China: changing attitudes to pet ownership drive pet food sales

Pet ownership in China is on the increase and attitudes towards pets are changing, with Chinese people demonstrating greater love and care towards their pets, according to the latest report from Euromonitor International.

China's fast-paced economy and increasing levels of disposable incomes are having a positive impact on the pet industry. New research from global market analyst, Euromonitor International, shows that pet ownership in China substantially increased between 1999 and 2004. Driven by the growing population of pets, demand for pet food products has also been stimulated to a large extent. Although small in scale compared with Western developed countries, the Chinese pet food market offers high growth potential as it becomes increasingly regulated.