Pet Food Labeling: Page 23

Market Trends and Reports

Clean labels provide transparency for pet owners

As consumers have made it clear that they trust what they understand and perceive to be fresh, "real" ingredients, and as they demand the right to know what is in the foods they eat, should it come as a surprise that those same consumers are now insisting on the same right for the foods they feed their pets? The focus on a clear brand message and using language consumers clearly understand is growing and not going away, according to Lynn Dornblaser of Mintel.

A clean label utilizes simple packaging that conveys clearly the benefits of the product and lists easy to understand ingredientsâ€”this often means ones that consumers eat themselves.

Pet Food Ingredients

Bringing a new petfood concept to market

Where do new product ideas come from in the petfood industry? Do they only come from marketing or sales? In my experience, some of the fastest growing new products or brands have come from single entrepreneurs as well as large multifunctional groups.

Once a product idea is conceived and planned, often it becomes a balancing act of activities and reactions.

Pet Food Ingredients

New AAFCO website to help small petfood manufacturers

In the September 2010 issue of Petfood Industry, I briefly reported on the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ intent to launch a website designed particularly to help small manufacturers understand and comply with labeling and other state and federal regulatory requirements. The preview of the site at last year’s annual meeting met with tremendous applause from the audience.

â€˜The Business of Pet Foodâ€™ explains the need for product registration and/or company licensure at the state level and provides a table of basic state requirements as well as contact information and links for each state feed control office.

FEDIAF issues draft on communication for petfood

European Union Regulation 767/2009 on placing on the market and use of animal feeds sets out basic rules for the way information about petfood should be provided to the consumer. Common principles set out in this legislation are that information communicated about products must be truthful, objective and quantifiable, and it must also not mislead or deceive customers.

Pet Food Labeling

Veterinary groups offer pet nutritional assessment guidelines

Both the American Animal Hospital Association and World Small Animal Veterinary Association have recently published guidelines for the nutritional assessment of pets as part of routine physical examinations. The role of nutrition in animal health has long been a very important but often underutilized component of veterinary medicine.

Pet Food Labeling

Something to Chew On: Fighting pet obesity

The fourth annual National Pet Obesity Awareness Day Study from the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (www.petobesityprevention.com) shows more than 50% of US dogs and cats are now overweight or obese. Specifically, the survey highlights these preliminary data.

Pet Food Ingredients

What’s in a name? New and proposed petfood ingredients

Despite the expectation that the Food and Drug Administration will phase out its participation in the Association of American Feed Control Officials feed ingredient definition process by 2012, there are still many ingredients in the definition pipeline. During its “mid-year” meeting in January, AAFCO took action on a number of new and proposed ingredients, at least a few of which have impact on petfoods.

Pet Food Regulations

US petfood labeling update

In the US, petfood labeling is stipulated by the Association of American Feed Control Officials Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food. The models are constantly evolving, with often at least an amendment or two every year.

AAFCOâ€™s Pet Food Committee passed final language on an amendment that would mandate all dog and cat food, treat and supplement labels to bear calorie content statements.

Pet Food Regulations

Regulation PF9. Statements of Calorie Content

The proposed AAFCO calorie content regulation, as amended

GoodGuide: Science Diet number one in petfood brands

GoodGuide studied 1,500 products in 50 brands of dog and cat food to rate the top products in dry and wet petfood, and Science Diet took the number one spot for both dog and cat food brand. Ratings take into account things like concern for the environment, personal health and social responsibility to come up with scores in the categories of health, environment and society.

Pet Food Industry Association of South Africa vows to eliminate petfood fraud

The Pet Food Industry Association of Southern Africa (PFI) has vowed to eliminate petfood fraud in 2011 and protect South African pet owners from "rogue petfood manufacturers." PFI "will put all its forces and energy behind cleaning up any illegal practices in the petfood industry that harm the image of the industry and may possibly place pets at risk," according to an association statement.

Pet Food Regulations

More news from AAFCO

Last month, I reported on the activities of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Pet Food Committee during its annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA, in early August. This month I cover items that occurred outside of the Pet Food Committee session but still may affect petfoods.

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