Top 10 pet food news of 2017: lawsuits, trends, ownership

The number of page views per article recorded by Google Analytics determined the rankings.

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image by fotoliza, BigStock.com
image by fotoliza, BigStock.com

In 2017, a forecast of upcoming trends topped the list of most popular stories on PetfoodIndustry.com, followed by news about lawsuits and pet ownership. A blog debating the differences among domestic dogs and wild wolves also ranked in the top five. The number of page views per article recorded by Google Analytics determined the rankings.

1. 11 pet food trends industry experts forecast for 2017

9,743 page views - Pet food marketing, nutrition and production experts told Petfood Industry their forecasts and observations for cat, dog and other pet food trends on consumers' minds in 2017. Overall, experts believe pet owners will increasingly demand the same qualities in pet food that they want in their own meals, such as familiar ingredients, sustainability and nutrition.

2. Blue Buffalo faces lawsuit over alleged lead in dog food

8,088 - Blue Buffalo faces a potential class action lawsuit over the alleged presence of lead in their dog foods, according to southern California US District Court documents.

3. Infographic: Most of world owns pets; Dogs are tops

7,698 - Globally, the majority (57%) of consumers own pets, according to more than 27,000 online consumers whom GfK surveyed in 22 countries. Dogs are the most popular pet globally, owned by 33% of respondents, with cats coming in second, at 23%. Fish (12%), birds (6%), and other pet types (6%) all rank significantly lower.

4. Your dog is not a wolf! (Pet food companies, take note)

7,180 - Lately, the trend has been for pet food companies to place a picture of a wolf on the front panel of the bag and talk about the importance of ancestral diets, biologically appropriate diets, meat-rich diets, high protein/low carbohydrate, bringing out the wild side of your animal, etc.

5. Pet food toxin levels ranked for 71 dog, cat food brands

5,763 - Clean Label Project contracted an independent laboratory to analyze more than 900 of the most popular dog and cat foods from 71 brands, according to a press release.

6. Blue Buffalo wet dog food recall for cattle hormones

5,612 - Blue Buffalo Company voluntarily recalled one production lot of BLUE Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Red Meat Dinner Wet Food for Adult Dogs, which may contain elevated levels of naturally occurring bovine thyroid hormones. One dog may have been affected, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

7. Pet food company quits Chewy after PetSmart acquisition

5,262 - PetSmart announced its' plan to acquire Chewy, an online pet foods, treats and products retailer, which led Tuffy’s Pet Foods to stop offering their products on the website.

8. Fromm, Champion pull products from Chewy

5,212 - In April 2017, PetSmart announced its' plan to acquire Chewy, an online pet foods, treats and products retailer, which led Tuffy’s Pet Foods to stop offering their products — NutriSource, Pure Vita and Natural Planet brands — on the website.

9. Clean label rating site misleading to pet food consumers

4,961 - Starting with the very name, this project seems designed to mislead consumers interested in clean labels on products.

10. Blue Buffalo supplier charged with 8 criminal counts

4,627 - On March 6, pet food ingredient supplier Wilbur-Ellis and an employee were charged with eight criminal counts related to their roles in providing allegedly misbranded and adulterated poultry ingredients to Blue Buffalo, reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

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