Loblaw reformulates PC Nutrition First and prices it against specialty retail

Canadian grocer Loblaw said on October 7th, 2026 that its reformulated PC Nutrition First dry dog and cat food is veterinarian-formulated and costs up to 40% less per 100g than select comparable foods at pet specialty retailers. The 40% is the company's own figure, and a chart in the release compares PC Nutrition First with Purina Pro Plan, Blue Buffalo and Royal Canin.

Loblaw reformulates store-brand kibble and targets specialty prices

The company says the recipes list real meat as the first ingredient and leave out artificial flavours, synthetic colours, animal by-products, corn, wheat and soy. Every recipe includes prebiotics and probiotics, and some add DHA or antioxidants aimed at cognitive health.

The range spans life stages, breeds and sizes, with options for sensitive stomachs, skin and coat, weight management and oral care. Select recipes are grain-free. It sells at participating Loblaw banner stores across Canada and online.

April Preston, the company's senior vice president for control brand, product management and innovation, said in the release that "great pet care comes down to quality, taste, and simplicity." The release does not name the veterinarian or describe any feeding trial, so the formulation claim rests on the company's word alone.

The 40% claim depends on which brands count

The headline number is price, and the chart names the brands. It lists average regular retail prices per 100g, valid as of August 2026: $0.57 for PC Nutrition First, $0.84 for Blue Buffalo Tastefuls (cat) and Life Protection Formula (dog), $1.09 for Purina Pro Plan and $1.46 for Royal Canin Health Nutrition. Loblaw says it collected the prices from a national sample of stores and online retailers.

By our math, those figures put PC Nutrition First 32% below Blue Buffalo, 48% below Purina Pro Plan and 61% below Royal Canin. Against the $1.13 average of the three, it is about 50% cheaper. Only the Blue Buffalo gap comes in under 40%, and the release does not explain why its headline says "up to 40%" when its own chart shows bigger gaps. The chart also compares three premium labels, not the whole specialty shelf, and it is marked "for educational use only."

Loblaw's own shelf offers a rougher check. On the Real Canadian Superstore listings we retrieved on October 7th, 2026, a 14 kg bag of chicken, brown rice and pea dog food is C$55 and a 7 kg bag of the chicken, brown rice and pea adult recipe is C$32 before tax. The page lists them as separate products, so this is a same-protein check and not a matched pair. By our math that is about C$3.93 a kilogram against C$4.57, so the bigger bag is roughly 14% cheaper per kilo. The salmon, rice and pea cat food is C$25 for 4 kg, or C$6.25 a kilogram, against C$14 for 2 kg, or C$7, about 11% less.

Those are bag-size discounts inside one line, and they say nothing about the 40% claim. The same page lists a national brand, Purina ONE lamb and rice, at C$53.99 for 14 kg on a subscription price, about C$3.86 a kilogram. That is a different recipe at a subscription price, so treat it as a snapshot. It does show a national brand priced close to the PC bag inside Loblaw's own store.

Grocery private label is coming for the vet-formulated shelf

Other mass retailers have launched veterinary-positioned lines. Walmart carries a non-prescription clinical line called Dr. Pol Clinical Nutrition, announced on May 1st, 2026 and sold only there. None of its formulas require veterinary authorization to buy. In our read, Loblaw is taking a similar route with a house brand and no named veterinarian.

Brand owners are also moving toward the big shelves. In August, Mighty Paw became the third direct-to-consumer treat brand we have tracked crossing into mass retail since May.

If we had to guess, the pressure lands first on Blue Buffalo. It is the cheapest rival in Loblaw's chart, and the chart says it also sells in select Loblaw stores, so the two compete on the same shelf. Operators should ask for any trial data behind the formulas, and for sell-through numbers once the new recipes have been on shelf for a quarter.

Loblaw's own chart makes a stronger price case than its headline does, but only against the three brands it picked.

Source: Loblaw Companies Limited via GlobeNewswire