Pet owners have hit out at supermarkets after seeing the price of dog and cat food rise in a further blow to households struggling to cope with the rising cost of living.
Shoppers at major supermarkets have seen Mars’ pet food brands increase prices in recent weeks, including popular pet favourites such as Chappie, Pedigree and Whiskas. The price hikes come after Tesco stopped stocking Mars pet food brands on its shelves due to a dispute over the prices, as reported by The Grocer .
Research by The Grocer using Assosia data showed that a pack of Chappie Adult Wet Dog Food Tins sold in Asda rose from £15.49 to £15.99 on 22 June, before rising again to £21 on July 8 - a 35% price increase of £5.51 in the space of little over a fortnight. Asda also increased the price of Whiskas Adult Wet Cat Food Tins from £5 to £6.25 in June.
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Asda isn’t the only supermarket that has seen pet food prices increase - a Mars brand of dog food shot up 31% within a month at Morrisons. Pedigree Adult Wet Dog Food Tins went from £8 to £9.50 on June 20, before climbing to £9.75 on July 12 and finally to £10.50 on July 19, according to The Grocer's analysis.
The price increases come as animal charity Battersea issued a warning to pet households that the cost of owning a dog has risen to £2,000 a year on average. Rising costs have left many pet owners facing the heartbreaking decision of giving up their pets after finding themselves unable to afford caring for them, and one woman has even opened up a food bank just for dogs to help desperate owners.
Shoppers have taken to social media to share their frustrations over the price hikes, criticising supermarkets for increasing costs. “Been buying tinned Chappie dog food in Asda for years but recent price increase has put an end to further purchases,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“Really Asda? When it’s hard enough for the UK with price rises, you go ahead and increase pet food to extortionate prices,” another said. “People are struggling enough and they will struggle to feed their beloved pets as well with these prices.”
Other pet owners branded retailers “greedy” and “disgusting” over the rising prices. “How can this be justified?” one person asked.
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