Blue Buffalo executives may steer the pet food brand’s product mix towards wet pet foods and treats as the company further expands in the food, drug and mass market (FDM) retail channel.

Pet food e-commerce is growing rapidly, mass market sales are up slightly, and although pet specialty is flat, this channel still has opportunities to compete.

In 2018, Amazon launched private label dog and cat food in Europe. Learn how a pet specialty online retailer reacted and what it meant for pet food sales.

Pets Choice management stated that they intend to build out Rufus’ customer base.

Pet food segment profits for Smucker increased US$30.3 million to reach US$147.9 million, an increase of 26 percent.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Pete Andrews, director of insights at Edge by Ascential, said, “There was incorrect data published in our recent press release. We quoted that Taste of the Wild has decreased in market by 20 percent. Upon further review, our data in fact shows that their 1st Party market share on Amazon has stayed constant throughout the year."

Constant changes in pet food retailing and e-commerce may impact independent pet retailers the most, but they are instituting their own changes to compete.

While some of these legal issues have been resolved, others continue in courts.

Pet food’s growth since 2013 outpaced that of human food and other consumer goods, with the highest in treats, Asia Pacific and online, said Euromonitor.

The legal actions were related to elevated levels of vitamin D in the pet food company’s recalled wet dog food. Plaintiffs claimed their dogs’ deaths resulted from elevated vitamin D in recalled dog food.