In the November 2003 issue of the Petfood Industry magazine, there is a wonderful article written by Ann Gurkin.  Ann works with Davenport and Company LLC based out of Richmond, Virginia.  All of the statistics are sourced from Davenport Company estimates. 

The article tells of many trends and changes in the industry, from new innovations and company takeovers, to retail outlet leaders and more growth predicted.  I'd like to highlight some of the industry statistics from the 2002 year. 

Industry Overview 

In 2002, the retail sales for the pet food industry was increased by about 4.4% according to her statistics.  Dog food brought in an estimated 8.1 billion in retail sales, and cat food brought in an estimated 4.2 billion, making it a 12.3 billion US dollar industry.  Companies were really competing and launching new, innovative products to meet consumer demands.  These demands brought 216 new items in 2002.   

Pet Ownership Trends 

There is also an increase in pet ownership.  Many more dogs and cats are finding their way into America's homes.  Out of every 100 Americans, 36 own at least one dog, with a total US ownership number being estimated at 60.7 million dogs.  Cat ownership is estimated to be at 76.8 million, with 34 out of every 100 Americans owning at least one cat. 

Outlets and Sales 

Grocery stores, pet supply chains, feed stores, and vets are some of the common places where consumers purchase pet foods.  Grocery stores are becoming less popular as an outlet for sales, according to the statistics, but still lead the other outlets.  These are the current figures from 2002 for sales by outlet, and are in US millions: 

Grocery Stores - $4580
Mass Markets - $3035
Pet Specialty Stores - $2480
Farm and Feed Stores - $910
Vet/Kennels - $760
Other - $570
Total - $12,335 

Types of Food 

Included under the umbrella of dog and cat foods is treats, wet food, kibble, and semi-moist food.  The total retails sales is made up of all of them.  The 2002 year breakdown is as follows (sums in US dollars by millions), according to Gurkin's article: 

Dry Dog Food - $5210
Wet Dog Food - $1380
Dog Treats - $1480
Semi-Moist - $65
Dog Total - $8135 

Dry Cat Food - $2340
Wet Cat Food - $1650
Cat Treats - $168
Semi-Moist - $42
Cat Total - $4200 

Dog AND Cat Total - $12335 

Company Market Shares 

Also highlighted in the Davenport and Company statistics are the various companies and brands that lead the industry today.  Estimated company shares of the pet food market show the sales leaders in the industry: 

Out of 100% --
Nestle Purina - 30%
All others - 14%
Iams - 12%
Hill's/Science Diet - 12%
Master Foods USA - 11%
Ol' Roy - 10%
Del Monte Foods - 7%
Nutro Products - 4% 

Leading Brands 

The article ends with a list of the leading brands by food type.  The major sellers are bringing in some serious earnings and the statistics are pretty incredible.  These are estimates compiled by Davenport and Company, and are in the US millions: 

Dry Dog Food
Dog Chow, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $384.8
Puppy Chow, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $175.6
Meal Time, manufactured by Master Foods USA - $87.2
Purina ONE, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $75.2
Come 'N Get It, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $74.1
Kibbles & Chunks, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $72.3
Fit & Trim, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $58.9
Field Trial, manufactured by Sunshine Mills - $51.8
Grravy, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $ 49.7
Gravy Train, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $27.8 

Wet Dog Food
Kal Kal Pedigree, manufactured by Master Foods USA - $120.4
Pedigree Choice Cuts, manufactured by Master Foods USA - $81.9
Alpo, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $79.1
Mighty Dog, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $73.3
Alpo Prime Cuts, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $71.2
Skippy, Premium, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $48.9
Pedigree Select Dinners, manufactured by Master Foods USA - $28.6
Twin Pet, manufactured by Allied Foods - $12.2
Reward, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $8.6 

Semi-Moist & Soft-Dry Dog Food
Kibbles 'N Bits, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $149
Moist & Meaty, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $22.2
Moist & Beefy, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $15.4
Puppy Kibbles 'N Bits, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $3.2
Tender Chops, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $2.7
Smorgasburger, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $1.1
Dinner Rounds, manufactured by 'Private Label' - $0.9
Gaines Burgers, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $0.8
Moist & Chunky, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $0.2 

Dog Treats
Milk Bones, manufactured by Kraft Foods - $132.6
Pupperoni (including Nawsomes), manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $66.6
Meaty Bones, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $42.8
Cheweez, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $44.0
Private Label Soft Chews, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $35.9
Jerky Treats, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $32.8
Purina Biscuits, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $31.4
Beggin' Strips, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $31.1
Snausages, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $26.1
Bonz, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $18.6 

Dry Cat Food
Meow Mix, manufactured by Meow Mix - $190
Cat Chow, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $183
Friskies, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $137.2
9-Lives, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $67.6
Chef's Blend, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $52.8
Purina O.N.E., manufactured by Nestle Purina - $47.9
Deli-Cat, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $38.2
Kitten Chow, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $30.9
Alley Cat, manufactured by the Meow Mix Company - $24
Cat Cafe', manufactured by Sunshine Mills 

Wet Cat Food
Friskies Buffet, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $316.6
9-Lives, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $216.1
Fancy Feast, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $154.8
Whiskas, manufactured by Master Foods USA - $72
ALPO Canned Cat Food, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $55.8
Purina Premium, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $29.4
Sheba, manufactured by Master Foods USA - $27.8
Figaro, manufactured by Bumble Bee - $6.8
Gourmet, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $6
Twin Pet, manufactured by Allied Foods - $4.6 

Semi-Moist Cat Food
Tender Vittles, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $22
Happy Cat, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $11 

Cat Treats
Pounce, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $58.2
Whisker Lickins, manufactured by Nestle Purina - $19.8
Bonkers, manufactured by Doane Pet Care - $2.4
9-Lives Finicky Bits, manufactured by Del Monte Foods - $0.7