Interzoo 2012 has ended, with 1,539 companies from 53 countries exhibiting and more than 37,000 people from 115 countries visiting -- and petfood products galore.
While the number of exhibitors and and exhibit space were records, the number of visitors to the show in Nuremberg, Germany, decreased slightly. But most petfood exhibitors I talked with were happy with the show traffic and number of leads or amount of business they received from the show.
And there were plenty of petfoods and treats on displays. Among the highlights:
- The first high meat level dry petfoods are hitting the market, with levels claimed up to 80 or 85%.
- Grain-free is now not just a US phenomenon; it has "jumped the Atlantic," as one US petfood representative remarked.
- Private label petfood manufacturers were abundant -- perhaps not a surprise given that sales of private label products keep rising in Western Europe and other regions. (Another factor is that the large Private Label Manufacturers Association show is happening next week in a country neighboring Germany, in Amsterdam.) What was notable is the number of countries these companies are based in, from Singapore to Ukraine, Netherlands to Romania, Italy to Serbia. Most of these companies offer their own brands -- including some with high market share in their home countries -- in addition to private label products.
- These private label products were for nearly all species of pets, including birds and small mammals, which are much more popular in Europe than in the US.
Watch for videos from Interzoo on www.petfoodindustry.com soon. Meanwhile, mark your calendar for Interzoo 2014, May 29-June 14. It's fun to imagine what will be trending in petfood by then.
