I just returned from Las Vegas to attend SuperZoo, one of the annual US pet trade shows. While not quite as large as other US shows such as Global Pet Expo, SuperZoo had a lot of buzz, activity and show floor traffic even on the very last afternoon.

The most recent "Market Report" column from Packaged Facts discusses how petfood and treat marketers continue to focus on health and wellness in their new product development, a strategy that keeps paying off because the message seems to resonate with today's involved consumers who treat their pets as family members.

From a natural products standpoint, the animal nutrition market was a mixed bag in 2010, though still showing overall growth. So says the August issue of Nutrition Business Journal, which shows US sales of natural and organic petfood grew "only" 4%, the "the lowest category growth ever recorded," according to a summary of the issue's reports.