A national shortage of dog and cat food pouches is likely to be 'ongoing' through 2021, Sainsbury's has warned shoppers.
It's understood tinned and dry food are currently unaffected by the shortage.
However, in an email to its customers, Sainsbury's said: "Due to a national shortage of dog and cat food pouches, we're sorry if you're not able to find your usual product at Sainsbury's.
"We're working hard to resolve this, but in the meantime we have plenty of cans and trays available. These are recyclable, so you can do your bit for the environment too."
"We think this issue will be ongoing through the year, but we hope to get them back onto shelves as quickly as possible."
The BBC reports Tesco is also understood to have seen higher than usual demand for pouches after more pets were bought during lockdown.
Last year, the boss of Pets At Home said that pet ownership was going through a 'baby boom' during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a surge in new owners.
Chief executive Peter Pritchard told the PA news agency he believes this will see a boost in pet food sales, vets' services and grooming as households welcome new animals into their lives.
He said: “We see this as a baby boom because there has been a significant step up in ownership.
“The long-term requirement is the lifetime of the pet and, with more people working from home, more people can have pets at home.”
Since the pandemic, the company has enjoyed “essential” retail status – meaning stores could remain open throughout the lockdown – helping sales rise 5.1% to £574.4million in the six months to October 8 compared with the same period a year ago.
