Pet Food Market: Page 571

Pet Food Market

Media perpetuating petfood safety myths, misconceptions

Another day/month/year, another media report on petfood safety with misleading, out-of-context or downright inaccurate information. Since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the proposed preventive control rule for animal feed (including petfood) in late October as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), it's been big news throughout mainstream media. Unfortunately, it's difficult to see how some of the news being disseminated is at all helpful to pet owners, let alone the petfood industry.

Pet Food Market

2014 human food trends for petfood to watch

Is the next big thing in petfood based on a relatively old thing? In the December issue of Pet Product News International, David Lummis of Packaged Facts speculated that the next petfood trend could be “biologically appropriate.” This harks back to a term and acronym that were widely used about a decade ago, BARF (biologically appropriate raw food), when the raw petfood segment was getting started.

Market Trends and Reports

Thiamine concentrations in canned foods for cats

Researchers measured thiamine concentrations in commercial canned foods formulated for cats as an assessment of the variation among canned foods. Researchers also determined the effects of flavor (fish vs. nonfish) of the food, texture (paté vs. nonpaté) of the food, country of manufacture and size of the company on thiamine concentration.

Bravo! raw petfood brand launches interactive training program

Bravo!, a manufacturer of raw diets for dogs and cats, recently launched an interactive training program accessible through the company’s website. This program was designed to provide distributor sales representatives, retail store associates and product demonstration teams with knowledge to inform shoppers about the benefits of the company’s petfood and treats.

Purina ONE, GOOD name winner of Hero Pets challenge

Purina ONE and GOOD named the winner of the Hero Pets GOOD Maker challenge, which celebrated the amazing impact pets can make in a person’s life. Kathy Howard and her Retriever, Wally, were selected among 15 finalists by the GOOD community.

Wally, a Retriver, was voted as winner of the Hero Pets challenge.

ADM to establish global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, USA

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), a supplier of petfood ingredients, has selected Chicago, Illinois, USA, as the location for its global headquarters and customer center. "While we considered other global hubs, Chicago emerged as the best location to provide efficient access to global markets while maintaining our close connections with US farmers, customers and operations," said ADM Chairman and CEO Patricia Woertz.

Pet Food Market

Looking into the 2014 petfood crystal ball

I don't really have a crystal ball (and I probably wouldn't trust it if I had one). Nor can I claim to predict, with full confidence, what will happen in the global petfood industry next year. But I can make a fairly informed speculation about the issues and events that may affect petfood in 2014. In no particular order of conviction or chronology:

Market Trends and Reports

Procter & Gamble sees continued petfood challenges in third quarter

Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive have both been facing similar market challenges in the pet care market as of late. Mars and Nestle are consolidating their positions in the global petfood market, together accounting for 50% of value sales, and small and medium-sized companies in the industry are fragmenting the premium end of the market, where Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive have traditionally derived the bulk of their sales.

Central Garden & Pet reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2013 financial results

Central Garden & Pet Company has reported financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013. The company reported net sales of US$368.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2013, a 7 percent decrease over the 14-week comparable fiscal 2012 period.

Market Trends and Reports

MPM Products sells 100 millionth unit of wet cat food

MPM Products, manufacturer of the Applaws and Encore petfood brands, is celebrating after selling its 100 millionth unit of wet cat food worldwide. The Manchester, England-based company is seeing sales of its brands continue to grow and is on track to reach its target of £24 million (US$39.1 million) turnover by the end of 2013.

Pet Food Market

Food palatability and canine obesity

Contrary to common consent, there is no published evidence that the addition of palatability enhancers to industrially produced foods increases the risk of obesity development in dogs. However, there is such evidence for added fat, which is both a conditional palatant and a concentrated energy source.

Pet Food Market

Petfood nutrition trends in 2013

Long forgotten are the days of table scraps and the occasional tin can of wet petfood making up the family dog's and cat's diet. Today, every portion of the petfood market—from the superpremium, superfood-filled premixes to a bag of vitamin-enriched alfalfa hay for chinchillas—is acutely aware of human food trends, what pet parents perceive as healthy, and research that can prove the holistic or medicinal benefits of an ingredient or diet method.

Petfoods and treats focused on specific health issues, specialized diets and ingredients appeal to consumers in a market flooded with products.

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