-negotiable for today’s pet owners and, as such, UK pet owners have lofty expectations for how the future of pet food should support this treatment. When it comes to the future of pet food, these consumers want pet food brands to focus on health and functional benefits, sustainability and more personalized nutrition, according to Vypr and the UK Pet Food’s recently released Gen Next report. The report examines how different generations are reshaping pet nutrition, health and care.
The research was carried out from October to November 2025 using Vypr’s smartphone-based survey application. It includes insights from 1,000 UK consumers, spanning pet owners, non-pet owners and people interested in owning pets in the future.
Pet food values
How pet owners view their pets tends to change as they get older, with younger generations viewing their pets as family and older generations associating them more with emotional support, demonstrating the deepening of the human-animal bond. According to the report, 53% of Gen Zers claim their pets are part of their family and 29% associate pet ownership with their own wellbeing. This familial bond peaks among Boomer women at 63%, with Boomer men more likely to associate pets with emotional support (37%) and personal wellbeing (32%).
However, though younger generations are more emotionally attached to their pets, they are less likely to view pet ownership as a long-term obligation. Only 29% of Gen Zers described pet ownership through the frame of responsibility, whereas 39% of Boomers described a sense of responsibility.
When it comes to their views on pet nutrition, the report found a consistent theme around affordability. Fifty-three percent of pet owners claimed that price impacts their choice of pet food, followed by their pets’ enjoyment at 44%, health and nutrition benefits at 40%, and ingredient quality at 40%.
Breaking this down generationally, younger women were found to be the most price sensitive at 42%. Gen Z men were found to be highly price driven (38%) and more brand conscious (21%) compared to older men. And environmental standards were found to resonate more with Gen Z men (17%).
Older Millennials and Gen Xers were found to balance pet food cost with product health attributes and quality. For example, 37% of women aged 45 to 54 focused on ingredient quality when choosing pet food. A pet’s enjoyment of the food also remains important to these pet parents, with 36% claiming it impacts their choice.
Among Boomers, 35% of men and 37% of women prioritize enjoyment when it comes to their choice of pet food. Additionally, 33% of Boomer women focus on health and nutritional benefits.
Overall, these generations approach view a “good value” pet food in different ways. For Gen Zers and younger Millennials value is mainly about affordability, simplicity and familiarity. For older Millennials and Gen Xers, value puts affordability against health benefits, quality and enjoyment, and considers trade-offs. For Boomers, value centers around trust, consistency and routine.
“For brands, this means value cannot be a single message. It needs to flex by life stage: reassurance and clarity for Gen Z, credible proof points and practical benefits for Gen X, and consistency and trust for Boomers,” the report shared.
Pet food wants
Looking to the future of pet food and what consumers want pet food brands to focus on, a singular theme rang out: pet wellbeing. According to the report, 33% of the total respondents and 47% of current pet food buyers chose health and wellbeing as a top priority.
In addition to health and wellbeing, themes around ingredient transparency, affordability and sustainability emerge. Twenty-six percent of total respondents want more natural or locally sourced ingredients; 25% want products to stay affordable; 24% want clearer information on what goes into the pet food; 17% want more focus on environmental impact; and 13% want more focus on personalization.
For Gen Zers and younger Millennials, they want more pet food brands they can trust and understand. Forty percent to 43% of men in this group want clearer information about ingredients and a quarter of them also emphasized natural/local sourcing. Twenty-three percent of women in this group expressed interest in personalization.
For older Millennials and Gen Xers, they focus more on balancing wellbeing with costs. Within this group, 38% and 32% of middle-aged men prioritize health and affordability, respectively. And women aged 45 to 54 expressed interest in natural/local ingredients (34%) and affordability (30%).
For Boomers, this cohort is focused most heavily on wellbeing. In fact, 41% of older women expressed a focus on wellbeing. Transparency and sustainability are still important with these pet owners, but with much less intensity than those of younger generations.
When asked how they thought pet food would evolve in 10 years, nearly four out of 10 (39%) of total respondents expect the future of pet food will focus on health and functional benefits, 19% expect sustainability and ethics to become a standard, 17% expect more personalized and data-driven products, and 16% expect greater use of novel ingredients, like insects or cell-cultivated proteins.
For those that currently purchase pet food, 27% of this group expect more sustainable options, 25% expect increased personalization and 20% expect a rise in novel proteins.
Generationally, younger pet owners tend to be the most optimistic about pet food innovation, whereas older generations are a bit more reserved. Within the Gen Zers and younger Millennials group, 37% of younger men and 45% of younger women expect significant health-driven progress. For older Millennials and Gen Xers, 44% to 48% anticipate more health-focused products, and 24% to 31% expect sustainability to become more of a standard. For Boomers, 15% expect the market to look mostly the same as it does today.
Garnering trust
When it comes to sources consumers trust when it comes to pet advice, veterinarians tend to come out on top. Thirty-seven percent of total respondents claim they trust veterinarians, 17% trust pet food brands, 15% trust family and friends, 14% trust other pet owners or communities, 14% trust online sources and a mere 5% trusted influencers. Despite all this trust, there remains about 32% who don’t seek out any advice and stick to what they know.
For pet food buyers, 54% of this group trusts veterinarians, 24% trust pet food brands, and 20% trust online sources.
Generationally, Boomers — especially women aged 55 and older — are committed to tapping veterinary expertise. Gen Zers and younger Millennials are much more interested in online and social sources. And men aged 35 to 44 have strong trust in pet food brands.
When it comes to how pet food buyers discover new pet foods, 38% find products at supermarkets, 28% through recommendations, 28% through online retailers, 27% through their veterinarian and 27% through social media.
Within this, Gen Z and younger Millennial men tend to utilize the widest variety of sources to find new pet food, from supermarkets (31%), recommendations (27%) and social media (40%). Women aged 25 to 34 are the most digitally active, relying on online retailers (22%), social media (30%) and pet-specific sites (25%). Women aged 45 to 54 split their discovery of products between supermarkets (25%), online retailers (20%) and pet platforms (16%). And Boomer women rely the most heavily on supermarkets (30%) and their personal connections (17%).
For pet food brands, these trends highlight the crucial need to tailor their strategies and communications to each generation and their respective behaviors, while also ensuring products provide value.
Get the Vypr x UK Pet Food Gen Next report here.
Keep up with the latest pet food trends on our Trends page.
