The owner of Poland dog treat leader Maced has acquired Atlantic Products, another dog treat maker, and is investing to expand both companies’ production.

As brand loyalty declines and product diversity increases, pet food packaging needs to grab eyes both in physical stores and online, where shelf placement no longer helps to differentiate products. 

During the past decade in the pet food industry, pathogen related recalls were among the most frequent. Along with direct contamination by microorganisms such as Salmonella, ingredients tainted by fungal mycotoxins, like aflatoxin, have caused pet food recalls.

To observe the dogs’ behaviors, the researchers videotaped the experiment and counted the amount of time dog’s spent with ears relaxed, ears erect, tail stiff and other movements associated with fear or relaxation.

The online pet food market in Mexico is dominated by Mercado Libre and Amazon, leaving little share for pet specialist e-commerce startups like Laika.

Cats remained the most popular pets in Germany in 2020, making up 52% of the population. Overall, 47% of German households included a pet in 2020, an increase of nearly one million animals over 2019.

After growth in pet ownership in 2020, Germany now has a pet in nearly half of all households. With higher pet ownership came an increase in pet food and treat sales last year.

Purina pet food sales had strong momentum, led by science-based and premium brands Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE and Felix.