Freshpet launches new dog, cat food advertising campaign

Freshpet's new ads feature a variety of dogs, like this mutt, with signs that play off their breed.

Freshpet is launching the next phase of its "Protest" campaign, which highlights the benefits of the brand's fresh, refrigerated dog and cat food and compares it with other dog food brands on store shelves.
Freshpet's campaign, created by The Terri & Sandy Solution, is a follow-up to last year’s “Protest” spot, which was named the number one most effective spot in the petfood category, according to Ace Metrix.
The advertising campaign includes three television spots and posters to be featured at upcoming sponsorship events. A variety of dogs are featured wearing placards with sayings that play off the breed, including a mutt with a sign, “By-Products Can Kiss My Mutt”; a pug wearing a sign that says, “Pug Off, Preservatives”; and a Shih Tzu wearing, “Propolene Glycol Is Shih Tzu.”
"Last year's spot was the most effective in the petfood industry. And we wanted to up the ante. The lines and the music this year are more irreverent in a playful, wag-your-tail kind of way,” says Sandy Greenberg, co-founder of The Terri & Sandy Solution. Terri Meyer, co-founder, The Terri & Sandy Solution, added: “If dogs knew what ingredients were in their food, they would speak out. We’re just giving them a voice.”

Panelis cattery offers cat food palatability testing in North America

Panelis, part of the Diana Pet Food division, is an independent team of trained animal technicians, behaviorists and statisticians that observe and measure the consumption and enjoyment of pet food by canine and feline expert panels. Its cat food palatability testing services are now available for customers in the US and Canada through the establishment of Panelis North America and its recently opened cattery in Hodges, South Carolina, USA.


Panelis North America's cattery is located in Hodges, South Carolina, USA.

Panelis North America provides information to help pet food manufacturers make strategic decisions related to palatability. At the North American cattery, the company has approximately 80 cats that are responsible for tasting a variety of cat foods. Panelis North America says it has future plans to include a second cattery and a kennel.

Purina petfood launches iPad app for cats

Purina, in promotion of its Friskies food for cats, launched a range of Apple iPad application games for cats.
Purina's iPad app games include Cat-Fishing, Tasty Treasure Hunt and Party Mix-Up. In the games, cats can chase and paw at the bright colored moving objects, like fish and mice, on the screen. The iPad's touchscreen responds to the cat's paw just as it does a human's hand.

Eukanuba, magazine and Web site launch Cat College

Eukanuba cat food, Cat Fancy magazine and CatChannel.com recently launched Cat College – an online school where cat owners can learn more about their pets through educational courses.
The Eukanuba Cat College program kicked off in the January 2010 issue of Cat Fancy, with a quiz to determine how knowledgeable readers are about their feline pets. Readers are then able to go online and enroll in Cat College.
The Cat College curriculum includes courses on feline nutrition, biology, zoology, genetics, psychology, language, sociology, art history and physical education.
The program's valedictorian will win a year's worth of Eukanuba cat food.

Holistic petfood brand adds more functional ingredients

Holistic Select from WellPet now offers recipes with Select Actives, functional ingredients found in nature.
The food follows the company's philosophy of preventing health problems in pets before they start. Select Actives are a combination of enzymes, probiotics, live micro-organisms, botanicals and phytonutrients. The recipes are for cats and dogs through all life stages.

Report reviews growing segments of pet market

Senior, weight management and special needs pet products may make significant developments in the current market, according to Bharat Book Bureau.
The US dog and cat population age six or older is increasing, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Dogs six and older increased from 42% in 1996 to 44% in 2006, and cats of the same age rose from 37% to 44%.
Similarly, the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention said 44% of dogs and 57% of cats were overweight or obese as of 2008, up since 2007. And older animals had an even higher incidence of obesity.
To offer insight on this topic, the report discusses the following market segments:
*Petfood, including nutraceutical treats
*Prescription pet medications
*Devices and other non-food assistance products
*Pet supplements
The report can be purchased online.

