Debbie Phillips-DonaldsonDebbie Phillips-Donaldson is editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry magazine and Petfood Forum.From the Author - Page 68Pet Food MarketNew petfoods and treats abound at Global Pet ExpoInnovation is often in the eye of the beholder. What one person or company might see as innovative (or at least label "innovative" in marketing materials), another might see as just a continuation or expansion of an ongoing trend or category. Such has been the case with innovation in petfood for a few years now. The new petfoods and treats on display at Global Pet Expo last week might have changed that a little -- depending, again, on your perspective.Pet Food MarketPetfood packaging report highlights market features, safety concernsA new Pet Food Market Assessment 2013 from the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) neatly encapsulates the opportunities and challenges for petfood manufacturers based in or selling to the US. While much of the information in the report is not new to our industry, it gives a fresh perspective on US petfood's short-term future.Pet Food MarketPetfood companies must adapt to changing pet market and consumersWhen Colgate-Palmolive, parent company of Hill's Pet Nutrition, reported its fourth-quarter 2012 results last week, they included a worrisome sign for Hill's: While sales and profit had both increased for the parent company, Hill's sales declined 1% while operating profit decreased 2%, according to theWall Street Journal.ProductionSustain petfood growth by connecting to emerging consumer groupsWhile pet ownership and petfood sales are both growing briskly in many developing regions, such as Latin America and Eastern Europe, and in individual countries like Brazil and China, developed markets have seen slow to no growth in recent years. Can longtime pet powers like the US return to previous growth levels?Pet Food MarketPetfood production data show how and where market is growingA new global feed tonnage report from Alltech, combined with 2012 data from Euromonitor, speaks volumes about growth in the global petfood market. (Cue groans at that "volume" pun now.) And it shows that, as with petfood sales, the markets growing the fastest are those in Latin America, Eastern Europe and, to a lesser extent, Asia.Pet Food MarketPetfood ingredient purchasing strategies in a volatile marketIf you are responsible for procuring and purchasing commodity ingredients for your company's petfoods -- or you formulate with such ingredients -- you probably are already aware that 2013 is shaping up to be another challenging year. (The same is true for meat ingredients, since that meat often comes from animals that eat commodity grains.) But do you know where specific challenges lie and how to prevent or handle them?Pet Food MarketSurveys confirm that pet owners need pet nutrition educationSurveys conducted by the pet care website petMD.com show that many pet owners are confused about pet nutrition, petfood labels and ingredients and, more importantly, their own pets' nutrition needs. While the overall results may not surprise anyone in our industry, some of the individual survey findings might provide beneficial insights on how to address the problem.Pet Food MarketLearn how commodity grain prices are trending for 2013At the start of trading today (January 9) on the Chicago Board of Trade, a bushel of corn was going for US$6.88, while wheat was at US$7.52 a bushel and soybeans, US$13.85 a bushel, according to Agriculture.com. While these prices have moderated somewhat from last fall's all-time highs, they still present challenges for the food industry and for petfood producers looking to obtain the ingredients they need at prices their budgets can accommodate.Pet Food RecallsIs zero Salmonella in petfood possible?The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) finds Salmonella in over 10% of animal feed despite a zero tolerance for the bacteria, according to an investigation by CBC News in late December 2012. That level seems high, but is zero Salmonella practical or even possible?Pet Food MarketNew research could lead industry to resolve to help pets lose weightPopular New Year's resolutions for people include losing weight, getting in better shape or similarly improving their health. Considering that so many pets are, like their owners, also fighting overweight or obesity, it would not be surprising if some pet owners put everyone in their families -- including the furry members -- on weight loss plans.Pet Food MarketPurrs and growls for petfood in 2012, opportunities for 2013I know, at this time of year, everyone does one of these blog posts or columns trying to sum up the year for an industry or assign accolades and criticisms to entities within the industry. But as cliché as they may be, people tend to read such posts or columns, so I'll jump on the bandwagon and issue my "purrs and growls" for the petfood industry for 2012 and look ahead to opportunities for the coming year.Pet Food MarketChina, Brazil and other emerging markets lead petfood growthThough China's torrid economic growth has cooled down somewhat, specific industries still show huge potential for continued increases in the country. Those industries include pet care and petfood.Previous PagePage 68 of 83Next Page
