4 Dec 2023
Campaign organisers say milestone shows the continuing scale of need as another hard winter beckons.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image © zinkevych / Adobe Stock
A campaign to help pet owners struggling with the cost of living crisis has given more than a million meals to animals in need, officials claim.
The Pet Food Partnership, which was set up last year, estimates that more than 150 tonnes of food has now been distributed since the initiative was launched.
But amid renewed concern over the impact of rising prices, the group fears that many owners will still need their assistance this winter.
The group said: “We know how important pets are to the people who love them, and that many owners would rather go hungry themselves than let their pet go without a meal.
“We believe no one should ever have to make that choice.
“While reaching the million meals milestone is a great example of how effective working together can be, it is also a sad indicator of how many owners continue to struggle as a result of rising costs.
“From the dog owners up in Aberdeen to the people with cats down in Plymouth, we’re here to help keep pets well-fed this winter.”
Member organisations include Fareshare, Battersea, Cats Protection, Dogs Trust and the RSPCA, as well as food suppliers such as Mars Petcare, Lily’s Kitchen, Pets at Home and Purina. The partnership is also supported by Petplan.
News of the milestone came as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) warned food inflation remained at “historically high levels”, despite recent falls.
The group, which is currently running a separate review of the veterinary sector, said rising input costs for energy and agricultural inputs had been key drivers of the inflationary trend.
But it also cautioned that around three-quarters of branded suppliers of products including pet food had “increased their unit profitability and, in doing so, have contributed to higher food price inflation”.
