French pet market (I): Pet food holds steady at €4.8bn, exports drive nearly half of production

The French pet food sector reached €4.8 billion ($5.6B) in 2025, unchanged from 2024, marking a flat year-over-year (YoY) growth. In 2024, however, the industry recorded strong growth of 17% compared to 2023.

Data from FACCO, the French federation of pet food manufacturers, shows that the market has grown by almost €1 billion ($1.2B) since 2021, representing an increase of more than 23% over the period. 

Production and investments

Sales volume declined slightly by 0.04% year-on-year, with the French market totaling 1.19 million tons of pet food in 2025, down from 1.19 million tons in 2024.

In terms of distribution, dry food accounted for 69.3% of total volume sold, followed by wet food at 28.2%, with other formats, such as supplements, making up the remaining 2.5%.

The industry recorded two year-on-year declines. Production fell slightly by 0.07% to 1.84 million tons produced in France, while investment in product development and production plant technology dropped 16.7% YoY to €225 million ($262M).

Strength of the national chain

According to the new FACCO data, the French market increased its share of European sourcing from 90% in 2024 to 92% in 2025.

Only 8% of the raw materials used for production – sourced from agriculture, livestock farming and fishing – were sourced from third countries.

Additionally, the domestic market accounted for 52% of total pet food production, meaning that 82% of the supply of products was manufactured in France. This share is slightly higher than in 2024, when 81% of the supply was made in France.

Pet food consumption

The market penetration of industrialized pet food remains high, representing 93% and 83% of cats’ and dogs’ diets, respectively. 

Kibble is the most popular type of food in the country, fed by an average of 86% of pet parents to cats and dogs on average for cats and dogs, slightly higher than in 2024 (83.5%).

Treats are used by 42% of pet parents on average, with higher penetration for dogs (50%) than for cats (34%). The category rose 2.5 p.p. from the year before.

Wet food in cans, trays and pouches, on the other hand, is consumed more by cats (53%) than dogs (27%), and also remained stable overall. 

Fresh pet food is purchased online by 7% of pet owners on average, while supplements (such as vitamins and minerals) are adopted by 10%.

Purchase channels

Large and medium-sized retailers, including hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores, are the primary purchasing channel of cat (68%) and dog (51%) food. The figures are in line with the 2024 results. 

Pet shops come in second, accounting for 34% of dog food purchases and 23% of cat food sales. The channel gained 0.5 percentage points (p.p.) on average from the previous year.

After several years of growth, online purchases have stabilized, with 28% of purchases for dogs and 21% for cats.

Drive, hard discount and clearance outlets, house and garden, veterinary clinics and pharmacies complete the channel options of French pet owners.

Exports grow slowly

Last year, 48% of pet food production in France was exported, equivalent to 877,400 tons. This represents a 1 p.p. increase compared to the previous year and resulted in a positive trade balance of over €1.1 billion ($1.3B).

This surplus has almost doubled in 20 years, thanks to exports that increased from €888 million ($1B) to €2.2 billion ($2.5B) during that period, explains Sylvain Bersinger, Founder of the consulting and analysis firm Bersingéco.

However, the country is still behind the global pace of industry growth. “While French exports have increased 2.4 times in 20 years, global exports have grown more than fivefold,” Bersinger explains. 

Market share 

“Consequently, France’s market share has eroded significantly, falling from approximately 20% in the mid-2000s to less than 9% in 2024 (2025 figures are not yet available for all countries, making it impossible to calculate France’s market share),” he adds.

According to the economist, France’s dependence on the European market – which absorbs 80% of the country’s exports – is one of the main factors behind this.

The main destinations for French products are Germany, Italy, the UK and Spain, he says. As these countries have mature markets, with a slower growth rate than promising centers like Asia and Latin America, this ends up being reflected in both production and export performance.

Access to new markets

FACCO highlights that international trade issues remained a major focus for the sector in 2025, particularly regarding health certificates under review, under negotiation or awaiting validation.

 “Several long-standing cases remained open, with progress varying considerably from country to country,” the report says, citing Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Argentina and Japan as countries that are being monitored.

Negotiations advanced with Brazil, Thailand, Vietnam, Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, Israel and South Korea, covering heat-treatment protocols, updated certificates and the implementation of new approval and registration procedures.