Pet Food Experts ends Nestle Purina products distribution

Pet Food Experts has decided to end its 10-year distribution relationship with Nestle Purina PetCare in New York and New England. Phillips Pet Food & Supplies will acquire the distribution rights in that region.
“This important strategic decision demonstrates our unwavering commitment to our company mission,” said Michael Baker, president of Pet Food Experts. “Helping independent pet retailers win is our sole focus. Being independently owned, we have to be diligent in maximizing our resources and I’m confident this decision will only make us stronger. Nestlé Purina is an extremely professional organization and played an important role in our company’s history over the past decade. We wish them all the best in the future.”
 Pet Food Experts will make its last deliveries of Nestle Purina products on May 15 in New York and May 29 in New England. Phillips will begin servicing the New England market June 1 from its Taunton, Massachusetts, USA, distribution center and the New York metro market from its Easton, Pennsylvania, USA, distribution center starting May 18.

Petfood Forum 2014 session highlights pet industry distribution trends

At a Petfood Forum 2014 discussion session titled, "How distributor consolidation is affecting petfood retailing," held on April 2, Mark Kalaygian with Pet Business magazine highlighted the top petfood industry distribution trends.

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Online business is increasing market share in the US, with an estimated US$3.2 billion to US$3.7 billion in 2014 for pet products-5.5% of total pet sales. For petfood, shipping is still an issue even though Amazon.com is currently eating some of the cost. This is good news for brick and mortar pet stores, as more people are inclined to purchase petfood in stores than online. 
In the private labeling sector, more distributors are getting into private labeling petfood. It's a way to offer more lines and price levels of products to retail customers. Small lines are responsible for their own marketing, according to Kalaygian, and ride alongs with distribution are critical for small brands to gain a presence in the industry and stand out to distributors and distribution sale representatives. As a company, you need to make it worthwhile for them to focus on your brand. 
Small niche distributors can focus on brands, for example raw diets, and grab a piece of the market, said Kalaygian These distributors are hungry and looking to expand their market or be acquired by a larger distributor. 

Istanbul-based wholesale company to distribute P&G petfood brands in Turkey

Istanbul-based wholesale company DBM announced that it is taking over the exclusive distribution of two P&G Pet Care brands in Turkey. As of November 1, DMB will distribute the Eukanuba and Iams petfood brands. 
"We will be much more powerful with Eukanuba and Iams in giving a totally new breath and new targets to the Turkish pet market with our consumer-based projects," said DBM managing director, Mujde Coskun.

AFIA hosts Feed Industry Institute conference

Every two years, the American Feed Industry Association’s Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Committee hosts the Feed Industry Institute, a four-day event of educational programming about all aspects of the feed industry.
Topics covered at this year’s FII include animal nutrition, ingredients, distribution and quality. The event will be at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, June 14-17. Visit AFIA’s website for more information and to register.

Supreme Pet Foods launches debate over industry standard

Supreme Pet Foods is seeking an industry standard to guarantee quality and consistency in the production, packaging and marketing of small animal petfood, according to a new report. The standard would define claims about nutritional content and commonly used marketing terms such as "complete," "complementary" and "beneficial fiber" and also standardize the implementation of quality process controls in the production of petfoods, according to Supreme.
The company has invited interested parties to contribute to the debate called “The Case for Quality.”
The manufacturer said problems like misleading package declarations and transparency in labeling of vegetarian foods for herbivores were discovered via tests. It has called for an industrywide agreement on the communication of dietary information such as sugar and fiber content.

AFIA launches Web site for safe feed program

The American Feed Industry Association launched a new Web site that provides details about the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program.
An explanation of the program and testimonials from feed-industry experts are among the materials available on the new site, which can be found at www.safefeedsafefood.org.
The Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program is a voluntary, third-party-certified program for mills and other facilities that produce livestock feed, petfood and related ingredients. About 330 US and Canadian facilities are certified by the program. An international version of the program will launch later this year.

Registration available for Virtual Petfood Forum

The all-new 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:
*When more petfood doesn’t equal success—Sean Delaney, DVM, MS, DACVN, Natura Pet Products Inc.
*The science behind grain-free and raw diets for cats—Brittany Vester Boler, PhD, University of Illinois
*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 pprofessor of animal nutrition, Rajamangala University of Technology, Thailand

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.)

Couple, company plead guilty in melamine case

Husband and wife Stephen and Sally Miller, along with their company, ChemNutra Inc., pleaded guilty June 16 to distributing a tainted ingredient used to make petfood that reportedly sickened or killed thousands of pets, according to The Associated Press.
The federal indictment alleged they knowingly brought wheat gluten tainted with melamine into the US and proceeded to sell it to petfood manufacturers.

Petfood manufacturers combat price increases

Manufacturers and distributors are in a difficult position as customers mistakenly blame them for intentionally increasing petfood prices when in reality production costs are going up, according to an article from The Greeley Tribune.
“People kept attacking us, but our markup is the same. We’re not increasing our prices — it’s the companies we buy from,” said Josh Saunders, of Poudre Pet & Feed Supply.
Several brands, including Nutro and Hill’s, have turned to cutting reward programs, downsizing packages, levying fuel surcharges, and/or increasing prices in the final product order to balance the increased production costs.

Finding a place for organic petfood

Some organic petfood makers are finding it difficult to have their products carried at retailers for an extended period of time – a trend that may be due to the economic climate, according to an article from Britain’s The Telegraph.
For Rozanne Gallon, founder of Organic Pet Food Company, organic pet treats often are viewed as a special-purchase item.
“We’ve been trying to get a full listing in Sainsbury’s,” she said.
“In the present climate, there’s insecurity among retailers and everyone is being very cautious.”
The upside? Gallon’s Christmas sales show demand, and she sees the organic petfood market as more than a fad.

Foreign suppliers forced to exit Russian market

Foreign petfood suppliers are forced to scrap their exports to Russia due to not being able to receive a license from Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance to import the goods, according to an article on www.newsfromrussia.com.
The FSVPS began to decline licenses to many suppliers claiming that enterprises must be included on a special register of the department.
Imports make over 70% of the petfood goods in Russia’s US$1 billion market. Germany, Britain, France, China and the USA are included in the top five of the largest exporters of petfood to Russia.

Web-based company offers fresher petfood

Petfood distributors Jeff and Sandy Opachick at www.HealthyPetFoodForlife.com are taking a new approach to providing fresher food, according to a press release by the company.
According to Jeff, petfoods that start out high in nutrient density can lose nutrient value because of distribution practices. Generally petfood bought off the store shelves can be anywhere from six to 12 months old due to up front inventory requirements for future sales, according to his company’s press release.
HealthyPetFoodForlife.com provides a solution by micro-batching - manufacturing smaller batches of petfood every couple days, then shipping the product direct to the customer. The food is APHIS certified for the European market and defined as human grade, according to the release.