Pet food and pet supplies: comparing value at Australian supermarkets

Pet food is a recurring line item

For many households, dog or cat food sits alongside human groceries as a weekly or monthly repeat purchase. Small differences in price per kilo or per pouch compound over a year—so unit comparison matters as much as it does for rice or mince.

This page is shopping and budgeting information only. Diet choices for animals with health conditions belong with your vet, not with a price-comparison article.

Dry food: normalise to price per kilo

Bags often jump between 2 kg, 8 kg and 15 kg weights. The shelf tag’s price per 100 g or per kg is the fastest honest comparison—assuming the life stage (puppy, adult, senior) and formula are appropriate for your pet. Do not downgrade nutrition to chase a cheaper bag unless your vet agrees.

Wet food: per tin, per tray or per 100 g

Multipacks bundle tins or pouches in ways that obscure the true per-serve cost. Compare:

• Total grams of food in the pack divided by price
• Whether “gravy” style packs dilute nutritional density for your animal’s needs (vet guidance applies)

Treats, litter and accessories

Treats are discretionary; comparing per 100 g avoids oversized “value” jars that your pet never finishes before staleness. Kitty litter differs by type (clumping, crystal, recycled)—within one type compare per kilo or per litre as labelled.

Supermarket vs specialty pet retailers

Supermarkets can win on promotions for mainstream brands; specialty stores sometimes win on bulk bags, prescription diets, or niche formulas. Use supermarkets for price anchors, then decide whether a separate trip pays off using the same logic as multi-store shopping.

Search tip

Stable dry-food SKUs with clear weights are good candidates for a search before you haul a heavy bag. Always confirm the same formula and weight at checkout—brands release “new recipe” bags that are not always interchangeable.

Trust

Prices and pack sizes change. Your pet’s needs come first; price tools second.