Head Over Tails for Pets launches new website

Head Over Tails for Pets’ new website, headovertails.com, says it will easily cut the time spent on shopping for pet supplies in half.
Headovertails.com combines an easy-to-navigate site with a focus on offering products for dogs and cats — including organic petfood, healthy treats, natural supplements for pets, professional grooming tools and durable, long-lasting toys to keep pets vibrant and healthy, according to the company.
“Although there are a lot of big box retailers selling tons of pet supplies, it’s hard for the consumer to find unique specialty items for their pets,” said Rachel Rice, internet marketing manager. “We saw a real opportunity to offer the best and the brightest in the nicest, most easy-to-use format, and we accomplished that with headovertails.com.”

Lantmannen Doggy to triple output

Due to strong demand by Swedish, German and Russian consumers for its dog and cat food, Swedish petfood manufacturer Lantmannen Doggy will expand production to triple its output, particularly of products packaged in Tetra Recart packaging.
The company is investing approximately €6.2 million (US$9.1 million) into the project, which has a spring 2010 completion date.

Dogs get Texas-sized donation

WellPet Foundation, the charitable arm of the Wellness Natural Pet Food, donated nearly 17 tons of dog food and snacks to the 800 dogs currently residing at the DAWGS N Texas animal shelter. The shelter is an animal wellness group and sanctuary based in Dalhart, Texas, USA, whose primary goal is to find loving and safe homes for the animals in its care.

No dietary supplements in petfood to change?

FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) contends dietary supplements should not be added to animal feed. However, for companion animals, this could change, according to a recent article.
A formerly established court decision holding that inclusion of supplements can be tied to taste and aroma might be an in, considering a test of this could be a demonstrated preference of foods.
The article pointed to the rationale of the CVM protecting human food supply via the ingredients in animal feed as still being sound, but questioned what this might mean for companion animals, or those not used for food.

Australian petfood market overview available

Researchandmarkets.com has added the "Snapshots Australia Pet Food 2009" report to its Web site, Reuters reported.
The report includes year-end market size data for 2008, estimates for 2009, historical data for the past five years and a forecast for the next five. The data is available in graphical as well as tabular format. The report also covers wet cat, wet dog, dry dog, dry cat, chilled petfood, dog treats and bird food.
The topics covered include category definitions, market size by value and volume, market shares, forecasts, socio-economic data and sources for further research.

Nutro introduces stricter checks, reintroduces recalled products

Nutro has reintroduced its dry cat food after the voluntary recall in May, according to a news report.
The company said its food-safety program now has stricter quality checks for suppliers and extensive testing of inbound raw materials and finished products. It has also reportedly enhanced the ingredient quality.
In May, the company discovered that two premixes from one of its US-based suppliers contained excessive levels of potassium and zinc.
Nutro announced August 7 that all its cat food brands were available at petfood retailers.

Castor & Pollux shelter donations pass half million mark

Castor & Pollux Pet Works donated more than a half million meals to animal shelters in 2008, catchannel.com reported. The donations were made through the company’s partnership with Freekibble.com.
The Clackamas, Ore.-based manufacturer of natural petfood and treats has reportedly donated more than 538,000 meals for dogs and cats to date.
Freekibble.com was founded in 2008 to provide food to dogs and cats in shelters, pledging to raise 10 pieces of kibble for affiliated shelters from Oregon to Florida, USA, for every trivia question answered online.
Castor & Pollux donated its dog and cat foods to about 10 of the 14 Freekibble.com-affiliated shelters.

Speakers, topics announced for Virtual Petfood Forum

The all-new, first-ever Virtual Petfood Forum: Target on Nutrition is a live educational event held entirely on the Internet. Scheduled for October 28, it features the industry's leading experts presenting information on companion animal nutrition, then participating in live question-and-answer sessions with attendees.
Speakers and topics include:
*Exotic ingredients in petfoods—Greg Aldrich, PhD
*Dietary components in the treatment of canine osteoarthritis—Anton Beynen, PhD, head of R&D for Vobra Special Petfoods in the Netherlands and professor of animal nutrition, Rajamangala University of Technology, Thailand
*Communicating with pet owners about petfoods and unconventional diets—Kathryn E. Michel, DVM, MS, DACVN, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine
*The science behind grain-free and raw diets for cats—Brittany Vester Boler, PhD, University of Illinois
*When more petfood doesn’t equal success—Sean Delaney, DVM, MS, DACVN, Natura Pet Products Inc.
Virtual Petfood Forum also allows you to interact live with your industry peers and with world-class solution providers and suppliers to the global petfood manufacturing industry. Registration is free; find out more and register today.
(If you can't participate live on October 28, you can still view the archive for 90 days afterward as long as you're registered.)

