Smucker makes changes to executive board

The J.M. Smucker Company announced a series of key executive promotions after the recently announced planned acquisition of Big Heart Pet Brands, which is expected to be completed by the end of the company's fiscal year, April 2015.

• Vincent C. Byrd will assume the role of vice chairman. Byrd currently serves as president and chief operating officer. In this newly created position, Byrd, along with David West, will lead the integration and synergy efforts of the Big Heart Pet Brands transaction. Byrd has been with the company for 38 years.
• Mark T. Smucker will assume the role of president, consumer and natural foods. Smucker has 17 years of experience with the company, most recently serving as president, U.S. retail coffee.
• Steven Oakland will assume the role of president, coffee and foodservice. Oakland most recently held the position of president, international, foodservice, and natural foods. Oakland has been with the company for 32 years.
• Barry C. Dunaway will assume the role of president, international and chief administrative officer. Dunaway has 28 years of experience with the company, most recently serving as senior vice president and chief administrative officer.
• In addition, after the anticipated closing of the Big Heart Pet Brands transaction, David West will assume the role of president, Big Heart Pet Food and Snacks. West is currently the CEO of Big Heart Pet Brands and has more than 25 years of food industry experience. 
These five individuals, along with Mark R. Belgya, senior vice president and chief financial officer, will report to Richard Smucker, CEO.
In addition to their management roles, Tim Smucker, Richard Smucker, Mark Smucker, and Byrd will continue to serve on the company's board of directors. West will be nominated to the board of directors in conjunction with the closing of the Big Heart Pet Brands transaction.
"The executive promotions announced today, along with the talented teams that support them, continue to provide family leadership and broad management continuity, while also adding new talent to our leadership team," said Richard Smucker. "This leadership team has a proven track record of growing brands and businesses and continues our history of strong succession to ensure our company's long-term growth."

Cloud Star, Tiki brands merge to form Whitebridge Pet Brands

Cloud Star is merging with the Tiki pet brands of Petropics Gourmet Whole Foods to form Whitebridge Pet Brands. The new company will be led by CEO Olivier Amice of Cloud Star.

“Since our inception, our company has pioneered the new gourmet whole-food category,” said Christine Hackett, co-founder of Petropics. “Tiki has seen phenomenal growth thanks to the support of independent pet specialty retailers and distributors. We know that Tiki’s best days are still ahead, and we feel a merger with the Cloud Star team is the best way for the Tiki brands to reach their full potential.”
Whitebridge's portfolio will include Tiki Cat, Tiki Dog, Cloud Star, Buddy Biscuits and Wag More Bark Less. Each brand will keep its own identity, purpose and channel strategy. The founders of Cloud Star and Petropics will continue to advise Whitebridge and will remain shareholders.

Petfood Industry offers updated Top Petfood Companies database

Exclusive database includes petfood industry information on more than 350 companies

Petfood Industry has collected updated data on petfood manufacturers and marketers from around the world and compiled it in the exclusive Top Petfood Companies database. The data includes company headquarters, types of products produced, main brands, annual revenue and volume, number of employees, plants and facilities and other information about each company.
The global petfood industry is very dynamic, continually attracting new investors and players and experiencing a healthy level of merger and acquisition activity annually. The database highlights all that ongoing activity as, each year, different companies rise toward the top or change their global ranking. The information, gathered by Petfood Industry and WATT Research, is more complete for some companies than others, but more information is being gathered all the time. If you have corrections, information or companies to add to the database, or any comments, please contact us at toppetfoodco@wattnet.net.
The database is searchable by specific company name, geographic markets served or key product categories. Currently most of the data is from 2012 and 2013, the most recent years for which we could find full, complete data. For the 10 largest companies by annual revenue, data is also available for 2010 and 2011.
To use the Top Petfood Companies Database, you have to register and log in to www.petfoodindustry.com; registration is free and simple to do.

Bil-Jac petfood company founder dies at age 95

Bil-Jac

BIl-Jac petfood company founder, Bill Kelly.

Bil-Jac petfood creator Bill Kelly died at his home in Medina, Ohio, USA, at the age of 95. Kelly is the man whose research of pet nutrition led to his petfood brand's launch in 1947.
After the launch of the Bil-Jac brand, Kelly continue his research during his career, creating not onlly the Bil-Jac frozen dog food formula, but also lines of dry food and dog treats. He was also a founding member of the Pet Food Institute.
During his life, Kelly served on the boards for numerous nonprofit community organizations, including 39 years at Medina Hospital, where he helped create a foundation that granted numerous scholarships.
Kelly is survived by his three sons who remain in leadership positions at Bil-Jac, along with seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Pet journalist Steve Dale announced as opening keynote for Petfood Forum 2014

Popular pet journalist Steve Dale will open Petfood Forum 2014 with his keynote address.

