Adventures in Pet Food: Page 46

Debbie Phillips-Donaldson
Pet Food Market
Purina and Blue Buffalo wage petfood marketing claims war
In suing Blue Buffalo Co. this week over false and disparaging advertising claims, Nestlé Purina PetCare threw down the gauntlet in terms of competitive marketing claims. Does Purina have a case – and perhaps more significant, if it does, could this be just the first step in a sea change in how petfoods are labeled and marketed? (Not to mention formulated.)
Pet Food Market
Petfood industry could learn from new study on GMO labeling mandates
As yet another US state considers mandating labeling of food products with information on inclusion of ingredients that have been genetically modified (otherwise known as GMOs), a new paper looks at the potential impact—positive and negative—of such mandates. The latest state jumping into the GMO labeling debate is Vermont. Its legislature recently passed a bill that would make it the first state to require mandatory labeling of any foods containing ingredients that had been “genetically engineered.” The governor is expected to soon sign it into law.
Pet Food Market
Who influences pet owners’ petfood purchasing decisions?
US dog owners are most likely to received petfood recommendations from their veterinarians, followed by a friend or family member, then a pet store, according to the GfK PetInsights Study. While this is not a surprise, the study, presented on during Petfood Forum Asia 2014 by Pushan Tagore, director of pet nutrition services for GfK's Animal Health division, revealed some interesting insights on who and what influences the petfood purchasing decisions for US pet owners.
Pet Food Market
Mars-P&G petfood deal a surprise on some levels
Last week’s big news that Mars Inc. had agreed to buy 80% of Procter & Gamble’s petfood business was and wasn’t a surprise. Everyone knew P&G was eager to sell its petfood brands (Iams, Eukanuba and Natura); CEO A.G. Lafley said as much over six months ago, when he told analysts the company was looking to off-load its under-performing business units. While he named no specific units at the time, he did say it would involve products that, combined, represented less than 10% of P&G sales, and that definitely included the petfood brands.
Pet Food Market
Petfood Forum 2014 by the numbers
The global petfood industry wrapped up another Petfood Forum and Petfood Workshop this week. A lot happened in three days, so perhaps it’s best to sum up the conferences with a list of noteworthy (and somewhat random) numbers.
Pet Food Market
Developed petfood markets tackle common pet obesity problem in various ways
The US and the UK share the distinction of being among the largest and most mature petfood markets globally. Unfortunately, they also share a problem that's becoming all too common in developed markets: pet obesity. How these various markets approach the issue makes for an interesting study.
Pet Food Market
Global Pet Expo news: petfood spending, natural cat treats, superfoods
At Global Pet Expo 2014 (GPE), held last week in Orlando, Florida, USA, the story was all about growth: Overall US pet care spending is projected to grow nearly 5% this year, topping out at US$58.5 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), organizer of the show. Of that, US petfood spending is expected to reach US$22.62 billion by the end of 2014 after increasing 4.5% in 2013 to a total of US$21.57 billion, APPA said.
Pet Food Market
Will "natural"? petfood claims ever be regulated?
When a group of petfood, feed and human food organizations announced their new GMO-related initiative, the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food, in February, nearly lost amid the news was this reason given for forming the coalition and pushing for US federal legislation on GMOs (genetically modified organisms): so the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would define the term "natural" for its use on food and beverage products so human food and beverage companies and consumers have a consistent legal framework for food labels while informing consumer choice.
Pet Food Market
FDA: get your petfood safety facts straight
"Most petfood is safe, but sometimes petfood and treats can become contaminated with bacteria that can not only make your pet sick, but you sick." That's one of the first few statements in a video recently released by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called "Pet Food and Treats in Your Home." The narrator, Dr. April Hodges a nutritional scientist with FDA, goes on to say, "Salmonella is one of the best known bacteria that can be found in petfood or on pet treats, but it's not the only one." OK, stop right there, Dr. Hodges.
Pet Food Market
Del Monte – er, Big Heart – takes next step in focus on petfood
What’s in a name? Perhaps a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, to paraphrase the Bard, but in the hypercompetitive petfood market, does a name like Big Heart Pet Brands have what it takes to lead and even dominate?
Pet Food Market
US petfood ingredient regulatory process faces uncertain future
One of most common questions I get from media and people outside our industry is about how petfoods and ingredients are regulated, particularly in the US. This has been a recurring question ever since the 2007 melamine-related recalls and continuing through more recent Salmonella-related recalls, passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and, most recently, the release of proposed preventive control rules for feed and petfood under FSMA.
Pet Food Market
Petfood, human food industries get proactive with new GMO coalition
A new US coalition aims to get ahead of GMO related legislation, uncertainty and confusion – and, while not the first of its kind, this effort directly involves petfood and feed organizations, in addition to human food groups. The Coalition for Safe Affordable Food (CSAF), announced last week, currently comprises 31 organizations, including the Pet Food Institute (PFI), American Feed Industry Association and National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA).
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