Report: Italy’s pet food market grew 2.4% in 2014

Italy’s pet food market grew 2.4% in 2014, which closed with a turnover of EUR1,830 million (US$2,040 million), with sales of 544,000 tons of food products for dogs and cats, the main segment, according to data published in the 2015 Assalco-Zoomark Report.
The report was presented at the recent four-day Zoomark International event held in Bologna, Italy.
“This year’s event was an important one,” said Duccio Campagnoli, president of BolognaFiere, the company that manages the event. It “boosted networking opportunities for trade professionals from all over the world and confirmed the verve and entrepreneurial flair of this very innovative sector, where research and development have been focusing on issues like environmental sustainability, energy saving and quality, now a key element in production processes. And these values meet with the approval of informed consumers who want to see sustainable usage of resources, and for whom quality and safety are a priority when shopping for their pets.”
The event featured 615 exhibitors from 35 countries. Among other things, the event offered a host of training and refresher opportunities for veterinarians, breeders and groomers, with four educational and scientific seminars organized by SCIVAC (the Italian Cultural Society for Pet Veterinarians), APT (Professional Groomers Association), ENCI (Italian National Kennel Club) and ANFI (Italian National Feline Association). Meetings and workshops explored topical issues for pet industry professionals: e-commerce, social media strategy, lifestyle marketing and much more, presented by CNA Bologna in collaboration with professionals from the communications sector.