US pet food total market sales

Two aisles of the global supermarket, both enjoying record years: one for humans, one for dogs. The humans chose ramen. The dogs chose premium kibble. There is a lesson here, though it is not a flattering one.

Both surged in 2020 for the same pandemic reason. Global instant ramen production jumped about 9% on worldwide stockpiling of shelf-stable food during the first covid lockdowns, while US pet food sales boomed on pandemic adoption and remote-worker splurging. Same lockdown, different shopping strategies for different mouths.

So the correlation is the small, slightly awkward truth of 2020 spending. The cheap carbs fed the humans. The premium protein fed the pets. A budget, mostly.