During Petfood Forum 2018, speakers shared insights into everything from pet food ingredient trends, dog evolution, palatability trials, consumer demands and more.

Coverage from Petfood Forum 2018

1. Dogs likely evolved to eat cooked meat and carbohydrates

Dog foods marketed as replicating wolves’ raw meat diets may actually satisfy human fantasies more than dogs’ dietary needs, said one scientist.

2. Infographic: What do pet parents want from their pet food?

Research finds quality and finding food that pets like are very important to consumers

3. 2 scientific techniques for dog food palatability testers

Duke University professor Brian Hare, PhD, believes the testing methods that he uses could be adapted to palatability testing.

4. Small dogs prefer large kibble in palatability tests

AFB International scientists found in palatability trials that every body size of dogs preferred large kibble over small and medium sized pieces.

5. 5 techniques for new pet food product validation

During one of the sessions at Petfood Innovation Workshop, representatives from AFB International discussed five techniques a company can use in validation of a new pet food or treat.

6. How the pet food industry is leveraging new technologies

The power of technology is enabling the pet food industry to be more transparent and helpful to customers.

7. Convincing buyers of pet food nutrition may drive growth

Nutritional-value promotion may be key area where the pet food industry has room to improve and expand.

8. Using HPP to produce clean-label raw pet foods

High-pressure processing is an effective method for creating a safe, healthy raw pet food and can help pet food companies avoid recalls to protect their reputations.

9. Studying alternative ingredients for pet food applications

During the nutrition educational track at Petfood Forum 2018, two presentations highlighted the need for alternative pet food ingredient research.

10. 3 functional foods moving into pet food from human trends

During Petfood Forum 2018, attendees learned about three functional ingredients that are moving from human foods into pet foods and treats.

11. Transparency is opportunity for pet food companies to educate

Petfood Forum speaker says companies need to get their information out to consumers to gain trust.

12. How to formulate, launch new pet food and treats

Developing new pet food and treats requires a large investment in both time and money, so a number of factors should be taken into account before launching a new product, Petfood Workshop attendees learned.

13. 5 ways to succeed in pet food product innovation

Pet food companies may benefit from focusing on these five key aspects of new product development.

14. Pet food ingredients: What’s hot and getting hotter?

Did you know that honey is an up-and-coming ingredient, with sales of dog foods containing honey growing 72 percent from March 2017 to 2018?