News & Newsletters: Page 770

UK small animal food manufacturer receives British Retail Consortium's 'A' grade

UK-based Cranswick Pet Products, a manufacturer of wild bird food and small animal petfood, retained its "A" grade from The British Retail Consortium, following an inspection of its manufacturing facility. To comply with BRC requirements, the company had to meet 10 key manufacturing requirements, covering everything from processes, to hygiene and safety, to traceability of the ingredients.

New Zealand raw petfood manufacturer named to Deloitte's Fast 50

New Zealand petfood company K9 Natural Food was named among the top five fastest growing companies in Deloitte's Fast 50 ranking, which the petfood company attributes to huge export growth. Christchurch, New Zealand-based K9 Natural was named the top manufacturer in New Zealand and top exporter in the Canterbury/upper South Island, New Zealand, region.

Petco to share petfood, pet product sales data with Nielsen

Petfood and pet product retailer Petco named Nielsen as its provider of census-level sales information from Petco stores. Petco will be among the first pet specialty retailers to join the consumer product goods industry’s information sharing model, adding to existing market information provided by many US food, drug, mass, convenience and dollar store retailers.

Australian petfood manufacturer undergoes strategic business review

Privately owned Australian petfood manufacturer VIP Petfoods is undergoing a strategic review of its business, including a possible sale, according to Reuters. Tim Miles of Miles Advisory Partners, the company advising VIP Petfoods on its strategic review, said the petfood manufacturer has been approached by private-equity firms and trade buyers in the past.

Common artificial sweetener can kill dogs, FDA warns

A common artificial sweetener found in sugar-free baked goods, candy, oral hygiene products and chewing gum can be deadly if ingested by a dog, the US Food and Drug Administration warns. The ingredient, Xylitol, can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar (hypoglycemia), seizures and liver failure in dogs, which may lead to death, according to FDA.

Mars named among top places to work internationally

Petfood manufacturer Mars Inc. ranked 19th on the list of the “World’s Best Multinational Workplaces,” compiled by the Great Place to Work Institute. The rankings recognize the 25 best companies to work for worldwide.

Raw petfood company adds yak, llama to petfood line

TheDogMaOnline LLC expanded its raw petfood department with the addition of yak and llama as new petfood options, targeted at pets with allergies. According to the company, yak and llama are exotic proteins that are not used in prepared raw food diets currently, so the new food may be a good option for pets with allergies.

Illinois, USA, petfood manufacturer accused of 23 violations by US safety group

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration found 23 violations at an Illinois, USA, petfood manufacturer, the Chicago Tribune reported. According to OSHA, petfood company All-Feed Processing and Packaging Inc. exposed its workers to high levels of dust and excessive noise, and used trucks powered by liquid propane in areas where combustible dust was present.

FDA now testing petfood, pet treats for Salmonella

The US Food and Drug Administration has started to test petfood for Salmonella contamination to prevent pet owners from getting sick by handling the petfood. In October 2011, FDA investigators began taking samples of dry petfood, pet treats and pet diet supplements from distributors, wholesalers and retailers such as PetSmart, Petco, WalMart, Costco, Sam's Club and Target.

Online petfood retailer PetfoodDirect.com hosts Facebook petfood sweepstakes

Online petfood retailer PetFoodDirect.com is hosting a Facebook sweepstakes to give away one year's supply of petfood to one winner. Now through December 9, pet owners may enter the sweepstakes on PetFoodDirect.com's Facebook page.

Hill's Science Diet Senior cat food given top ranking by GoodGuide

Hill's was awarded the highest ranking for its Science Diet Senior 11+ Age Defying cat food by independent consumer rating website GoodGuide.com. GoodGuide rated a variety of petfood products earlier this year on nutritional performance, caloric content, life-stage specificity and desirability of ingredients.

Pet industry growth follows human trends

The pet industry is expected to maintain a steady pace of growth, increasing by 33% over the next five years to US$67.7 billion in 2016, according to Mintel. Pet industry trends mirror the same trends and innovations in human markets, such as those in food quality and social media, according to Fiona O'Donnell, senior analyst at Mintel.

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