He added: “Scratch-cooking pet food is not an option for most consumers because it takes time, skill and knowledge to produce a well-balanced meal.”
Ocado pet food buyer, Meri La Bella, said the supermarket believes frozen food is the “next big thing” in the pet industry.
“With the launch of the Ted’s Bowl range, our most precious family pets can enjoy more choice and variety in what they eat.
“The convenience of high-quality frozen ready meals that can be microwaved straight from the freezer is very appealing, and we think they’re the next big thing in pet food.
“Pets today are often seen as just another member of the family and for some owners, that means finding new ways to boost the taste, variety and nutrition of what they offer at times of food.”
The meals cost between £4.49-£4.59 for 300g, and each is packed in a fully recyclable container.
The frozen ready meals are the latest in a series of luxury cat and dog foods competing with the likes of Lily’s Kitchen and Felix, amid changing attitudes to pets after the pandemic.
Vegan pet food, and owners putting their dogs on plant-based diets, has become popular in recent years, with brands like Lily’s and Butternut Box in demand.
However, the vegan dog food market has received criticism for being unsuitable for dogs, which are descendants of wolves and arguably require meat in their diet.
‘Humanization’ of pets
Data from market research company Mintel last year also suggested that owners are increasingly turning to home-cooked pet food over store-bought varieties.
In the company’s annual pet food report, a survey of more than 1,000 pet owners found that the number of people making their own pet food, from scratch or leftovers, increased by six percent – from 18 percent in 2020 to 24 percent in 2022.
During the same period, the number of people buying pet food, either online or in stores, dropped from 94 percent to 89 percent.
Mintel attributed the increase to the “humanization” of pets, especially in families, where owners want to feed them the same food they eat.
This change in attitudes towards pets’ diets can also be linked to rising veterinary bills, with research showing that the cost of insuring a pet has surpassed the cost of covering an entire home.
Annual home and contents insurance premiums have risen by 14pc over the past year to an average of £214.
But over the same period, average insurance premiums for a cat rose by more than 3pc to £214.20 a year, while cover for a dog reached £294 – both exceeding the cost of insuring a full house, figures from comparison website MoneySuperMarket show.
