The cat and dog food sector is the main driver of seafood sales growth in the Chinese market.
In China, pet ownership is booming due to lifestyle changes such as urbanization and an increase in the number of single people and childless couples. Pet shops are popping up all over China's major cities, and major pet food brands are trying to capitalize on the boom with massive marketing campaigns.
One such campaign, launched by Germany-based Hunter Group through its Chinese subsidiary, is installing giant billboards on Metro Line 15 in Beijing promoting salmon as a nutritious meal for pets. .
American conglomerate Mars Group is also running a promotional campaign for its brand Whiscus at supermarket chain Jingkelong stores in Beijing until April. The salmon-flavored cat biscuits are sold at Jingkelong stores across the capital for RMB 8.16 (US$1.14, EUR 1.06) for 66 grams. Whiskas also sells 400g cans of salmon-flavored cat food at his Jinkelon stores for RMB 13.12 (US$1.83, EUR 1.70).
The owner of a cat named Gao told the Seafood Source at the Tianjin Lake store that he was attracted to the marketing that said salmon products were good for cats' dental health.
The store's other Mars brand, Sheba, offers salmon-flavored cat food in 12-gram sachets.
Pet food is likely to be a major driver of demand for various grades of salmon in China. According to research agency Mordor Intelligence, the domestic pet food market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 10.2% from 2024 to 2029, with the sector estimated to be worth 11.4 billion yuan (US$1.6 billion, €1.5 billion). has been done.
China's pet food sector has also been a boon for large krill fishing companies such as Aker Biomarin, which provides krill as an ingredient in pet food and animal feed. Other companies selling fish-based cat food include the Miao Da Da brand in Jiangxi province, which uses freshwater fish such as carp.
