PetSmart has formed the Healthy Pet Advisory Council, a group of experts that will support PetSmart’s efforts to serve the rapidly evolving industry of pet nutrition. The council will focus on three key areas: research, innovation and education.

“The goal of the council is to advance the health and wellness of pets across North America through pet nutrition research and innovation,” said Paul Hunt, PetSmart’s senior vice president of sourcing and product development, in a press release. “This research will help enhance PetSmart’s proprietary pet food formulations and educate pet parents in line with advances in pet nutritional science. We sought out some of the most innovative thought leaders in this area, including veterinarians, researchers and nutritionists to join our effort, and we look forward to providing new options for pets and pet parents in the future,” said Hunt.

Initial appointments to the council include:

• Joseph Wakshlag, DVM, PhD, associate professor, Section Chief of Clinical Nutrition at Cornell University;
• Kelly Swanson, PhD, professor of Comparative Animal Nutrition in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
• Tony Buffington, DVM, PhD, DACVN (emeritus), clinical professor, Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and emeritus professor of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University;
• Randy Johnson, PhD in Animal Nutrition;
• PetSmart consultants and associates who are experts in their fields of veterinary medicine, nutrition, research, regulations and food safety

What to expect from the Healthy Pet Advisory Council

The council will explore new ingredients and manufacturing technology to improve pet food formulations that provide optimal nutrition for pets. The council’s key findings will be applied to PetSmart’s proprietary pet food brands, including Authority, Simply Nourish, Grreat Choice and Dentley’s.

Education efforts will focus on PetSmart retail associates and pet parents to enhance their knowledge on crucial topics such as nutrition and ingredient functionality. The council will also launch an informative public website to keep pet parents up to date on pet nutrition and help them determine the best nutritional choices for their pets.

PetSmart's growing focus on pet nutrition 

In the fall of 2017, PetSmart announced the addition of its Pinnacle Pet Nutrition Shop in all new retail stores. The Pinnacle Pet Nutrition Shop is a separate retail space dedicated to pet nutrition. The shop features an expanded collection of pet food products offering high-protein, organic, natural, grain-free, minimally processed and/or raw pet food. These food types are the fastest growing in the overall pet food category, according to PetSmart