ADM 2026: 62% of dog owners switch over the ingredient list — private label is eating into national brands

Two signals in this year's pet food industry are worth reading together.

**Signal one: consumers switch food over the ingredient list.** ADM's *2026 Private Label Pet Market Report* notes that about **62% of dog owners globally** say the **ingredient list** — not brand heritage — is the top reason they switch. The report puts it plainly: "Quality and affordability are no longer opposing forces; they are expectations that must coexist."

**Signal two: Chinese co-manufacturers are upgrading.** A mid-sized contract manufacturer in Henan, for example, now generates over $140M in annual revenue, exports to 45 countries and regions, and makes products for 300+ brands. Foreign coverage describes these plants moving "from contract manufacturing to technical partners" — no longer just producing to order, but participating in formula, process and compliance.

What these two signals mean together

1. **Brand moats are thinning.** When consumers stop paying a premium for "the big brand" and turn the bag around themselves, the window for new brands built on formula and value-for-money is widening.

2. **Competition is back on the manufacturing side.** Whether fresh-meat ratio, process parameters and batch consistency can be delivered steadily decides whether a brand survives the repurchase cycle — exactly what leading co-manufacturers are investing in.

3. **Private label is scaling.** Citing Fortune Business Insights, Packaging World projects the global pet food processing market at roughly $10.39 billion by 2034, with private label and contract processing as major growth engines.

Practical takeaways for new brands

• **Don't spend the whole budget on front-of-pack copy** — consumers flip to the back faster than you expect;
• when choosing a co-manufacturer, prioritize whether it can turn the ingredient list into a real, verifiable promise rather than a good story;
• leading Chinese co-manufacturers already have export-grade formula and compliance capability; a "domestic cost, international standard" combination is a realistic path for value-focused new brands.

Bottom line

Consumers vote with the ingredient list, and manufacturing speaks with batch records. **The next round of pet brand competition is not in marketing language — it is in who can consistently make what the ingredient list claims.**