Debbie Phillips-DonaldsonDebbie Phillips-Donaldson is editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry magazine and Petfood Forum.From the Author - Page 79ProductionPublic and proactiveIn response to recent crisis and public outcry, the industry is assertively and publicly policing itself, implementing new safety and quality certification programs from Brazil to the US.ProductionBrazilian powerhouseA relative newcomer to petfood, Total Alimentos SA has leaped to global leader statusProductionSomething To Chew On: Keys to new product successIf the continuing growth of our industry is driven by trends such as humanization, health and convenience, those trends are manifest in new product development (NPD), which is exploding around the globe.ProductionPetfood fights inflationInflation is becoming a fact of life in just about every region of the world. In the US, the consumer price index (CPI) increased 1% from May to June and 5% since June 2007. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks both consumer and producer prices, said the CPI increase was due mainly to sharp spikes in the energy and food indexes (no surprises there). Though the report did not separate out petfood, it specifically cited increases in the indexes for pets, pet products and services.ProductionSomething To Chew On: What it means to be greenLike Kermit the Frog on the popular children's TV show Sesame Street, consumers and manufacturers alike are finding that it's not easy being green. But given our many finite natural resources and the very real economic, technological and ecological limits to what we can develop, we have to start somewhereNutritionIs it really over?Recent settlements of lawsuits stemming from the 2007 petfood recalls in the US might cause many in the industry - especially people with the affected companies - to breathe a sigh of relief. But should we believe this crisis is really over? Should we want it to be?NutritionThe biofuel-petfood connectionCurrently about 25% of the US corn crop goes into ethanol production. A US federal law passed earlier this year mandates a minimum of 15 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol by 2015—an amount that could use up nearly all of the US crop, according to some experts. The more corn and other grains that go into biofuel, the less there is to feed humans and animals.NutritionSomething To Chew On: Are biofuels the scapegoat?Proponents of biofuels argue they're getting a bad rap. For example, Brazil has won praise for the success of its sugarcane ethanol industry, which supplies 45% of the country's transportation fuel and is touted as being more environmentally friendly and efficient and less expensive to produce than corn-based ethanol.ProductionGlobal growth continuesWorldwide retail sales of dog and cat food topped US$45 billion in 2007, according to Euromonitor International. That figure represents a total growth of nearly 43% from the 2002 amount of US$31.57 billion.ProductionGetting your share of the bountyPetfood manufacturers worldwide have been dealing with soaring prices for ingredients - especially grain-based ones - for a couple of years. Is the situation likely to improve at all this year?ProductionWhole new way to feedInnovation and product development have fueled industry growth for several years now, to the point that you might think we've seen it all in terms of truly new petfood products. Conventional wisdom also says that much of this innovation happens in smaller companies.ProductionDefining innovationThe ability to innovate is a necessity today, but just what is innovation? How do you measure it? In my mind this is all fairly subjective. But I think most people in our industry would agree that innovation - at least in the form of new product development - has been a primary force behind the strong growth we've seen in petfood for several years and that is projected for more years to come.Previous PagePage 79 of 81Next Page
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