Australia/Pacific: Page 6

Market Trends and Reports

Petfood manufacturer Addiction upgrades New Zealand facilities

Petfood manufacturer Addiction recently completed an expansion and upgrade of its petfood manufacturing facility in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, as well as began a new private-label division. The company says the petfood plant's capacity increased by more than thirtyfold, allowing the company to produce a wider variety of petfoods, including new private-label division petfoods.

New Zealand eel exported to US for novel petfood protein

Researchers in New Zealand are calling for petfood companies to stop exporting eel to the United States to be used as a novel protein source in petfoods. One local petfood company, Addiction Foods, exports a range of gourmet petfoods to the US and other markets, marketing them as hypoallergenic or "earth-friendly."

Market Trends and Reports

Raw dog food company K9 Natural adds new cat food

New Zealand-based raw petfood company K9 Natural recently added a new cat food to its offerings as the company's sales of its raw dog food continue to increase, says a recent article. Founded in April 2006 by former British police dog handler Geoff Bowers and dog breeder Bruce Mayhew, was named in 2011 to the Deloitte Fast 50 ranking as the country's fastest-growing manufacturer and has increased turnover by 300 percent for the past four years to nearly US$10 million.

Petfood companies Mars, Heinz Watties dispute over trademark

Petfood manufacturer Mars and New Zealand petfood company Heinz Watties are in a dispute over whether Mars can trademark the marketing slogan for its Advance petfood line in Australia, according to a local report. Mars wants to trademark the slogan "Advance Advanced Pet Nutrition," but was denied by assistant trademarks commissioner, Jennie Walden, because she said the trademark phrase was likely to confuse consumers due to its similarity to what Heinz Watties says is its unregistered trademark of "Champ Advanced Dog Nutrition."

Mars Petcare sells land purchased for New Zealand plant

Mars Petcare is offering land for sale in Marangai, New Zealand, which the petfood manufacturer originally purchased to build a manufacturing plant on, according to a local report. Mars bought a 152 hectacres of land in 2003, which was intended to be the site of a US$52 million petfood manufacturing facility.

Raw petfood manufacturer grows through investment, exports

Mark Stewart invested more than $10 million in ZiwiPeak, a small New Zealand raw petfood manufacturing company with revenues of about US$1 million at that time, but has since grown the petfood company's revenue to more than US$15 million per year and is looking to its export business to raise revenues even higher, according to a report. The company exports 97% of its petfood products to 25 countries, Stewart said, focusing on achieving profitiability for the petfood company with revenue growth of about 60% annually.

Bravo! adds new proteins to raw petfood diet offerings

Bravo!, a maker of raw petfood diets added two new proteins to its product portfolio. Beginning in February 2012, both USA-made duck and New Zealand-made lamb blends will be available in the popular petfood format.

Bravo! added duck and lamb blends to its line of raw petfood burgers.

New Zealand raw dog food manufacturer seeks investors

New Zealand raw dog food manufacturer K9 Natural is seeking to raise US$2.5 million from new investors. The Christchurch-based company says it has grown from a small business with US$650,000 in sales to US$5 million turnover and to 22 employees in the past three years through an export focus to main overseas markets in the United States, Canada, Japan and Hong Kong.

New Zealand raw petfood manufacturer named to Deloitte's Fast 50

New Zealand petfood company K9 Natural Food was named among the top five fastest growing companies in Deloitte's Fast 50 ranking, which the petfood company attributes to huge export growth. Christchurch, New Zealand-based K9 Natural was named the top manufacturer in New Zealand and top exporter in the Canterbury/upper South Island, New Zealand, region.

New Zealanders love pets like family, Purina survey finds

A recent survey by petfood manufacturer Purina found that people treat their pets like other human family members, and many believe cats and dogs show human-like emotions, according to a New Zealand article. The survey found that nationally, 72% of New Zealanders believed their pets to have human-like emotions, with 31% saying their pets could communicate feelings better than their partner.

Australia/Pacific

Effects of obesity and antioxidants in rabbits

Molecular mechanisms responsible for impaired insulin-sensitivity due to obesity are not fully understood in humans or animals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of castration-induced visceral obesity and the influence of antioxidants on blood lipid profile and insulin sensitivity in New Zealand white rabbits.

New Zealand vet offers petfood line based on diets of wild cats, dogs

An Auckland, New Zealand, veternarian launched a range of uncooked petfoods designed to replicate the natural diets of cats and dogs in the wild. Dr. Lyn Thomson recently opened the second shop for her petfood company, Raw Essentials, which she created because so many of her veterinary clients questioned the nutritional value of traditional, processed petfoods.

Page 6 of 8