Kibble remained king of dog food in a survey of 40,367 dog owners conducted from January 2, 2020, to December 31, 2022. The preference for kibble persists across income levels, education and geographic locations, or even when recent diet changes had occurred. However, human demographics were correlated to the use of dog food types other than kibble. The surveyed dog owners were participants in the Dog Aging Project, and scientists at Texas A&M University and Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine analyzed their responses.
“Demographic variables are associated with statistically significant differences in diet types selected,” the researchers wrote in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Income: Kibble remains the staple regardless of income, with 81% to 85% consistency. However, owners earning $180,000 or more were slightly more inclined toward commercial raw diets.
Age: Older owners tended to diversify beyond kibble, favoring canned, freeze-dried, and home-cooked diets. In contrast, younger owners (ages 18-24) overwhelmingly preferred kibble (91%).
Education: While education level generally did not influence diet choice, specific trends emerged. Owners with some college or trade education were more likely to feed home-cooked or commercial raw diets, though these differences were minimal.
Location: Regional differences were notable. Dogs in rural areas were more likely to consume home raw diets, while commercial raw diets were more prevalent in urban settings. Kibble was less popular in coastal states compared to inland areas.
Kibble as primary dog food
The majority of survey participants fed kibble as their dog’s primary format with 82% (33,164). This far surpassed other options, including home-cooked meals (4%), canned food (4%), commercial raw diets (4%), home-prepared raw (2%), freeze-dried (2%) and semidry diets (1%). Although kibble was the main dish, 35% of owners supplement their dog’s diet. Canned food led this category (32%), followed by home-cooked meals (21%) and additional kibble (17%). Grain-free diets were reported in 40% of dogs, with no significant variations across income levels. Organic diets, however, were fed to only 20% of dogs, again showing little correlation with income.
Approximately 27% of owners reported a recent diet change, but the shift largely remained within similar proportions. Kibble still accounted for 79% of new diets. Reasons for changes varied, with brand switching (26%), stopping grain-free diets (17%) and health conditions (16%) topping the list. Other factors included life-stage adjustments and addressing dietary allergies. Although diets may have changed, feeding times did not. Regardless of dog food type, 89% of owners maintained a consistent feeding routine, while only 10% allow some variety, and a mere 1% report no consistency at all.
While kibble endures as the most popular form of dog food, pet owner demographics may influence potential sales of canned, raw and other dog food formats.