According to Towards FnB, the global grain free pet foods market size is evaluated at USD 52.32 billion in 2025 and is anticipated to surge USD 92.22 billion by 2034, reflecting at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2025 to 2034. This growth reflects the rising shift toward premium, natural, and specialized nutrition among pet owners worldwide.
Ottawa, Nov. 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The global grain free pet foods market size stood at USD 49.13 billion in 2024 and is predicted to increase from USD 52.32 billion in 2025 to reach around USD 92.22 billion by 2034, according to a report published by Towards FnB, a sister firm of Precedence Research.
The urge for grain-free pet food is due to feedback to user demand for the luxury and natural ingredients. Pet food producers have started promoting grain-free diets as a healthier and more natural option, and some pet caregivers strongly believe that grains, specifically those that have gluten, are allergenic to pets.
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Key Highlights of the Grain Free Pet Foods Market
- By region, North America held the largest share of the grain-free pet food market in 2024, accounting for 39%, fueled by the growing pet population.
- By region, the Asia Pacific market is anticipated to experience the fastest growth during the forecast period, driven by the rising demand for high-quality pet food products.
- By pet type, dogs dominated the market with a 71% share in 2024, owing to the increasing preference for specialized and premium nutrition.
- By pet type, the cat segment is expected to grow at a strong CAGR between 2025 and 2034, driven by the rising popularity of grain-free diets for felines.
- By product type, dry pet food (kibble) held a substantial share of 49% in 2024, fueled by the demand for clean-label and premium pet food options.
- By product type, the freeze-dried & fresh pet food segment is projected to experience rapid growth during the forecast period, driven by increasing demand for high-quality, premium options.
- By ingredient, animal-based proteins led the market with a 68% share in 2024, reflecting greater awareness of pet health and nutrition.
- By ingredient, exotic and insect proteins are expected to see the fastest growth over the forecast period, driven by the rising demand for highly nutritious pet food alternatives.
- By life stage, adult pets dominated the market with a 60% share in 2024, largely driven by the expanding population of adult cats.
- By life stage, the senior pet segment is expected to grow rapidly due to increasing demand for foods supporting joint and digestive health.
- By distribution channel, pet specialty stores led the market with a 41% share in 2024, driven by the growing preference for offline shopping experiences.
- By distribution channel, online sales and direct-to-consumer subscription models are projected to see rapid growth, spurred by the increasing popularity of e-commerce platforms.
Grain Free Pet Foods Industry Outlook
Grain free pet foods are being formulated without prevalent grains named wheat, rice, barley, and corn, which are usually served as protein, carbohydrate, fiber, minerals, and vitamins too. A year ago, grain-free diets surfaced from the actual efforts by nutrition companies and veterinarians to solve the food allergies in pets.
Such diets experienced safety via testing the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) food trials and have been fed securely to cats and dogs since then. Additionally, grain-free foods generally have ingredients like pulses that include chickpeas, beans, and lentils, which can also include tubers (eg, potatoes). Currently, grain-free pet foods have become so famous, offering some perfect selections for every pet owner.
Major Importers of the Grain Free Pet Foods Market:
- As per the global data, the globe has officially imported 203 shipments of Grain free pet food during the period June 2024 to May 2025. These imports were being supplied by 29 exporters to the 31 global buyers, marking a development rate of 37% as compared to the leading twelve months. During the Thai period, in May 2025 alone, the globe imported 26 grain-free pet food shipments.
- Worldwide, the top three importers of the grain free pet food are as follows: India, Indonesia, and Chile. India is at the top of the globe in grain pet free food that has 255 shipments, followed by Indonesia with 119 shipments, and Chile, which has taken third position, has 93 shipments.
- Also, the globe has imported most of the grain-free pet food from Italy, the United States, and the Czech Republic.
Latest Trends in the Grain-Free Pet Foods Market:
- Increase in pet ownership: Pet ownership continues to develop, with no signs of slowing down. For most pet owners, their pets are family members to them, as millennials and Gen Z give importance to having pets over children. Both groups believe that pets are convenient to care for and are less expensive to keep.
- Personalized Nutrition and Supplements: Many of the pet owners strongly believe that accurate nutrition and supplements are as crucial for the pets as they are for humans. This move in point of view is being driven by product growth across space for healthier pet food selections.
- Quality and Transparency in Pet Food: Pet parents are ready to go far beyond for their pets in each stage of life, as they are willing to spend more money if the quality given is better. That means that perfect ingredients and no ‘minimally processed “food is no longer acceptable.
