Pokémon food is a broad term used for almost any food a Pokémon eats. Despite the variety of both Pokémon and Pokémon food, nearly every Pokémon will eat any kind of Pokémon food. This may mean that the majority of Pokémon are omnivorous.

In the games

Standard Pokémon games

Bait

First introduced in the Generation I games and used in the Safari Zone, this food will make a wild Pokémon less likely to run away but more difficult to catch. An unlimited supply of Bait is provided for use in the Safari Zone.

Berries

Main article: Berries

First introduced in the Generation II games, berries are a type of item which, unlike Potions or Vitamins, are portrayed as food rather than Medicine. A Pokémon may hold this item and, if needed, eat it during a battle to heal itself or cause other effects.

Pokéblocks

Main article: Pokéblock

First introduced in the Generation III games, Pokéblocks are a type of candy which are blended from berries and given to a Pokémon to raise its condition in several areas. The flavor, level, and feel of the Pokéblock is determined by the ingredients which compose it and how well it is blended.

A Pokémon can only eat a certain number of Pokéblocks before it is full and cannot eat any more. The lower the feel of the Pokéblock, the less it fills the Pokémon up, and the more Pokéblocks a Pokémon can eat.

Pokéblocks can also be put on a feeder in the Safari Zone to lure wild Pokémon out. After being there for a while, however, the Pokéblock will eventually be eaten. It can also be used in encounters in the Safari Zone in the same manner as bait.

Poffins

Main article: Poffin

First introduced in Generation IV, Poffins are similar to Pokéblocks. A Poffin will raise the the condition of a Pokémon in at least one of five categories: Smart, Cute, Tough, Beauty, and Cool. The flavor and feel of a Poffin is still taken into account just as in a Pokéblock. The main difference is that Poffins are pastries and Pokéblocks are candy.

Other Pokémon games

Apples

In Pokémon Snap, one of the few items provided is Pokémon Food. This is an unlimited supply of apples which Todd can throw to the wild Pokémon. Many Pokémon will happily eat the food, and it can be used to lure them to a new spot since they may walk to where the food was thrown. A well-aimed throw may also hit the Pokémon with the apple, causing them to flinch or become upset.

Professor Oak will provide Todd with Pokémon Food after he obtains a total score of 14,000 points in the Pokémon Report.

PokéSnacks

These are used in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness to lure wild Pokémon to PokéSpots. They look like a slice of a yellow cake, with each slice being one-tenth of the cake. Up to ten can be placed at each PokéSpot.

The P*DA monitors the PokéSnacks at each PokéSpot, and will inform Michael how many are at each PokéSpot and when a wild Pokémon is eating them. If Michael doesn't return to the PokéSpot quickly, the wild Pokémon may eat all the PokéSnacks he had there.

Sometimes a Munchlax will appear at a PokéSpot. When this happens, its trainer will arrive, apologize, and give ten new PokéSnacks for any the Munchlax may have eaten.

Food and Gummis

Main article: Food and Gummis

There are a variety of different kinds of Pokémon food in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. Examples include various types of gummis (Gold, Green, Black), and other foods such as Berries and apples. Gummis have an effect on your IQ, while apples fill up your tummy. Berries cause many effects, such as healing your HP and stats. All food will have a small effect on your stomach as well.

In the anime

Pokémon food has appeared in the anime as early as Clefairy and the Moon Stone as a sort of kibble. Several Pokémon Trainers will make their own, especially Pokémon Breeders like Brock. The flavor is not always agreeable with humans, as shown by the fact that Seymour was able to eat it without any problem, but Ash tried some and reacted badly. Good Pokémon food tastes great to Pokémon, however.

Brock often offers Pokémon food to try and gain a Pokémon's trust, such as a baby Stantler in Little Big Horn, and a Mudkip in A Mudkip Mission which he caught after befriending. Most Pokémon are extremely fond of his food, with the exception of a Jigglypuff in Rough, Tough Jigglypuff which outright refused it.

Pokémon are also known to eat rice balls in the anime. In fact, some Pokémon, such as Madame Muchmoney's Snubbull, loved to eat them more than anything else.

Eating other Pokémon

In the original Pokémon games and concept, it seems that most Pokémon were more animal-like. As such, wild Pokémon were originally portrayed as eating one another by some sources, in a very animal-like prey-predator system; for example, on the Official Pokémon Handbook's entry for Pidgeot, it is said that "When they hunt, Pidgeot fly on the surface of the water at top speed to catch unsuspecting Fish element prey like Magikarp." The Handbook also lists Golbat as drinking the blood of its enemies, not just the 'energy' it uses when referring to Leech Life in Zubat's entry.

However, this theme does not seem to have been explored in the anime or the games; it seems the closest thing is found in attacks that steal an opponent's HP. This may be because of moral issues; as the anime and games progress, Pokémon seem to be growing more human, with personalities etc., and so such behaviour might be too close to cannibalism.

This item article is part of Project ItemDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all items.