Sainsbury’s warns shoppers about a national pet food shortage

SAINSBURY'S shoppers are being warned about a national shortage on dog and cat food pouches.

The supermarket said it was trying to resolve the issue but warned it would be "ongoing" throughout 2021.

The supermarket is yet to confirm which brands are affected, but said canned and dry options are still available.

Sainsbury's told The Sun demand for food is higher after more pets were bought in the past year following lockdown.

Shoppers have vented about the shortage on Twitter, with journalist Owen Jones saying: "Cat is less than impressed to learn of national pet food pouch shortage.

"No explanation about why it’s happened or why @sainsburys expects this to be ongoing through the year. Anyone know? #pouchgate".

While another added: "I just had an email from Sainsbury’s apologising for the shortage of cat and dog food pouches (which we’ve had problems buying this year) and they expect it to last all year!

"What has happened to all the pet food pouches? Not the tins you’ll notice…"

And a third wrote: "Email from Sainsbury's about national shortage of pet food pouches, probably ongoing through the year.

"Sorry cats, your world may change somewhat."

In an email to 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. We think the issue will be ongoing through the year, but we hope to get them back onto shelves as quickly as possible."

The supermarket told The Sun it was seeing "an increased demand for pet food pouches" and was "working hard to maintain stock levels".

Sainsbury's website currently lists cat and dog pouches by popular brands such as Sheba, Whiskas, Felix, Cesar and Pedigree, but it warned "some products might become unavailable".

Meanwhile, Tesco told The Sun its sales have been particularly high for branded cat food pouches over the past year, but said it's worked closely with suppliers to meet customer demand across its stores.

A spokesperson for Morrisons said it's "feeling the impact" of increasing demand.

It added: "We're working closely with our suppliers who are investing in increasing their capacity and we may not have full availability for several months.

"That being said, we do have enough stock to support all our customers and their new pets and so there is no need for people to buy more than they need."

The Sun has also asked Asda whether it's experiencing similar problems, and we'll update this article once we hear back.

In June last year, pet scams had increased by over 400% as crooks targeted those desperate for a furry friend in lockdown.

Meanwhile, Pedigree and Chappie dog foods were recently recalled over fears they could contain dangerous levels of vitamin D.

From sweet-tooth cats to puppies eating stones — our expert answers your pet queries.