- Less Processed Formulas: Frozen, fresh, and freeze-dried, and the raw formulas are developing in popularity as users find the products that are less processed. Many of these designs serve grain-free options but concentrate more on the overall quality of ingredients.
- Rotational Feeding: Some of the pet owners are accepting rotational feeding that involves shifting between various food types, which include both the grain-free and grain-inclusive options. This serves pets with a huge range of nutrients and reduces the risk of a single-source diet.
- Biotics: Pet food formulas are progressively including prebiotics and postbiotics in order to assist digestion and gut health. This trend serves as a scientifically backed path to develop digestive health as compared to a simple, grain-free formula.
Recent Developments in the Grain Free Pet Foods Market
- In March 2025, Marsapet and Calysta revealed the first complete dog food that has FeedKind Pet protein. The item initially consists of peas, sweet potatoes, FeedKind protein, and they are perfectly suited for dogs that have allergies or fragile stomachs, as per the announcement. (Source: https://www.feedandadditive.com)
- In June 2025, WySE products LLC is an organization loyal to updating pet nutrition, which is set to reveal the launch of Total Pet Kitchen Multicooker (TPK), the first-of-its-kind tabletop machine crafted particularly for cooking and distributing healthy food for pets by using human-grade ingredients. (Source: https://www.globenewswire.com)
- In October 2025, Nature’s Logic disclosed the launch of Pure Naturals, a dog food line that has five new high-protein recipes. It is made with all-natural ingredients and has no artificial flavours, dyes, colors, or additives with the Pure Natural line, whose goal is to serve complete and balanced nutrition for dogs of all ages. (Source: https://www.petfoodprocessing.net)
- In October 2025, Leaf Foods is an organisation that is a specialist in leaf-based protein, stretched into the pet nutrition industry with the introduction of Alfalfa Protein Concentrate (APC). The content constructs on Leaf’s overall food manufacturing system that displays the use of its leaf-based proteins for use in human and pet applications. (Source: https://www.petfoodprocessing.net)
- In July 2025, Comedian, actor, and dog parent Kevin Hart penetrated the pet food sector with the revelation of his luxury pet food and supplement brand called “Hartfelt”. (Source: https://www.petfoodprocessing.net)
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Major Types of Carbohydrates in Dog Food
| Types | Examples | Function | Digestibility |
| Oligosaccharides | Legumes, some fruits and vegetables, legumes | Act as prebiotics, provide energy | Moderately digestible |
| Simple sugars | Fruits, honey | Provide quick energy | Highly digestible |
| Polysaccharides | Corn, wheat, rice, barley, oats, potatoes | Provide sustained energy and fiber | Vary by source: starch digestibility can be slow, moderate, or fast |
| Fibrous sources | Wheat bran, rice bran, apples, guar gum | Aid digestion and gut health | Often fermentable and support gut bacteria |
Grain Free Pet Foods Market Dynamics
Opportunity
Sustainable and Plant-based Pet Foods are Perfect
Plant-based pet food that have good-quality vitamins, proteins, minerals, and fatty acids are being developed. For instance, the American Company named Natural Balance uses oats, brown rice, peas, barley, and potatoes as the initial sources of carbohydrate and protein in its vegetarian formula. The product is filled with L-carnitine, amino acids, and taurine, along with antioxidants from spinach, dried kelp, and cranberries, too.
In an attempt to create their products to stand out on the shelf, many plant-based pet food organizations include enriching flavours like carrots, peanut butter, quinoa, and berries to make their products attention-grabbing to pets.
Challenge
DCM Disease is the Problem
One of the main issues linked to grain free pet foods is its connection to dilated cardiomyopathy 9DCM), which is a serious heart condition. DCM affects the heart muscle by lowering its potential in order to pump the blood smoothly. As per the research done by the University of California, Davis, there are links that need to be correlated between the grain-free diets, specifically those heavy in legumes and developed rates of the DCm in particular dog breeds.
Assuredly, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been checking this connection since 2018, after it officially acquired various reports from the pet parents about their rising heart problems while on grain-free diets.
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Grain Free Pet Foods Market Regional Analysis
North America Dominated the Grain Free Pet Foods Market in 2024
The North American grain free pet food market has been developed as a main segment within the huge pet food sector, which is being driven by the developing user choice, the developing pet ownership rate, and health consciousness. As the pet owners are heavily seeking wholesome, nature-based, and tailored diets for their companions, the grain-free formulas have received reliable attention.
This demand is additionally assisted by the increasing acceptance of organic and luxury pet foods, technological development in product formulation, and stretching distribution channels, which include e-commerce stages.
