Market Trends and Reports: Page 325

Pet product search for Giggy of Bravo's 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'

Edison Nation, a product developer and social network inventor, is partnering with the Creative Artists Agency to host a pet-related product search for Giggy the Pomeranian, a celebrity pet on Bravo's TV show, "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." The "Giggy the Pom" new product search seeks innovative, stylish pet products in categories such as: carriers and travel products; harnesses, leashes and matching accessories; toys; earth-friendly grooming and pet beauty products; and bed and home products.

Market Trends and Reports

Sustainable petfood packaging: much more than a trend

By now, sustainablity should be somewhere near the top of your list of important priorities for your petfood brand. Not only do consumers look for "green" aspects of products on the shelf like ingreident sourcing, environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes and recycled packaging materials, but a ssutainable plan for your company means savings for you. Though some "greening" campaigns may be nothing more than a trend in an adapting market, sustainable packaging isn't going anywhere but everywhere, and fast.

Though some 'greening' campaigns may be nothing more than a trend in an adapting market, sustainable packaging isn't going anywhere but everywhere, and fast.

Market Trends and Reports

Innovative entrepreneurs at Evermore Pet Food

In March 2011, Alison Wiener and Hanna Mandelbaum, owners of Evermore Pet Food, announced they would eat only their petfood for a month, airing daily "live feeds" online to chronicle the promotion. The founders of this year-old company, used this "guerrilla-like" marketing campaign to create awareness for their holistic products that they call not only human grade but actually "human edible." Though still modest, sales of the petfood products, which are "gently cooked," then frozen, are growing rapidly - Evermore predicts a profit of US$150,000 for 2011.

'We are truly passionate about creating healthy, sustainable and delicious food for pets,' say the Evermore co-founders. 'People often tell us that weâ€™re like the Ben & Jerryâ€™s of petfood.'

Tennessee, USA, holistic petfood retailer focuses on employee training, product quality

A Memphis, Tennessee, USA-based petfood retailer is growing fast, thanks to its emphasis on employee training and petfood product quality. Hollywood Feed, a holistic petfood chain, was bought by investors in 2006 from previous owners, who called the chain Hollywood PetStar.

Petco, Merrick host National Pet Adoption Weekend June 11-12

Petco will celebrate National Pet Adoption month by teaming up with petfood company sponsor Merrick Pet Care to host National Adoption Weekend on June 11 and 12. The pet adoption events will provide animal lovers with the chance to meet adoptable pets, learn about area animal adoption groups and inquire about caring for a new pet.

Pet industry grows with human trends in petfood, pet products

Despite a recession, the pet industry has seen continued growth in recent years as the trend of pet humanization has more pet owners purchasing human-grade, premium petfoods, luxury products and human-like medical care for their pets, according to a recent New York Times article. Americans spent a record US$55 billion on their pets in 2010, driven by a 7% increase in veterinary services, according to Packaged Facts.

Call for papers for 2012 Petfood Forum events announced

A call for papers for Petfood Forum 2012 and Petfood Forum Asia 2012 has been announced by the editors of Petfood Industry, organizer of the events.

TV's 'The Apprentice' contestants create new petfood at Mars Petcare

Mars Petcare’s Waltham, UK, and Melton, UK, petfood manufacturing facilities were the focus of the TV series "The Apprentice," as the show's contestants designed, prepared and marketed new petfood brands as part of their weekly challenge. Participants in the current season of "The Apprentice" visited the Mars Petcare sites to learn about the pet care market from nutrition experts at Mars.

Market Trends and Reports

Grain market: here we go again

Nearly every petfood producer I have talked with this year, including in Europe, has expressed concern about the continually escalating cost of ingredients, especially commodities. As of this writing, corn futures for this month (July 2011) were trading on the Chicago Board of Trade at US$7.59 a bushel, according to Agriculture.com.

Wall Street Transcript releases pet retail report with expert analysis

The Wall Street Transcript released a report on the pet retail sector, with expert commentary as well as an analysis of competition and trends in the petfood and products marketplace. The 14-page "Pets & Vets Report" focuses on pet retailers such as PetMed, PetSmart and Costco and brands such as Hill's Science Diet.

Bravo! recalls pig ear chew pet treats for Salmonella contamination

Bravo! issued a voluntary recall for select boxes of Bravo! pig ears chews because of the potential for Salmonella contamination. The recalled Bravo! pig ears were distributed to retailers on the East and West Coasts of the US between January 1 and February 28.

California, USA, petfood company recalls raw cat food for Salmonella

A California, USA, petfood company issued a voluntary recall of its raw cat food because the food may be contaminated with Salmonella. Primal Pet Foods of San Mateo, California, USA recalled its Feline Chicken & Salmon Formula, 4-pound chicken and salmon nuggets (UPC# 8 95135 00025 0) with a "best by" date code of 043112-17.

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