Refrigerated dog food market grows

Refrigerated, fresh dog food is a growing market that is predicted to increase to $473 million in annual sales by 2012, according to research firm Packaged Facts.
The Freshpet Select brand sold at Schnucks is a mixture of brown rice, eggs, peas, carrots and barely cooked meats (chicken, turkey, beef, liver), plus added vitamins and minerals.
“It’s been here over a year, and it’s going really well,” said Dennis McCaddon, grocery manager at the Schnucks in Springfield, Ill. “Customers are saying their dogs really love it.”
Packaged Facts attributes the popularity of fresh dog food to convenience, technological advances, better distribution channels and heightened food-safety concerns.