Functional products, e-commerce and cats shape strategies at General Mills and J.M. Smucker

American manufacturers General Mills and J.M. Smucker participated in the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) Conference 2026 on 17 and 18 February. During the event, the companies highlighted the areas within their portfolio where they will focus investment and where they still need to gain a competitive advantage.

General Mills’ effort to hold share

Despite weaker consumer activity, General Mills says, 80% of its pet portfolio is either growing or holding dollar share in fiscal year (FY) 2026, which started in June 2025. 

The figure is lower than the results of its human food business, which has 88% of its portfolio holding or increasing share, but still enough to secure a slight 1% year-to-date (YTD) sales growth for the pet business across all retail channels. 

Despite the generally flat result, some subsectors have performed better so far. For instance, Life Protection Formula (LPF), the flagship dog product within the Blue Buffalo brand, generated 2% year-over-year (YoY) sales growth, while cat food as a whole increased sales by 6% YoY and gained market share, the company says. 

E-commerce growth

General Mills’ pet business accounts for 7% of the total pet market in the US, with a revenue of nearly $4 billion (€3.4B), says Dana McNabb, Group President of North America Retail & North America Pet. 

According to McNabb, e-commerce is driving “the majority” of growth in the pet category.

CEO Jeff Harmening adds that the company sees increasing consumer and pet-owner demand for functional ingredients, especially protein and fiber. Eying this opportunity, General Mills is investing in its top-tier products across both offerings and positioning. 

“We’re expanding support behind our new Life Protection Formula salmon innovation, which is our biggest launch in 3 years and the third largest new product in the entire dog feeding segment. We’ve also expanded the assortment on our LPF senior dog food line,” McNabb says. 

The launch of a new XL Size for Blue Buffalo is also a way to increase exposure in e-commerce, where consumers buy bigger products for home delivery convenience, and to enter a more accessible price point, since bigger packaging tends to reduce the price per kilo. 

The results of 2% growth for LPF outpace the whole dog feeding segment, according to the company, as sales are down 1% YTD. However, Wilderness, a more premium dog feeding line in Blue Buffalo’s portfolio, has presented unstable performance this year, the Group President said.

Cat boost

Although the cat segment accounts for only around 25% of General Mills’ pet sales, Tiki Cat, acquired in December 2024, is delivering double-digit growth.

This is “behind strong omnichannel execution in pet specialty and e-commerce,” McNabb adds. 

To capitalize on this momentum, the company will launch a third packaging format for the brand – a stand-up resealable pouch – which, according to her, makes up more than half of fresh sub-category retail sales.

J.M. Smucker

Purposeful ingredients are also part of J.M. Smucker’s strategy. According to CEO Mark Smucker, the corporation is modernizing the packaging of its pet brand, Milk-Bone, to highlight its protein content and functional attributes. These are “increasingly important purchase drivers.”

J.M. Smucker will also increase its offering of premium snacks and treats, with launches scheduled for March to build on the strong growth in the dog snacks category on e-commerce: 14% over the latest 13 weeks. 

Like General Mills, Smucker said that “e-commerce friendly value sizes” are in the launch pipeline. 

Cat needs to catch up

Meow Mix, its flagship cat food brand, is on a decisive path this year. “Even as the leading brand in the category, it only has an 8% dollar share,” the CEO explains. 

The company’s goal is to increase its market share through new product launches that blend dry and wet food, as the latter is considered “significantly underdeveloped” in its portfolio, Smucker states. 

Mark Smucker notes that wet cat food and treats present a strong opportunity for manufacturers, as they generate $11 billion (€9.3B) in annual revenue in the US.