News & Newsletters: Page 749

Exopack to close Indiana, USA, flexible packaging facility

Exopack, a producer of flexible packaging products and engineered coatings, announced that it will close its Seymour, Indiana, USA, manufacturing facility. Closure of the Seymour plant, which manufactures consumer multiwall flexible packaging products, will result in the elimination of more than 100 jobs at the facility.

Spring Naturals petfood brand launches community program

In honor of the arrival of spring, the newly launched Spring Naturals petfood line recently unveiled its community relations portion of its business, called “Spring Into Action.” In May, Spring Naturals will be looking for everyday heroes that “spring into action” to help animals in need.

Spring Naturals will provide petfood and treats for one year when Spring, a mixed breed dog, is adopted.

Biomin releases report on mycotoxins in animal feed

Biomin released the results of its Biomin Mycotoxin Survey Program 2011, a comprehensive report on studies conducted on the distribution of mycotoxins according to region of origin and common type. More than 4,300 samples were collected from various countries over a 12-month period from January-December 2011, and 13,854 analyses of mycotoxins were performed to investigate the occurrence of aflatoxins, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, fumonisins and/or ochratoxin A in different regions of the world and feed materials.

Halo petfood brand sponsors PBS 'Shelter Me' film

Actress and animal advocate Katherine Heigl is hosting the PBS premiere of “Shelter Me,” a film sponsored by Halo, Purely for Pets that illustrates how people’s lives are positively impacted by shelter dogs. The one-hour television special, created by filmmaker Steven Latham, celebrates the human-animal bond by showcasing three inspirational stories about shelter dogs and the lives they change.

Market Trends and Reports

Vet addresses common pet owner misconceptions about pet nutrition

Many pet owners have misconceptions about veterinarians and may be reluctant to seek or follow their advice, says Dr. Michael Watts, a veterinarian and owner of Clevengers Corner Veterinary Care, in an online article. In the article, Dr. Watts shares an email conversation he says that he had with a friend, regarding petfood allergy management for his friend's cat and a veterinarian's advice.

US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visits Kemin Industries

US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently visited a high school in rural Des Moines, Iowa, USA, telling students that manufacturing jobs are returning to the Midwest, such as those at local manufacturer Kemin Industries, which he also visited. Vilsack told the students that the high-tech manufacturing jobs of today require math and engineering skills while working to research and develop plant molecules used in the company's production of petfood ingredients and products for animal nutrition.

Bob Timberlake Series superpremium dog food launched through Peapod

Artist and designer Bob Timberlake introduced a new line of superpremium dog food available in select areas through online grocer, Peapod. The new petfood, Bob Timberlake Signature Series superpremium dog food, will be available to Peapod customers in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC, USA, areas.

Purina hosts vet contest as part of pet weight-loss initiative

Nestle Purina PetCare is teaming up with Olympic gold-medal volleyball player Misty May-Treanor to help guide veterinarians in giving pet weight-loss advice. As part of this pet weight-loss initiative, the company is also hosting an essay contest for veterinarian staff trained as Purina Certified Weight Coaches.

Kaytee Pet Products recalls Forti-Diet Pro Health small animal food

Kaytee Pet Products is recalling select packages of its Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Mouse, Rat and Hamster food due to possible Salmonella contamination. According to Kaytee, the product is being recalled because a sample from a 5-pound bag of the small animal food tested positive for Salmonella in a random test conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration, but no human or pet illnesses have been reported.

Vet offers consumer tips for reading petfood ingredient labels

In a recent Huffington Post blog, Donna Solomon, a veterinarian at the Animal Medical Center of Chicago, Illinois, USA, says she believes the best pet owners are those that are well-informed about pet care and pet nutrition, so she offers some consumer tips for reading petfood labels. Solomon says that, according to regulations, if a product name includes a meat, poultry or fish ingredient with no descriptor words after it, like "nugget" or "dinner," that ingredient must represent 95 percent of the petfood's total product weight, not including water, or, the ingredient must represent 70 percent of the product weight if it includes water.

Interzoo 2012 pet product show expected to set record

Interzoo 2012 is expected to set a new record, with more than 1,500 pet product exhibitors from 53 countries attending the pet industry show in May. More than 100,000-square-meters across 11 exhibition halls in Nuremburg, Germany, will be covered with exhibitions displaying the latest pet products, May 17-20.

Diamond Pet Foods expands dry dog food recall to include Puppy formula

Diamond Pet Foods is expanding a voluntary recall to include Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food because a sampling of the product was contaminated with Salmonella. The expanded recall includes Diamond dry dog food Puppy Formula in the following bag sizes, marked with the following production codes and "Best-by" dates, respectively:

Diamond Pet Foods recalled select bag sizes of its Puppy Formula dry dog food.

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