China's pet industry evolving at unprecedented rate

China's pet industry is evolving at a pace unmatched worldwide, with consumer and industrial upgrades that take five to seven years in mature markets compressed into just one to two years locally, Ganesh Ramani, general manager of Mars Pet Nutrition China, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

"The changes we see across the globe happen at a certain pace, but in China they happen much faster. The timelines are compressed," Ramani said on the sidelines of the 28th Pet Fair Asia held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center from Wednesday to Sunday, which gathered over 2,600 exhibitors from across the full pet industry chain.

Ramani attributed the speed to a comprehensive supply chain, a highly digital retail environment and strong social media influence. Additionally, the influx of first-time pet owners has further energized the market.

China is home to over 100 million pets, and most new pet-owning families have no multi-generational tradition of keeping animals. Consumers actively search for pet care knowledge online and are highly receptive to new information, fueling the growth of more than 3,000 pet food brands in constant innovation, said Ramani.

"Chinese consumers are probably among the most demanding in the world. They pay very close attention to what is on the back of the pack — they research ingredients, formulas, recipes and production processes, and look for validation of what companies are claiming," Ramani said, adding that such rational consumption will push the industry to raise standards and drive out speculative players.

This view echoes observations from Royal Canin, another Mars brand. Xu Juan, general manager of Royal Canin China, said the country's pet market has completed a transition from "quantity" to "quality" over three decades — evolving from functional home guarding to basic sustenance, then premium feeding, and now the pursuit of health and longevity. China has become the world's second-largest market by pet population, Xu said.

Strategic focus on China has translated into tangible investment. Mars Pet Nutrition entered the country in 1989 and started local manufacturing as early as 1995, making it one of the first foreign pet food companies to build production capacity here. Today, 90 percent of Mars' products sold in China are locally made.

"One of the key shifts we have made in recent years is building a portfolio designed around Chinese consumers and local insights," Ramani said, noting that more than 40 localized products have been launched since 2025. While Chinese factories currently prioritize domestic demand, innovations validated here may be exported to other markets in the future.

Royal Canin is also ramping up local manufacturing. With its Tianjin factory's wet pet food line now operational, the company has formed a Tianjin-Shanghai dual-factory footprint with both dry and wet pet food lines. The 88-gram single-serve can and Corgi-specific formula, Xu said, show how local consumer insights drive product innovation.

Pet aging is one of the most definitive niche trends. Xu said that around 20 million pets in China have reached senior age — pets over 7 and large breed dogs over 5 are considered early seniors — and it is estimated that half of the country's pets will be seniors by 2040. However, public awareness lags behind.

Mars Pet Nutrition is approaching the aging trend from a preventive nutrition angle. Ramani said the core logic behind the Nutro brand refresh is proactive health, as the gut serves as the first line of immune defense.

heqi@chinadaily.com.cn