One of the largest food companies in the world, BRF has a team of nutritionists responsible for developing balanced feeds to be produced in the 21 factories, which supply integrated producers that raise poultry and pigs and also the pet market, today one of the main avenues growth of the Company in the coming years presented in the Vision 2030 plan, released in December last year. These professionals, who work in units in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Mato Grosso, Goiás and Minas Gerais, prepare the special feed formulations for each type of animal, according to their growth stages, according to the manager of Animal Nutrition, Marcus Reginatto.
One of the factories, located in Francisco Beltrão, in Paraná, is totally dedicated to the production of special feeds for dogs and cats and a commercial line for stores specializing in agriculture with feeds for rabbits, quails, horses, birds, pigs, fish and cattle. In the case of pets, it produces the Balance, Bonos and Supper lines, which bring high quality nutritional aspects to their market categories. This factory is accompanied by veterinarian and nutritionist Dalton Casaletti.
“Recently, we presented a line of dry food for puppies, adults and neutered cats, with formulation prepared by a team of specialists”, highlights Casaletti. The new line also brings essential benefits for animals, such as the perfect balance of minerals in its composition, which helps in maintaining urinary pH, reducing the formation of kidney stones and crystals, in addition to selected ingredients that help in the control of hair balls. which can cause vomiting and gastric discomfort due to licking. “The goal is to continue in this line, bringing more products, innovation, expanding the portfolio and, mainly, increasing production”, he points out.
BRF has agreements with universities and research institutions to carry out food performance tests, where they are evaluated from the palatability and digestibility of the ingredients used to comparisons with the competitors’ products. “The tests are part of R&D (research and development). It is not just making a formula and producing. The studies take months to launch a new product ”, explains nutrition specialist Dalton Casaletti. “Good food starts with good ingredients. It is necessary to have all this development and make sure that the companies supply them to the factories to have the necessary quality according to BRF standards ”.
BRF’s Pet Food Director, Vladmir Maganhoto, says that cat guardians are increasingly attentive to their pets’ food, precisely because they know the peculiarities that surround the universe of felines, such as urinary tract problems, obesity and choking and the taste requirement. “Faced with these concerns and to help improve the lives of the 27 million cats in Brazil, Balance has developed a premium line of cat food that comes with the proposal to meet all these needs, in addition to being healthy and rich in nutrients”, highlights.
As BRF CEO Lorival Luz anticipated, when presenting the plan Our Vision 2030, Brazil is already the second market in the world in pet food, behind the United States. Luz projects a growth in the offer of products and a perspective with the potential to triple in the next nine years, with the Company being the protagonist in this area. “We want to be leaders in this business, primarily in Brazil”, stresses Lorival Luz.
