The following insights are powered by Nielsen in partnership with Unioncrate, an artificial intelligence demand planning platform that combines consumer behavior and historical shipment data to predict sales and inventory with up to 91.6% SKU-level accuracy.

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Welcome to Day 9 of Unioncrate’s Year In Review, focusing today on the cat food category’s 3.9% YOY growth Jan-Dec.

Cat Food

• Wet cat food grew 5.2% in the course of the pandemic, with shelf-stable varieties seeing the highest increase with a 5.2% rise in the past 40 weeks.

• Meanwhile, dry cat food spiked in the 4-week period ended 3/21 to 30.7% and then dropped to negative growth the following period, remaining in decline and bringing its 40-week growth to 0.7%.

• Cat treats really shined this year, with soft treats growing 85.3% during the pandemic and biscuits increasing 52.6%, making for some very happy cats. 

Highlights to Purr About

• Celebrity chef Rachael Ray’s pet food brand, Rachael Ray Nutrish, donated 4 million meals to pets around the country, giving pet owners one less thing to worry about during uncertain times.

• Merrick Pet Care partnered with Amarillo, Texas’s animal welfare agency to create a drive-thru food pantry to distribute pet food to owners in need. 

• Champion Pet Food’s cat food brand, ACANA, launched four new cat food varieties, including formulas for coat and skin health, weight management, and eye and heart health, giving healthy choices a flavor even the pickiest of felines would approve of.

• Petcurean donated 200,000 meals to cats and dogs across Ontario and Quebec, spread across 107 shelters. 

Up Next: Face Cosmetics

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About Unioncrate

Unioncrate is an AI-powered Supply Chain Planning Platform that gives CPG brands the technology they need to compete and win in a rapidly changing consumer landscape. Our automated demand and supply forecasts deliver unmatched accuracy, collaborative visibility, and actionable intelligence, simplifying a manual-heavy process and slashing hours from your week.