Debbie Phillips-DonaldsonDebbie Phillips-Donaldson is editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry magazine and Petfood Forum.From the Author - Page 71Pet 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.Pet Food MarketPetfood experts target key opportunities and challengesIt’s probably no surprise that when Petfood Industry asked experts from throughout the world for their insights on the industry’s key opportunities and challenges, they identified many more challenges. After all, our industry is facing a number of difficult issues now, with more on the horizon. But these experts also listed plenty of opportunities to continue to grow and innovate.Pet Food MarketOnline pet retailers and related sites succeeding with innovation, social mediaDespite Facebook's less than stellar initial public offering, there's no doubt it remains a force to be reckoned with. With more than 800 million users worldwide -- a number that is expected to reach 1 billion by next month (August 2012) -- along with nearly 47% revenue growth from 2010 to 2011 and many other impressive statistics, this leading social medium has become a household word and daily habit for many consumers. Which means it's also become an invaluable marketing platform for many consumer goods companies, including those that make, market or distribute petfood.Pet Food MarketTreat sales, Latin America drive pet industry growth, Euromonitor saysLike other experts and analysts, Euromonitor International is bullish on the global pet industry. "Overall retail growth should be stronger than in 2011, with total sales approaching US$95 billion worldwide in 2012, writes Paula Flores, the firm's new global head of pet care research, in a blog. "This represents a year-on-year constant value gain of 2.5%."Pet Food MarketCorn crop increases, along with wheat pricesThe global corn harvest may set another record this year, with a 9% increase in yield over the 2011 crop, itself a record, according to Dr. Joseph Glauber, chief economist at the US Department of Agriculture. The rise in the global crop is being driven by an almost 20% increase in the US harvest, he said.Pet Food MarketWhat's next for our industry after the latest petfood recalls?The good news is that no further incidents from the Diamond Pet Foods recalls have come out since the end of May. The bad news, of course, is that the recalls happened at all and especially that people and pets were sickened by Salmonella-contaminated petfoods produced at Diamond's Gaston, South Carolina, USA, plant.Market Trends and ReportsCan we count on continued growth for petfood?US pet retailers—mainly independent shops and groomers that sell pet supplies—reported a 3% increase in sales volume over 2010, for an average of US$323,000 in 2011, according to Pet Product News International’s 2012 State of the Industry Survey. The findings echo data from GfK Retail & Technology, which showed sales of petfood alone rose 7% last year in US pet shops, farm and feed stores and veterinary clinics.Pet Food MarketWhat's the state of the global petfood industry?Despite petfood recalls in the US, problems with chicken jerky treats from China and the still-stumbling economy -- especially in Europe -- the global petfood industry seems to keep humming along. For example, a new report from Research and Markets shows the nearly 200 US-based petfood manufacturers (including huge multinationals like Mars and Nestle Purina) earn a total annual revenue of about US$47 billion.Pet Food MarketPetfood trends at Interzoo 2012Interzoo 2012 has ended, with 1,539 companies from 53 countries exhibiting and more than 37,000 people from 115 countries visiting -- and petfood products galore. While the number of exhibitors and and exhibit space were records, the number of visitors to the show in Nuremberg, Germany, decreased slightly. But most petfood exhibitors I talked with were happy with the show traffic and number of leads or amount of business they received from the show.Pet Food MarketThe latest petfood recalls: Is our industry at another crossroads?Recalls in our industry are nothing new, of course, and with new food safety regulations bringing new reporting requirements, petfood recalls seem to have increased within the past two years -- even though industry professionals know that's not the case. Rather, manufacturers have become more proactive and complied with the new regulations by reporting any incidence of Salmonella or another pathogen found in a facility, even if no products were contaminated (which is usually the case).Previous PagePage 71 of 83Next Page
