Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s is set to take on the £430 million healthy and hypoallergenic pet food market with the launch this month of its Hypoallergenic Range.

The retailer said the range, part of a wider investment in the pet aisles, has been created to cater for UK cats and dogs with food allergies or intolerances.

Available in stores from the end of January, Lucy Taylor, product developer for pets at Sainsbury’s, said this represents the biggest investment the retailer has ever made in its pet food range.

Ms Taylor said creating a range that is without grains and other common allergens enables customers to feed their pets with confidence.

She said: “As our customers become more aware of the ingredients in the food they eat, we’ve also seen a shift in buying habits within the pet food market. Our development focus has been to offer a nutritionally-sound product range to satisfy the numerous pet dietary needs – something we’ve identified as increasingly important to pet owners.

“Responding to this emerging trend, we’ve removed artificial colours and flavours across our pet food ranges and introduced recipes made without grain, wheat and other common allergens. The work we’ve done in the pet aisle makes this type of specialist pet nutrition more accessible, offering products that are not only more widely available, but also more affordable.”