Pets take a bite out of the food market

Pets can chow down on specialist soup, popcorn and beer. Nuala Woulfe scratches the surface of the gourmet pet food industry

Picture the scene; it’s the weekend, you’re having a beer and so is your pooch, you both snack on a hot dog then break out the popcorn, the dog has some too and you finish off with individual big bars of chocolate and settle down to watch some TV.

Or maybe you come home and your darling cat greets you and you rustle her up some gourmet soup or treat her to some cat casserole. Today’s pets, like humans, can even avail of lactose-free milk and gluten-free products.