11th April 2026
Pet food prices have risen sharply across the UK, but the impact has been felt most intensely in Scotland's rural supply chains, where transport distance, limited competition, and smaller store formats amplify every national price shock.
The steepest increases have been in wet foods, meat‑based formulas, and premium or specialist diets, and this pattern is visible across Tesco, Co‑op, and Pets at Home.
Pet food inflation surged in 2022-23, driven by global spikes in animal proteins, fats, fishmeal, energy, and transport costs. Prices have stabilised since, but they have not fallen back, leaving households paying far more than two years ago.
Protein‑heavy products rose the most because they rely on ingredients that were hit hardest by global shortages and energy‑price shocks. Wet foods were especially exposed because they are heavy, energy‑intensive to produce, and packaged in aluminium or steel — both of which saw major cost spikes.
Which Pet Foods Rose the Most
Wet dog and cat food
Wet food saw the steepest increases. It contains more raw protein per unit, is heavy to transport, and relies on metal packaging. Premium wet foods — pouches, trays, and tins — rose fastest of all.
Meat‑based dry foods
Dry kibble rose too, but the biggest jumps were in meat‑rich formulas. Prices for meat meal and animal fats surged during the global feed crisis, and Scotland's own livestock pressures added further cost.
Fish‑based formulas
Fishmeal prices spiked globally, driven by climate‑related impacts on fisheries. Fish‑based pet foods rose sharply as a result.
Premium and specialist diets
Grain‑free, hypoallergenic, raw, and veterinary diets saw the highest inflation of all. These products rely on niche ingredients and complex supply chains, making them extremely sensitive to global shocks.
How Rural Scotland Makes All This Worse
In the Highlands and Islands, the same categories that rose nationally become even more expensive because of structural rural disadvantages:
Long transport distances increase per‑unit logistics costs.
Fewer competing retailers mean weaker price pressure.
Smaller stores stock fewer value lines and more mid‑range or premium brands.
Heavy goods like tins and bulk kibble carry a "distance penalty" that urban shoppers never see.
A wet food pouch that rose 20–25% nationally can easily rise 30% or more by the time it reaches Wick, Thurso, Ullapool, or Skye.
Tesco, Co‑op, and Pets at Home: What’s Happening on the Shelf
Tesco
Tesco shows the clearest pattern: wet foods and premium brands have risen most. Rural Tesco branches often carry fewer budget lines, so Highland shoppers feel the increases more sharply. Clubcard pricing helps, but the baseline is still higher than in the central belt.
Co‑op
Co‑op is consistently the most expensive of the three. Its smaller rural stores stock limited ranges, often skewed toward mid‑range and premium products. With fewer bulk options and higher logistics costs, Co‑op shoppers see some of the steepest rises of all.
Pets at Home
Pets at Home specialises in premium and specialist diets — the categories that rose fastest. In the Highlands, Pets at Home Inverness is often the only source for veterinary or hypoallergenic diets, leaving shoppers with no cheaper alternative. These products saw the largest inflation across the entire sector.
What This Means for Highland Households
The combined effect is a triple squeeze:
The categories that rose most nationally are the ones most common in rural stores.
Transport and logistics add a rural premium on top of national inflation.
Limited competition means fewer low‑cost alternatives.
For many households in Caithness, Sutherland, and the wider Highlands, pet food has become a significant and unavoidable cost, rising faster than many other essentials.