Debbie Phillips-DonaldsonDebbie Phillips-Donaldson is editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry magazine and Petfood Forum.From the Author - Page 69Pet Food MarketWhat corn and soybean prices at all-time highs mean for petfoodThough parts of the US Midwest have finally received some rain over the last few weeks, it's a case of too little, too late. The 2012 US drought has done irreparable damage to this year's crops of corn, soybeans and other grains (and the farmers who grow them) and will likely have a long-lasting impact on meat supplies and prices, too. This will definitely affect the prices of food, feed and, likely, petfood in the near future; food prices are already soaring in some parts of the world.Pet Food MarketApproval process for petfood ingredients not perfect, but it worksThe process by which new petfood ingredients are approved and defined in the US is, well, complicated. But for the most part, the process has worked, based on cooperation between the Association of American Feed Control Officials and US Food and Drug Administration. Last week, the memorandum of understanding that underpins that collaborative process was extended.U.S. and CanadaGrow pet ownership to grow the marketOwnership of dogs and cats in the US has continued to rise in the two decades that the American Pet Products Association (APPA) has been conducting its National Pet Owners Survey. That’s the good news.Pet Food MarketWhere does FDA stand on FSMA implementation?The US Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is seemingly becoming a classic case of "hurry up and wait." When the act was signed into law by President Obama in January 2011, many players in the human food, petfood and animal feed industries began making an urgent case that food producers in all three industries needed to prepare, and fast, for new rules and regulations emanating from the law. Some experts even sounded notes of doom and gloom over concern that the new regulations would prove costly and onerous, especially for smaller manufacturers.Pet Food MarketGrow the market by encouraging pet ownershipOwnership of dogs and cats in the US has continued to rise in the two decades that the American Pet Products Association (APPA) has been conducting its National Pet Owners Survey. That's the good news. The not so rosy news is that since 2006, the increase in ownership has been very small -- for example, dog ownership increased just 1.5% in the 2011-12 survey from the previous one (2010), while cat ownership grew just 1.8%.Pet Food IngredientsThe scarcity of affordable petfood ingredientsThe US Department of Agriculture’s August supply-and-demand report provided another sign of what some people in our industry fear is an impending apocalypse: the ever-increasing decline of available, affordable ingredients. This latest report centered on the US corn crop, for which USDA cut production another 15.4% after a devastating drought decimated much of it, along with other grains grown in the US Midwest. This is having a profound impact on the prices and availability of other ingredients, particularly protein sources.Pet Food MarketGet forecasts for feed grain costs and availabilityThe US Department of Agriculture will issue its latest supply-and-demand report tomorrow (Friday, August 10), and all expectations are that the agency will again reduce its corn production forecast, according to a Dow Jones Newswires poll of analysts. These analysts project USDA will cut production another 15.4% after a devastating drought has decimated much of the US corn crop.Market Trends and ReportsThe latest research on petfood palatabilityPalatability, according to Royal Canin US, “characterizes the appeal of food for the animal and the ease with which it is eaten.” While this definition seems simple and straightforward, every petfood manufacturer, including this company, knows that making food highly palatable to dogs and cats is a very complex process requiring expertise and research to build knowledge and continue improvement.Pet Food MarketThe global scramble over corn, meat and other petfood ingredientsIf you hear anyone still expressing doubt that today's economy is global, just point them to all the recent news about the price of corn, soybeans and other commodities. As recently as early to mid June, the US Department of Agriculture and others were crowing about the record US corn crop expected this year, potentially 9% larger than the 2011 crop, which itself set a record.Pet Food MarketParsing petfood numbers: volume versus valueThis site and Petfood Industry magazine often highlight reports from Euromonitor International, Research and Markets and others indicating the continued growth of the global -- or, in reports from Packaged Facts, the US -- petfood market, despite ongoing economic crises and slow recovery from the recession.Pet Food MarketFinding useful petfood market dataIf you rely on data from the US Department of Agriculture on grain crops and prices -- or data on other petfood ingredients -- you may have cause for concern. Possible US federal budget cuts may affect the agency's ability to continue to provide such timely and accurate data, according to Joe Prusacki, director of the statistics division at USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).Natural/Organic Pet FoodPetfood product development: good and bad for consumers“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” At the heart of that tried and true saying is the philosophy that nearly every problem can become an opportunity—a concept that businesspeople, including those in our industry, know well.Previous PagePage 69 of 81Next Page
