Though growth has slowed slightly for Chinese pet food companies, the domestic pet food production industry continues to expand and spur ongoing rise of this dynamic market. In 2018, the country’s total output of pet food was approximately 1.3 million metric tons, according to Wang Jinquan, Ph.D., associate professor with the Feed Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).
During Petfood Forum China 2019 on 20 August in Shanghai, Wang will present this information and other data on the domestic China pet food industry, plus the effects of new pet food regulations instituted in May 2018. Other speakers will suggest tips to help foreign pet food brands enter the Chinese market, the use of new social media by Chinese pet food brands, and the processing and nutritional benefits of novel ingredients such as egg, microalgae, yeast and new fibers.
Opportunities to network with pet food brands, suppliers
Petfood Forum China will take place at the Kerry Hotel, next door to the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, which will house Pet Fair Asia on 21-25 August. During the one-day conference on 20 August, attendees can network with other pet food professionals from China and throughout the world, along with leading suppliers in the pet food industry.
Pet Fair Asia (www.petfairasia.com) is a large and rapidly expanding pet trade show for the Chinese pet market and pet owners. In its 22nd edition in 2019, the show will have 14 halls with 180,000 square meters and 1,600 exhibitors, including an area featuring pet food and treat manufacturers from China and throughout the world.
Petfood Forum China 2019 schedule
As of press time, the following agenda, topics and speakers are planned:
8:30-9:30 Registration and check-in
9:30-9:40 Welcome
9:40-10:20 China pet food market update – executive from TMall International (tentative)
10:20-11:00 Update on China’s pet food production and the influence of new pet food regulations – Wang Jinquan, Ph.D., associate professor with the Feed Research Institute of CAAS, provides the latest data on the country’s pet food manufacturing facilities and production, and reports on the influences of new pet food regulations that took effect in May 2018.
11:00-11:40 Coffee break
11:40-12:20 Launching your pet food brand in China: strategies and tips for success – Jerel Kwek, co-founder and CEO of Addiction Pet Foods, offers practical insights for foreign brands to enter the Chinese market, covering topics such as adhering to product nutritional standards, registering products, meeting labeling standards and selecting marketing channels.
12:20-13:00 How egg products support all the latest trends in pet food nutrition, production and marketing – Will Henry, director of technology/R&D for Extru-Tech, and Ingmar Middelbos, Ph.D., senior technical services manager for IsoNova Technologies, share results of recent research studying egg-based ingredients, their nutritional benefits and processing efficacy and challenges.
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-14:40 Improving fecal health: what is the role of dietary fiber for cats and dogs? – Emma Bermingham, Ph.D., senior scientist with AgResearch, presents research looking at various novel, fibrous ingredients to understand their impacts on the composition and function of the gastrointestinal microbiome, fermentation end products and fecal health of cats and dogs.
14:40-15:20 How nutrients and dietary factors can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in dogs – Juan Gomez-Basauri, Ph.D., global director of the companion animal business for Alltech, reviews known mechanisms of inflammation in dogs and provides new data on emerging beneficial nutrients and dietary factors to reduce oxidative stress, enhance gut health and inform specific inflammatory biomarkers.
15:20-15:50 Coffee break
15:50-16:30 New social media has changed Chinese pet food brands – Wang Tianfei, president of Petking Pet School and consultant to Chinese pet food companies, introduces a new phenomenon in China's pet food industry: the use of new social media and technologies such as WeChat and TikTok to increase pet food sales, adopt new product ideas and continue the domestic market’s rapid growth.
16:30-17:10 Novel technologies for sustainable pet food production with single-cell organisms – Dejan Miladinovic, Ph.D. candidate and head of the Center for Feed Technology at Norwegian University of Life Sciences, explains emerging technologies that can help with overall use of functional molecules from novel raw material sources and contribute to improved pet health and sustainable production.
17:10-17:50 Algal polysaccharides to improve gut health and immunity in pets – Virgil Meallet, DVM, technical director of Olmix Asia, shares results of a recent research project in collaboration with INRA (France) that highlighted the potential of in-feed marine macroalgal polysaccharides (a red algal extract from Solieria Chordalis) to strengthen animals’ gut biological defenses.