ASA challenges MPM leading brand claim

MPM Products has been cited by the Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom) for an advertisement pitting its Applaws cat food brand against Town & Country's HiLife, according to a news report.
Town & Country challenged MPM’s charges and asked MPM to prove its claims of Applaws being the leading brand in most UK pet stores.
In its defense, MPM provided data showing sales of Applaws from May 2008 to April 2009 and sales growth in 2008 were greater than the combined sales of three other cat food brands including HiLife, in the second and third leading specialist pet stores in the country.
ASA has rejected the ad, saying the data could not substantiate MPM's "leading brand" claims.

Purina introduces new treat for cats

Purina has recently launched its Fancy Feast Appetizers for cats, according to a news report. Purina claims it took a team of 40 about three-and-a-half years to develop a cat food and introduce it to the US$17 billion US petfood industry. The company is launching a national ad campaign beginning next month to market the product as a premium brand.
In early 2007, Purina hosted a focus group in St. Louis, to identify what consumers wanted for their cats. That was when the idea of an appetizer came up. The company then worked on packaging prototypes and eight varieties of appetizers, including "tender Tongol tuna," "white meat chicken" and "steamed Tilapia."
Despite the recession, petfood sales registered 5.5% growth last year compared with 2007, according to Packaged Facts. The US pet cat population grew to an estimated 83 million last year.

Vet: commercial food best for pets

In a recent pet advice column by veterinarian Suzy Hochgesang, a pet owner asked whether she should feed her cats and dogs homemade petfood.
Hochgesang was clear in her response, saying, “Most veterinary nutritionists agree that it is best to feed our pets a commercial food.”
She listed lower costs, more convenience and a better nutritional balance as the top reasons to choose commercial petfood over homemade petfood.
Hochgesang also recommended pet owners buy brands that are AAFCO approved, such as Hill's, Eukanuba and Purina.

Clinical Nutrition Case Challenge taking submissions

Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. is now taking submissions for consideration for the 2009-2010 Evidence-Based Clinical Nutrition Case Challenge until January 31, 2010.
The challenge is part of the Hill's/VCA Intern Partnership Program, which seeks to raise awareness of nutrition in clinical case management.
This year’s challenge includes an additional category for VCA residents who want to compete in the evidence-based clinical case challenge.
For more information, visit www.hillsvet.com.

FDA suspends Evanger's permit

The FDA announced the suspension of a petfood manufacturer’s temporary emergency permit to ship its products due to a lack of compliance with the permit’s mandates.
FDA inspections conducted earlier this year determined Evanger's Dog & Cat Food Company deviated from the prescribed production of the company's thermally processed low-acid canned food products, possibly resulting in under-processed petfood.
Evanger’s vice president Joel Sher responded June 15 in the company’s blog, stating that the permit suspension stemmed from miscommunication between the FDA and his company.
Sher said the company’s processing authority told the FDA he intended to file a single heating process that would cover all petfoods using the most rigorous heating process, with the intention that the heating process would add an additional layer of safety.
The FDA disagreed, stating Evanger’s failed to provide documentation on all formula types that the company intended to include under the same heating process.Evanger's must document corrective actions and processing procedures in order to resume shipping in interstate commerce, according to the FDA.

Nutro issues voluntary cat food recall

Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of Natural Choice Complete Care Dry Cat Foods and Max Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By" dates between May 12, 2010, and August 22, 2010, according to a statement on the Nutro Web site.
The cat food is being recalled in the US and 10 additional countries, but the recall does not include dog food.
The recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in Nutro’s finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.