Diamond Naturals—if you’ve bought pet food recently, you might’ve noticed their products missing from the shelves. Not just your local pet store, but online too. A lot of pet owners have been asking the same question: what’s going on? It’s more than a fluke, and both retailers and customers are feeling the pinch.
So, why exactly are Diamond Naturals out of stock all the time lately? Let’s lay out what’s happening, who’s affected, and what you can expect over the next couple of years.
Supply Chain Problems in Real Time
Everything starts with the supply chain. Diamond Pet Foods, the company behind Diamond Naturals, hasn’t been shy about it. They’ve told customers directly that, yeah, some retailers are flat out of your pet’s favorite recipe for now. It isn’t a secret—they admit it in their statements online and in stores. This is hitting both dry kibble and canned food.
A major culprit behind this has been trouble actually getting the needed supplies. Parts of their supply chain are stretched. That means the factories don’t always have enough of what they need to keep production moving smoothly. If any of the materials or ingredients are late or short, finished products can’t reach store shelves.
The Canned Food Squeeze
Canned food has its own set of problems. While kibble is hard to find, canned options seem even scarcer. The company points to their supplier, stating that their canned food provider simply hasn’t been able to keep up with the orders. They get shipments in, but they’re small batches—definitely not enough to match demand.
If you’re one of those pet owners who prefer wet food for your dog or cat, you’ve probably had a tougher time finding the cans. Retailers say the same thing. They’re getting small deliveries and running out fast, sometimes within hours.
Demand That Caught Up With Supply
Pet food is one of those things people don’t want to gamble with. When customers find a formula their pet likes, they stick with it. Turns out, Diamond Naturals has become increasingly popular in the last few years. More people switched over, either due to recommendations or after trying a sample. Social media and pet forums are full of people singing its praises.
The result is a demand surge. Suddenly, the number of bags and cans moving off shelves went up—faster than Diamond’s ability to meet it. When demand spikes this quickly, and the infrastructure isn’t ready, shelves can stay empty for weeks. It’s a classic case of good products exceeding the company’s own expectations.
Company Response: Plans for the Future
Diamond Pet Foods isn’t just letting the situation continue. They’ve started constructing a whole new manufacturing plant, which is expected to go live in 2025. Their own words? This new facility will help them provide even more food for their “growing Diamond family.”
Why does this matter to you? When this plant opens, Diamond Naturals should finally be able to make enough product, both dry and wet, to meet the demand. Until then, though, supply will likely stay limited. They’re keeping retailers up to date, but there’s only so much product to go around until they finish the build.
Looking Back: Past Supply Disruptions
This isn’t Diamond Naturals’ first brush with shortages. If you look back to 2012, there was a major disruption that made headlines in the pet world. The Gaston, South Carolina facility, which produced a big chunk of Diamond’s products, temporarily stopped all shipments. It followed some quality concerns in one batch of their Lamb Meal and Rice Adult formula.
That was a different problem—focused more on safety and quality than on raw supply and demand. But the impact felt similar: empty shelves, anxious pet owners, store staff fielding lots of calls. It goes to show how sensitive the whole supply chain is, and how quickly disruptions can travel from a single plant to national retailers.
There have also been a few recalls over the years, mostly due to potential contamination issues. While necessary, each one forced the company to pull bags and cans back from stores, leaving gaps in availability and shaking up their schedule for a while. Any big changes—whether new rules, new suppliers, or a safety process—can affect how much product you see in your cart.
What to Do If You Can’t Find Diamond Naturals
If you’re the kind of pet parent who doesn’t have three extra bags at home, it can be stressful when your brand vanishes. What can you do while things get sorted out? There’s some practical advice you can try:
First, keep tabs on your usual stores. Walk in if you can, or better yet, call ahead—retailers sometimes know if a shipment’s expected or if they just got a restock. Some stores even keep lists of customers to call when new inventory arrives.
Second, check online retailers frequently. Websites update their stock often, but new shipments into places like Chewy or Amazon can sell out in a few hours. If you’re set on a certain variety, act fast when you spot it back in stock.
You might also want to follow pet food forums and community Facebook groups. People often share when and where they spot products, so you might get lucky with a tip from someone local.
Last, the company recommends patience—easier said than done, but they are working on it. If you must switch brands temporarily, try to transition your pet’s food slowly to avoid upsetting their digestive system.
The Company’s Message and What’s Next
Diamond Pet Foods has been direct about the inconvenience. They know it’s frustrating when your pet’s food is out of stock. They send out apologies via email, on their website, and through customer service reps in stores.
They’ve basically asked for some runway until the new facility is up and running. The good news is that, once the plant is open, there should be plenty of Diamond Naturals to go around again.
For now, shortages are likely to remain a reality for many retailers and online shops. It’s not ideal, but it’s not permanent either. If you’re affected, or running a small local pet store, you’re not alone. Stores large and small are all dealing with the same headaches, waiting for things to settle down.
As you work through the coming months, you might want to stay informed, swap tips with fellow pet owners, and consider following business news sites like Start Business Story for any updates in the pet food supply industry.
Final Thoughts: Just Rolling With It
If you’re a Diamond Naturals customer, you’re probably already in “check every aisle” mode. Empty spots on the shelf mean you have to get creative—and persistent—until things right themselves. The company is ramping up production, and help is on the way.
For now, patience is key. Try your best to keep in touch with your favorite stores, grab bags and cans when you find them, and ask for updates if you’re unsure about restocks. It’s all you can do until Diamond’s new facility delivers the boost everyone’s waiting for.
Hopefully, with the company’s expansion underway, you won’t have to chase down your pet’s food for much longer. That’s the real story, straight from people dealing with it every day—supply chain mess, growing demand, and a company that knows it has some catching up to do.
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