Unexpected hike of US pet food imports in China

The number of American products reaching the Asian market increased by 200% from January to November 2022.

China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) reported that the country imported more than 44,000 tons of pet food from the US with a total value of $304 million (€288M).

A report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) notes that American pet food now represents half of all imports in the category, surpassing Canada as the biggest importer of pet food.

The Phase One trade bilateral agreement reached in 2020, under which China agreed to expand purchases of certain US goods and services, “significantly” contributed to pet food imports into China, according to US officials.

Canadian imports dropped by 21%

While in 2021, most pet food imported by China came from Canada (47%), in 2022, the figure dropped to 21%.

The primary reason behind the decline was the avian influenza epidemic that affected the North American country in February 2022.

Besides the US and Canada, China also imported pet food from New Zealand (12%) and Thailand (11%) in 2022.

A recent white paper in the same year by Alibaba Group showed that sales of foreign pet food brands grew from $100 million (€95M) in 2016 to $1 billion (€950M)

Jochebed Menon