News & Newsletters: Page 813

Victam Asia 2012 announces new location, earlier dates

Victam Asia 2012 has announced a new venue and earlier dates for the event to be held in Bangkok, Thailand: The venue will switch to the Bangkok International Trade Exhibition Centre, BITEC, between the city center and the new international airport. The show will be held February 15 through 17.

Pet Valu signs US Humane Society's Puppy Friendly Pet Store pledge

Pet Valu, a mid-Atlantic US petfood and supply chain, signed The Humane Society of the United States' Puppy Friendly Pet Store pledge. This pledge means that the company commits to not sell puppies from puppy mills, but instead to support local pet adoption programs and provide literature that helps customers learn how to locate a puppy from a reputable source.

Market Trends and Reports

PetSmart to offer Innova brand petfood products

PetSmart will carry Innova brand petfood products on its store shelves beginning in May. The Innova brand was launched in 1993 by Natura Pet Products, which allowed the petfood brand to be sold only by independent specialty pet stores.

Canadian government to invest US$175,000 in Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council

The Government of Canada will invest US$175,000 in the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada to help develop global market opportunities for Canadian petfood products, according to an announcement by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. The federal investment will be provided through the US$88 million AgriMarketing program, under Growing Forward, which helps industry associations implement long-term international strategies.

Market Trends and Reports

Mars Petcare launches Marine Stewardship Council certified products in UK

Mars Petcare launched Marine Stewardship Council certified products in UK stores as part of the company's commitment to use only sustainably-sourced fish in all products by 2020. Select packs of Mars Petcare’s Sheba and Whiskas petfood lines for cats are MSC-certified and available in UK stores.

International Grains Program to hold extrusion processing course in August

The International Grains Program at Kansas State University will hold an extrusion processing short course from Aug. 9-12, at the IGP Conference Center. The course is geared toward technical and managerial personnel in the petfood, feed and ingredient industries.

World Small Animal Veterinary Association develops global nutrition guidelines

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association developed global nutrition guidelines to raise awareness of nutrition as the fifth vital assessment (5VA) in a standard physical exam for pets. If published, 5VA would require a nutritional assessment and specific dietary recommendation be made for every patient on all visits.

Market Trends and Reports

US petfood sales up to US$18.4 billion in 2010, according to report

According to the report "Pet Food in the US, 9th Edition," released by Packaged Facts, US retail sales of petfood reached US$18.4 billion in 2010, up 2.8% over 2009 sales, but the growth was the slowest the market has seen since 1999. Mass-market outlets led in petfood sales: dog food, the largest petfood category, grew 1.5% in 2010 to reach $3.7 billion, according to the report.

Pig ear dog chews recalled for possible Salmonella contamination

Jones Natural Chews Co. of Rockford, Illinois, USA recalled 2,705 boxes of its pig ear dog chews due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recalled pig ear chews were shipped to distributors and retailers in the following states: Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

PetShopBowl only online pet shop to exhibit at 120th Crufts dog show

A 10-month old startup called PetShopBowl will be the only online pet shop to exhibit at the United Kingdom's 120th Crufts dog show. PetShopBowl was set up by two entrepreneurs, Adam Taylor and Alexandra Tamasan, with help from the Princes Trust Business program.

Over 620 attend AFIA 2011 Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference

Over 620 members of the livestock feed and pet food industries attended the 2011 Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference, an annual three-day event of the American Feed Industry Association held in Las Vegas, Nev., from March 2 through 4. Tanya Dowda with Land O’Lakes Purina Feed provided the event's opening remarks and was followed by Al Gunderson, chairman of the IFEEDER board of trustees.

Petco launches Certified Nutrition program to help consumers select petfood

Petco recently launched Petco Certified Nutrition, a program designed to aid consumers in choosing a food for their pets' individual needs. As part of Petco Certified Nutrition, all Petco store associates receive pet nutrition training on an ongoing basis, allowing them to guide consumers through petfood selection and assess a pet's nutritional needs based on a variety of factors, such as age, breed, weight, activity level, and skin and coat issues.

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