Debbie Phillips-DonaldsonDebbie Phillips-Donaldson is editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry magazine and Petfood Forum.From the Author - Page 66Pet Food MarketLatest human food trends parallel petfood trends (or vice versa)Petfood product development follows human food trends by only "half a step," said David Sprinkle, research director and publisher with Packaged Facts, during a Petfood Forum 2013 presentation. That was just three months ago; judging by information presented at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo this week, I am beginning to think that perhaps petfood has already caught up and is marching in lock step with human food in many areas.Pet Food MarketPrivate label petfood strong in Europe, has opportunities in USPrivate label products have never become a significant part of the US petfood industry, reaching only as high as 9.7% of the market in 2010, according to Packaged Facts. In fact, in 2011, US private label petfood sales slipped 4.4%, decreasing the overall share of the market to 9%, SymphonyIRI data showed.Pet Food MarketIndulgent petfood trends may not be healthy long termA UK chef creates a "luxury" cat food consisting of roasted duck, lobster roll, Beluga caviar and beetroot jellies, and costing £24.99 (US$37.98). In the US, dog food trucks purveying "dog-friendly" ice cream and cookies are growing in popularity, to the point where some companies are seeking to franchise their concepts.Pet Food MarketPetfood markets on the riseWith nearly US$21 billion in sales last year, the US is not in danger of losing its ranking as the largest petfood market in the world anytime soon. (The new number two, Brazil, fell just short of US$6 billion in 2012.) And US petfood sales will continue to grow at 4% to 5% a year, according to Packaged Facts—a rate most consumer goods industries would love to have.Pet Food MarketFDA can no longer delay on petfood safety regulationsThe wheels of justice turn slowly, as the saying goes, but they have finally turned in the direction toward safer petfood, animal feed and human food -- and toward clarity for producers of those products. On June 21, a US federal court ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to complete the new food safety regulations of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) by November 30 of this year.Pet Food MarketWhy consumers are worrying more about petfood safetyUS consumers are increasingly concerned about food safety -- and, by extension, petfood safety, since so many pet owners treats their pets like family members. As many as 17% of consumers have stopped buying a specific human food or brand because of a certain safety concern, according to IFIC (as reported in Food Technology magazine by A. Elizabeth Sloan, contributing editor).Pet Food MarketDefining breakthrough innovation in petfood product developmentOnly about 10% of the 30,000 new product concepts developed in the US each year achieve success in the marketplace, according to Nielsen. So why do so many companies, including petfood and treat manufacturers, continue to pour so much R&D money into new product development?Market Trends and ReportsHuman food trends offer insights for petfoodThese days, petfood product development follows human food trends by only “half a step,” according to David Sprinkle, publisher and research director for Packaged Facts, who spoke at Petfood Forum 2013. He referred to a regular report from his company, Culinary Trends Mapping, that covers restaurant trends in addition to product ones and said large petfood manufacturers often buy it.Pet Food MarketFSMA means ‘seismic shift’ in food and petfood safetyEver since the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law in January 2011, we have heard that it represents the most significant change to US food safety law for decades, or variations on that theme. I’ve seen descriptions ranging from “fundamental overhaul” to “historic revolution.” For the petfood industry, one reason FSMA signals such a substantial change is that for the first time, many food safety regulations and practices that have been required of human food will now also apply to animal feed (including petfood).Pet Food MarketWhat does latest big petfood company merger mean for the industry?It's become almost a cliche to characterize the petfood and pet care markets as "recession resilient," but the fact is, these industries have weathered the strong economic headwinds of the past five years better than most consumer goods industries, with continued global annual growth of about 4%. That fact has not gone unnoticed by investment funds and the overall private equity community, as noted by Pets International magazine and Cascadia Capital, an independent investment bank that includes petfood and other pet product companies among its investments and transactions.Pet Food MarketWhat it takes to innovate with petfood product developmentAre your petfood products truly innovative? Do you have a system for product development in your company? While those two concepts might seem contradictory -- innovation and systems -- they must go hand in hand to ensure robust new product development, according to Jeff Johnston, VP of research and innovation for Champion Petfoods.Pet Food MarketPet owner behavior's influence on pet weight and obesityThe UK Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) is taking a proactive step to address the growing problem of pet obesity: The organization is reaching out directly to UK pet owners with a "Weigh in Wednesday" campaign, complete with online tools, to educate owners on identifying their pets' body condition and working toward getting the pets to ideal weight and condition.Previous PagePage 66 of 83Next Page