Trends of Grain Free Pet Foods in Canada:
The trend of customization is receiving attention, with pet parents seeking food personalized to their pet’s particular demands, such as breed, age, or health conditions like obesity. Organizations like Petcurean have highlighted this by revealing tailored food lines by developing user loyalty and trust. Also, Eco-friendly consciousness is encouraging purchasing decisions. Producers are giving feedback by including sustainable ingredients such as alternative proteins, insect-based, and friendly packaging. This matches with huge consumer values and assists in reducing the eco-friendly “paw-print” of pet ownership.
Asia Pacific Grain Free Pet Foods Market Trends
The Asia-Pacific grain free pet food industry is developing mainly because of the development of pet humanization, the premiumization of pet care, and the growing disposable incomes. On the other hand, it is dominated by regular diets; the region is quickly accepting western pet care trends as pet parents find good quality in everything they consume and health-focused food options, which include grain-free products.
Across the Asia-Pacific region, pets are heavily found as family members, particularly in urban areas. This move is driven by bigger investments in luxury goods that lead to grain free food as owners give importance to pets’ health and their well-being, too.
Trends of Grain Free Pet Foods in China
The grain free pet food in China is a developing segment of the bigger premiumization shafts, which is also driven by growing pet humanization and developed user spending. Chinese pet parents are excessively helping their pets themselves and are totally ready to spend on good-quality foods to ensure their longevity and health remain perfect. Also, the fast development of China’s e-commerce platforms has played an important role in giving a huge spectrum of pet food options to choose from, such as grain-free varieties, in both smaller and larger cities.
Grain Free Pet Foods Market Report Scope
| Report Attribute | Key Statistics |
| Base Year | 2024 |
| Forecast Period | 2025 to 2034 |
| Growth Rate from 2025 to 2034 | CAGR of 6.5% |
| Market Size in 2025 | USD 52.32 Billion |
| Market Size in 2026 | USD 55.72 Billion |
| Market Size by 2034 | USD 92.22 Billion |
| Dominated Region | North America |
| Fastest Growing Region | Asia Pacific |
| Regions Covered | North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa |
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Grain Free Pet Foods Market Segmental Analysis
Pet Analysis
The dogs segment dominated the market in 2024 as the non-grain foods for dogs are high in protein and carbohydrate ingredients. Contents like chicken, beef, and fish are high in protein, and nutrients like rice and potatoes are high in carbs, which contribute to the nutritional content of the food. This assists in tracking energy levels and also keeps any pet full for a long time.
While grain-free food can be advantageous with particular grain allergies, it is crucial to consult a veterinarian before shifting diets due to a possible link between heart issues in dogs and grain-free diets, too.
The cats segment is expected to rise fastest during the forecast period. Grain free cat food has developed mainly in popularity in recent years as it is a healthy choice for cats when they are nutritionally balanced and complete. Make sure a complete and balanced food will give any cat the correct nutrients they demand to assist and help track a lean body and high energy. Grain-free cat food may contain wholesome carbohydrates like potatoes and lentils that contribute to a nutritious and balanced diet.
Product Type Analysis
The dry pet food segment dominated the market in 2024 as kibble is created by mixing up the ingredients (usually a mix of grains, meat, veggies, and added vitamins too) which converts them to dough and cooking them at a correct high temperature in a chase. It’s a pocket-friendly option as it is convenient and does not take up too much fridge space.
Another is air-dried pet food, which is a type of kibble that is cooler and more nutritious. Instead of breaking down the heat and cracking everything like regular kibble, air-dried food is slowly cooked at a low temperature. This assists in protecting more of the perfect, stiff-like vitamins, healthy fats, and proteins, too.
The freeze-dried and fresh food segment is expected to rise fastest during the forecast period. Freeze-dried pet food is updating luxury pet nutrition by delivering the advantages of freeze-dried dog food and cat food, serving the benefits of a raw food diet while staying on shelf-stable raw pet food, which aligns with overall safety and convenience demands. Lyophilization, or freeze-drying, is a protective procedure that removes water from frozen food with the assistance of a process named sublimation under vacuum.
Ingredient Source Analysis
The animal-derived protein segment has dominated the market in 2024 as animal-derived protein ingredients point to any materials that come from animals, from organs to muscle meat, fat, or even bones. These ingredients are high in necessary nutrients like the amino acids, protein, and minerals, too, that dogs naturally demand. Hence. The sourcing and quality of such ingredients change greatly between organisations.
Some of the fog foods utilise precise ingredients like ‘Nordic salmon’ or ‘dried chicken’, while others conceal behind dark labels like the ‘meat and bone meal’ and the animal derivatives.
