Debbie Phillips-DonaldsonDebbie Phillips-Donaldson is editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry magazine and Petfood Forum.From the Author - Page 74Market Trends and ReportsHumanization still driving petfood industry growthHeading toward the end of the year, the economic news could not get much bleaker. Some pet industry professionals, such as the editors of Pet Business magazine, are predicting this will negatively impact holiday sales for US pet retailers.Pet Food MarketEuropean petfood industry makes case for pets' benefitsWhile the American Pet Products Association and other organizations in the US pet industry are working to prove how pet ownership helps human health and well-being, the European Pet Food Industry Federation, or FEDIAF, is releasing data to show pets' contributions to the economy and society.Pet Food MarketThank goodness for humanization of petsObserving the buzz at SuperZoo last week and hearing about its growth over last year's show, I kept thinking (and even remarked to a few people), "Thank goodness for pet humanization!" This engine that has been driving the continued growth of our industry is still humming along.Pet Food MarketDispatch from SuperZooI just returned from Las Vegas to attend SuperZoo, one of the annual US pet trade shows. While not quite as large as other US shows such as Global Pet Expo, SuperZoo had a lot of buzz, activity and show floor traffic even on the very last afternoon.Pet Food MarketThe mother of all petfood trends: grain freeThe most recent "Market Report" column from Packaged Facts discusses how petfood and treat marketers continue to focus on health and wellness in their new product development, a strategy that keeps paying off because the message seems to resonate with today's involved consumers who treat their pets as family members.Natural/Organic Pet FoodNatural petfood market follows human market growthDespite continuing economic woes in some regions and markets—and consumers still spending conservatively no matter what their financial situations—sales of natural foods, petfoods and other products continue to grow. Consider this: US sales of natural foods and beverages rose 7.7% in 2010 to US$21.3 billion in natural stores alone, according to Natural Foods Merchandiser and described by A. Elizabeth Sloan in the July issue of Food Technology magazine.Pet Food ProcessingTarget: sustainable petfood processingPetfood companies from giants like Mars Petcare US and Nestlé Purina PetCare to specialists like Canidae Pet Food and Natura Pet Products have been opening or retrofitting exciting eco-friendly facilities to great fanfare over the past few years. But executives from these and other manufacturers would say that making petfood more sustainable usually starts with the basics, including energy-intensive processing.Pet Food MarketSales of natural and organic petfood, pet supplements growFrom a natural products standpoint, the animal nutrition market was a mixed bag in 2010, though still showing overall growth. So says the August issue of Nutrition Business Journal, which shows US sales of natural and organic petfood grew "only" 4%, the "the lowest category growth ever recorded," according to a summary of the issue's reports.Pet Food SafetyAt Walmart, petfood safety equals behaviorFood safety is no small enterprise. As Frank Yiannas, VP of food safety for Walmart, describes, thousands of professionals around the world have been trained, millions are spent on research, countless inspections are done at home and abroad—and yet, food safety remains a significant global health challenge.U.S. and CanadaDisconnect between veterinary care and nutritionDuring the American Veterinary Medical Association’s annual conference in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in July, several sessions and press conferences focused on one significant issue: an overall 17% decrease in veterinary visits for US pets over the past two years. This sobering figure comes from the Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study, a collaboration among Bayer Healthcare, Brakke Consulting and the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.Market Trends and ReportsPetfood information at your fingertipsIf you are one of the 940 million people worldwide with a mobile broadband subscription (according to the International Telecommunication Union as reported on mobithinking.com), you have access to all sorts of information and data about petfood via the smart phone or mobile device in your pocket, purse or briefcase. For example, if you have an iPhone or iPad, you can download the free Petfood Industry App to read each new monthly issue and get updated news and information about new products.Market Trends and ReportsBYNSA leads private label petfood in SpainBiología y Nutrición SAU's position as the sole petfood supplier and category manager for Mercadona, a supermarket chain with 1,325 stores and a 39% petfood market share in Spain, makes its need for a central location critical. Fortunately, the company has found that just outside Zaragoza, in a converted feed factory in El Burgo de Ebro.Previous PagePage 74 of 81Next Page
