Pet food labeling — Who has the ear of the consumer?

In my 40+ year history in pet food, communication content and style to consumers have ranged widely among brand marketing, regulatory, bloggers, unofficial website experts, universities and ingredient suppliers. Communication is a complex mix of purpose and desired outcome, often with opposing positions.  

In pet food marketing, it is much easier to communicate ingredient stories than nutrition and health. Over time, we have seen nearly every ingredient demonized including corn, wheat, soybean, potatoes, vitamin K, chicken and now peas. My first boss once told me, “If you work long enough, you will likely make products out of air and water.” I’m not sure I really understood how prophetic he was.