The exotic & insect proteins (sustainable alternatives) segment is expected to rise fastest during the forecast period. The application of insect ingredients as balanced sources of fats and proteins has become a worldwide reality. Big range production has also been developed, so big hurdles to being profitable for manufacturers and reliable for users are about to be solved. This positions insect oils and meals as perfect sources of proteins and lipids for the pet food sector.
So, insect proteins not only align with the nutritional needs and demands for pets but also are a perfect machine for using sustainability, lower carbon footprint, and cutting-edge ingredients too.
Life-Stage Analysis
The adult pets segment dominated the market in 2024 as adult grain-free pet food became famous due to the trend of pet humanization, issues over pet allergies, and smooth marketing that promoted an “natural” diet. Hence, the received health advantages for many adult pets are highly unfounded, and the grain-free diets carry some notable health problems.
Several of the grain-free formulas were displayed to be more sensitive to dogs and cats, probably due to higher meat ingredients present as content, like potato starch. This pushed adult pets to eat more readily, which pleases the owners.
The senior pets segment is expected to rise fastest during the forecast period. Meat plays an important role in a senior dog’s diet, providing necessary amino acids and high-quality protein too. Older dogs need enough protein to maintain muscle mass, maintain overall health, and assist in organ function. Meat is an accurate protein source for the dogs, particularly from animal sources.
It’s necessary to select high-quality meat for any senior dog’s diet. The meat quality can change depending on how the animal was developed and fed, too. Pasture-raised meat or grass-fed meat is usually considered better than grain-fed meat. The grass-fed meat points to having a healthier balance of the omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, which can assist in lowering inflammation and promoting heart health, too.
Distribution Channel Analysis
The pet specialty stores segment dominated the market in 2024 as grainfree pet food is being made available in the pet specialty stores with the assistance of a supply chain that includes producers, a specific distributor network, and the wholesalers that meet specialized retail channels. Manufacturers specifically sell their products in huge quantities to pet food wholesalers or the tailored distributors. These quantities manage the overall logistics of keeping and integrating various pet food products from various manufacturers.
The online and DTC subscription models segment is expected to rise fastest during the forecast period. The grain-free pet foods are being made easily available online and through the DTC subscription model through the manufacturer’s direct-to-consumer channels (DTC), collaborations with main e-commerce marketplaces and specialty retailers, and third-party logistics, too. The method includes product differentiation, a smooth supply chain to reach users, and digital marketing, too.
Different brands collaborate with major online retailers such as Chewy and Amazon to develop their big customer base and the rigid logistics networks too. They also sell with the assistance of tailored online pet owners.
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Top Companies in the Grain Free Pet Foods Market
- Nestlé Purina PetCare
- Mars Petcare (Royal Canin, Pedigree, Nutro)
- Blue Buffalo Co., Ltd. (General Mills)
- WellPet LLC (Wellness, Holistic Select)
- The J.M. Smucker Company (Rachael Ray Nutrish, Natural Balance)
- Champion Petfoods (Orijen, Acana)
- Diamond Pet Foods
- Nature’s Variety (Instinct)
- Canidae Natural Pet Food Company
- Farmina Pet Foods
- Ziwi Peak
- Fromm Family Foods
- Open Farm Pet
- Freshpet Inc.
- Hill’s Pet Nutrition (Colgate-Palmolive)
Segments Covered in the Report
By Pet Type
- Dogs
- Cats
- Others (Rabbits, Ferrets, Exotic Pets)
By Product Type
- Dry Food (Kibble)
- Wet/Canned Food
- Freeze-Dried & Dehydrated Food
- Frozen Raw & Fresh Food
- Treats & Snacks
- Meal Toppers & Mixers
By Ingredient Source
- Animal-Based Proteins (Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Salmon, Lamb, Duck)
- Alternative Proteins (Insect, Plant-Based, Exotic Meats)
- Carbohydrate Substitutes (Potatoes, Peas, Lentils, Chickpeas, Tapioca)
By Pet Life Stage
- Puppy/Kitten
- Adult
- Senior
By Distribution Channel
- Pet Specialty Stores
- Veterinary Clinics
- Supermarkets & Hypermarkets
- Online Retail & E-Commerce
- Direct-to-Consumer Subscriptions
By Region
North America
- U.S.
- Canada
Asia Pacific
- China
- Japan
- India
- South Korea
- Thailand
Europe
- Germany
- UK
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Norway
Latin America
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Argentina
Middle East and Africa (MEA)
- South Africa
- UAE
- Saudi Arabia
- Kuwait
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