• New research from James Wellbeloved ¹, part of the Mars, Incorporated family of brands, reveals 79 per cent of dog owners take as much care with what they serve up to their four-legged friend as they do with their own meals - but many don’t realise that the journey of their dog’s food begins long before it reaches their bowl.
• To highlight the critical role of soil, James Wellbeloved unveiled a 15-foot giant mucky pup sculpture named Ellie in central London - with Ellie’s playful stance reflecting how soil makes dogs happy on the outside while also representing the four football fields of healthy soil degraded every second globally³.

LONDON, April 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Mars, Incorporated a global leader in pet care products and services, releases new research through its James Wellbeloved brand which uncovers that UK dog owners care deeply about their pets' nutrition, but many don’t realise that the journey of their dog’s food begins long before it reaches their bowl.²  

8 in 10 UK dog owners (79%) say they put as much thought into their pet’s diet as their own, yet only a quarter (26%) say they have a high level of understanding as to where their dog’s food comes from.

The new research, surveying UK dog owners, revealed:

• Half (51%) say their pets love playing in soil, yet the same number (49%) don’t realise that “healthy soil is critical for growing high-quality ingredients³”
• Over half (51%) say they have limited or no understanding of the connection between farming practices and the food their dog eats
• Over a quarter (26%) don’t view soil as important to the quality of their pet’s food
• 7 in 10 (72%) want to better understand where their dog’s food comes from
  

Despite this, almost all UK dog owners (91%) say the ingredients are an important factor in influencing them to purchase food for their pet, and 8 in 10 are more likely to buy food if they know it contains natural ingredients – 52% even research ingredients before purchasing. Nutritional value is another top priority for 39% of dog owners when shopping for pet food, followed by a trusted brand (25%). With experts estimating that 90% of soil could be degraded globally by 2050⁴, meaning a deterioration in the soil’s quality and diminished capacity to support life such as plants. This deep interest from dog owners in their pet’s nutrition can play a key role in raising awareness around soil health.

To highlight the critical role of soil, James Wellbeloved unveiled a 15-foot giant mucky pup sculpture named Ellie in central London – with Ellie’s playful stance reflecting how soil makes dogs happy on the outside while also representing the four football fields of healthy soil degraded every second globally³.

The sculpture follows the launch of James Wellbeloved’s Beloved Soil Initiative earlier this year, a regenerative agriculture pilot developed in collaboration with experts, Agrii and Soil Association Exchange, which in its first year will partner with three farmers forming part of our supply chain producing oats and barley. Through financial incentives, education programmes and tailored training the pilot aims to help the farmers to adopt regenerative farming practices, such as crop diversification and restoring hedgerows which can contribute to improved soil health and provide shelter for wildlife.

Melodie Nye, Chief Growth Officer, Mars Pet Nutrition Europe commented: 'We’re proud to be building on the launch of our Beloved Soil Initiative – we know pet parents care deeply about their pets' well-being, and we want to use this passion to help inspire more awareness and consideration for the essential role of soil. By embarking on our regenerative agriculture pilot, we are beginning to help support farmers to restore and protect soil and highlighting this initiative is an important part of our journey.”  

Joseph Gridley, Chief Executive Officer, Soil Association Exchange, added: 'At Soil Association Exchange, we know that the health of our soil underpins the quality of our food – whether it’s feeding people or our pets. Through the Beloved Soil Initiative, we’re proud to support farmers in adopting regenerative practices and verifying the impact of these changes on soil health, biodiversity, and resilience. It’s great to see James Wellbeloved using its platform to raise awareness of soil’s vital role, and we’re excited to collaborate on this journey towards a healthier future for our soils and our food systems.'

For more information on the mucky pup sculpture and James Wellbeloved’s Beloved Soil Initiative and regenerative agriculture journey, please visit here.

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED   

Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a $50bn+ family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’S®, SNICKERS® and BEN’S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles — Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom — inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.  

ABOUT “SOIL: The World at Our Feet” exhibition at Somerset House

Within the exhibition, SOIL: The World at Our Feet in the Embankment Galleries in Somerset House, Mars has supported the In-Focus zones. The exhibition is on until 13 April 2025.

ABOUT SOIL ASSOCIATION EXCHANGE

Soil Association Exchange measures the environmental impact of a farm operation and provides expert advice and funding to help farmers be more sustainable and profitable. Working with The Beloved Soil Initiative it is providing:

• Programme design consultation
• Baseline measurement of the farms involved using a holistic methodology across 40 metrics.
• Re-measurement to demonstrate environmental improvements
• Farmer educational support via events and digitally
• Farmer access to a digital platform including farm habitat map, benchmarking and environmental data
  

1 The research was conducted by Censuswide, with 2,082 dog owners across the UK (aged 16+) between 24.02.2025 – 04.03.2025. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles. Censuswide are also members of the British Polling Council.
2 The research was conducted by Censuswide, with 2,082 dog owners across the UK (aged 16+) between 24.02.2025 – 04.03.2025. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles. Censuswide are also members of the British Polling Council.
3 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Healthy Soils are the basis for healthy food.” (2015). Linked here.   
⁴ Soil Association, “Saving Our Soils; Healthy Soils For our Climate, Nature and Health.” (2021) Linked here.

Contact:

Anna Graus
JamesWellbeloved@edelman.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2e00bea6-8240-401b-98ce-354be2fc187f

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6ab053ad-bf45-411e-8f79-134ba797d498