News & Newsletters: Page 777

Mars Petcare sells land purchased for New Zealand plant

Mars Petcare is offering land for sale in Marangai, New Zealand, which the petfood manufacturer originally purchased to build a manufacturing plant on, according to a local report. Mars bought a 152 hectacres of land in 2003, which was intended to be the site of a US$52 million petfood manufacturing facility.

Petfood equipment manufacturer moves to larger India plant

Charles Ross & Son Co., a manufacturer of mixers and other petfood manufacturing equipment, relocated its Ross Process Equipment into a new plant in Pune, India. The new plant is triple the size of the previous facility, said Joe Martorana, vice president of corporate operations.

The new Ross Process Equipment plan is triple the size of its old plant.

Perfection Pet Foods to open human-grade testing, manufacturing plant

Perfection Pet Foods recently opened a new manufacturing facility in Visalia, California, USA, which according to the company's vice president of operations, Ed Cooper, far exceeds the food safety requirements currently in place for petfood manufacturers. The new plant has an on-site independent certified lab, which is also certified to test food for human consumption, that tests the petfood ingredients arriving at the plant through to the end product.

American Feed Industry Association hosts Pet Food Conference

At the 2012 International Feed Expo/International Poultry Expo, recently held in Atlanta, Georigia, USA, the American Feed Industry Association hosted the annual Pet Food Conference. The Pet Food Conference covered topics ranging from regulatory issues to the technical aspects of production, food safety, marketing and use of ingredients.

EU pet owners spend US$33.05 billion on pet products, study finds

EU-member states spend an annual €25 billion (US$33.05 billion) on pet necessities such as petfood, according to a study conducted by IFH Retail Consultants, a subsidiary of the Institut für Handelsforschung. Nearly three-quarters of the total European pet owner expenditure goes to petfood, with the amount spent on pet accessories and pet care products much less in contrast, the report found.

Release of regulations for Food Safety Modernization Act delayed

The US Food and Drug Administration’s release of proposed regulations to implement the cornerstone of the Food Safety Modernization Act has been delayed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, which is still in the review stage. The Food and Drug Administration had hoped to release four separate sets of proposed regulations on January 4, the one-year anniversary of the Food Safety Modernization Act's signing into law.

AFIA creates petfood manufacturing facility certification program

The American Feed Industry Association recently announced new third-party facility certification programs designed specifically for manufacturing petfood and petfood ingredients. The Pet Food Manufacturing Facility Certification Program and the Pet Food Ingredient Facility Certification Program were developed by the association's petfood and quality committees with input from third-party food safety experts.

Horizon Pet Nutrition launches grain-free petfood formula

Petfood manufacturer Horizon Pet Nutrition recently launched a new grain-free petfood formula, Pulsar. According to Jeff English, Horizon Pet Nutrition co-founder, the new grain-free petfood replaces traditional grains with alternative ingredients such as potato and tapioca, but is still offered at an affordable price for consumers.

Veterinarian tips for maintaining a pet's healthy body weight

A Florida, USA, veterinarian is offering 10 tips for pet owners on how much petfood should be fed to their dog or cat to maintain a healthy body weight. The first rule, according to Dr. Patty Khuly, is that regardless of which petfood brand, be sure to invest in a diet that is nutritionally balanced.

Wenger to hold petfood industry food safety seminar in March

Wenger Manufacturing Inc. will hold a Food Safety Seminar for the petfood industry from March 27-29, at its Sabetha, Kansas, USA, petfood extrusion facility. The petfood safety seminar will be hosted by the company's Corporate Project Services division, made up of industry professionals.

Royal Canin petfood focuses on cat, dog breed-specific nutrition

French-based petfood manufacturer, Royal Canin, has found its way into the petfood market with a focus on specially formulated petfood diets for specific dog and cat breeds, as well as for pets of different ages and sizes. Through the Royal Canin petfood brand, parent company Mars Inc. has been able to gain market share with petfood manufacturer Nestle Purina, according to analysts.

Pet product retail, consumer trends report released by Packaged Facts

Packaged Facts released a new report, Pet Product Retail Channel and Consumer Shopping Trends, which says pet product retailers and marketers should re-evaluate strategic options to keep up with the increasingly competitive pet product marketplace. The report suggests options for remaining competitive in the market, including: competing on price; incorporating premium or natural products into offerings; improving merchandising, marketing and promotions; promoting pet treats; and becoming "destination information" sources.

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