Debbie Phillips-Donaldson Debbie Phillips-Donaldson is editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry magazine and Petfood Forum.From the Author - Page 72Pet 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.Pet Food MarketDon't miss petfood safety webinar, live chat on petfood trendIf you're looking to expand your knowledge about petfood and the many facets of our industry, you have two great opportunities to do so on Tuesday, December 11, sitting at the comfort of your own desk or wherever you might access your computer.HomeEmerging petfood markets continue to gain global shareProjected 2012 petfood sales data from Euromonitor International show that emerging regions such as Eastern Europe and Latin America continue to drive the global industry’s growth. While petfood sales globally increased 4.36% over 2011 (Figure 1), developed markets fell below that growth rate, with North America registering a 3.63% rise.Pet Food MarketHelp researchers learn more about pet gut health and dietThe Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois, USA, has one of the world's leading--and very few--programs devoted to studying and researching companion animal nutrition. Its faculty and students are involved in much of the research that is published in top scientific journals on animal nutrition and that leads to breakthroughs in understanding pet nutrition and developing new ingredients and products for our industry.Pet Food MarketNatural petfood label claims here to stay as market continues to grow"Natural: present in or produced by nature; of, relating to or concerning nature; not altered, treated or disguised." Those are just some of the definitions for the word that is showing up more and more on all types of consumer products, including petfood.Pet Food MarketPetfood producers should brace for higher meat prices in 2013No surprise, but financial analysts focused on the agricultural sector are starting to predict lower suppliers -- and thus, higher prices -- for meat to hit in 2013, especially for beef, according to Reuters. That will likely push more consumers to buy chicken and pork, making those meat sources also in shorter supply for petfood producers.Pet Food MarketPetfood and food labeling initiative on California ballot defeatedProposition 37, an initiative on the California election ballot that would have required manufacturers and retailers to label any products made with genetically modified ingredients and prohibited use of the label claim "natural" for any processed food products (including petfoods), has been defeated. As of the latest election results on Wednesday, November 7, the ballot measure trailed 53% to 47%, with 98% of the vote counted, according to Silicon Valley MercuryNews.com.HomePetfood sales reports show market’s resilienceNew reports released as 2012 wraps up indicate the continuing resilience of the pet market, including petfood, despite prolonged turbulence and uncertainty in the global economy.Pet Food MarketUS election outcomes could affect petfood safety, labelingWhen I was in Shanghai, China, a few weeks ago for Petfood Forum China and Pet Fair Asia, I was somewhat surprised by the number of people who asked about the US presidential election on November 6. I suppose I underestimated how integrated China is becoming into the global economy and political scene, and how much news from outside the country reaches its citizens despite government censorship and blocking of certain media.Pet Food MarketGlobal pet care market, including petfood, continues to growThe global pet care market will reach US$94 billion in sales by the end of this year and continue to grow through at least 2017. That's according to Euromonitor International's latest report, "Pet Care Forecast Revisit 2012: How Resilient is the Global Market?"Pet Food MarketPetfood in China poised to explodeIn 2010, the Chinese pet products market reached 40 billion yuan (US$6.4 billion) in sales, according to Jia Tong, vice president of Goumin.com, which bills itself as the largest social network for pet owners in China. She was one of the featured speakers during Petfood Forum China on October 12 in Shanghai, which drew more than 170 petfood professionals from China as well as Japan, Thailand, the US and Europe.Previous PagePage 72 of 86Next Page