Steve Dale, a leading pet journalist, has been announced as the opening keynote speaker for Petfood Forum 2014. He will kick off the 22nd edition of this exclusive conference for the global petfood industry on April 1, 2014, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel in Schaumburg, Illinois, USA.
Dale, who is also a certified animal behavior consultant, reaches more pet owners than any other pet journalist in America, with a twice-weekly syndicated newspaper column through Tribune Media Services and as the host of two nationally syndicated radio shows,Steve Dale's Pet World andThe Pet Minute (together heard on more than 100 radio stations, via syndicated Black Dog Radio Productions).
Dale is also a contributing editor with USA Weekend and the blog Petphoria and a special contributor and program host for Steve Dale's Pet World on WGN Radio in Chicago. In addition, Dale is a columnist and special correspondent for Cat Fancy magazine and a blogger for the Chicago Tribune and other websites, including for behaviorist Victoria Stilwell.
Dale has authored two e-books, Good Dog! and Good Cat! (Chicago Tribune, 2011), as well as DogGone Chicago and American Zoos. He also edited Decoding Your Dog, written by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (due out in 2014). On TV, he has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic Explorer, Pets Part of the Family, PBS, various Animal Planet shows and many others. Currently, he's a contributor to syndicated HouseSmarts TV.
Dale is a founder and former board member of the CATalyst Council, a board member of the Winn Feline Foundation and the Tree House Humane Society in Chicago and a national ambassador of the American Humane Association. He also serves on the advisory board for national animal-assisted therapy organization Angel on A Leash and for BlogPaws, as well as part of an AVMA/AAHA initiative to encourage preventive care veterinary visits, called Partners for Health Pets.
At Petfood Forum 2014, scheduled for March 31-April 2, Dale will describe how a dog changed his life, how he embarked on his career and what he has learned throughout it from pet owners, including their perceptions (and misperceptions) about petfood and pet nutrition.

Pet Industry Federation announces first Pet Industry Forum & Awards

The Pet Industry Federation will hold its first Pet Industry Forum & Awards event on October 17-18 at Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth. The event will feature companies such as Crown Petfoods, Mars Petcare, Nestlé Purina and Positive Petcare.
"We are committed to securing the future of the UK pet industry for the benefit of everyone involved.  There is so much more that pet specialists can achieve, and this Forum and the Awards are one way of ensuring the industry continues to grow," said Andy Reed, Royal Canin sales and marketing director.
Sponsors for the Pet Industry Awards include Burgess Petcare, Pedigree Wholesale, Beaphar UK, PATS and Compton Hall, along with media partner pbwnews. 

WATT launches Petfood Industry Community group on LinkedIn

The Petfood Industry Community group on LinkedIn is for petfood professionals involved in everything from packaging and marketing to manufacturing and ingredients. Network with petfood professionals from all over the world and stay up-to-date on the latest companion animal nutrition, research and trends. Have a production issue or nutrition question? Petfood Industry Community editors and experts will help you enhance your bottom line and help feed pets with the best ingredients and the safest methods.
This group is an extension of the Petfood Industry website and is designed to be a forum for research, discussion and exchanging ideas on the global petfood and treat market.
To keep the conversations going and to stay abreast of the latest news and research, we invite you to also join us on:
Facebook
Twitter

Opportunities in social media for petfood industry, new research shows

Despite recent increases in the popularity of social networking and digital marketing, almost half (47 percent) of pet owners believe that owning a pet is better for their social life than these social networking websites, according to new research from Mintel. But, the survey of pet owners found there are many opportunities in social media for the pet industry.
Mintel found that 16 percent of pet owners also said they are interested in using these new technologies to enhance relationships with their pets. One in 10 (12 percent) respondents say they use social media to learn about pet-related products and services, while 28 percent said they receive online or promotional discounts on their phones for pet-related products, and 17 percent said they would be interested in receiving promotions via smartphone.
"Whereas the pet shop owner used to be the prime touch point to find out how best to care for their pet, social media has become the new way for pet owners to explore and share experiences around their pet," said Gabi Lieberman, social media analyst at Mintel. "Further, as people take a more renewed interest in their own diets, we're seeing them pass along their own concerns about food ingredients, creating a market for gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan petfoods."
"Millenial" pet owners are most engaged with pet-related technology, with 17 percent saying they have a pet-related app on their smartphone or tablet (9 percent of pet owners overall). Additionally, 27 percent of that generation would like to receive promotions and coupons for pet care products that can be redeemed via their phone, and one in four (26 percent) are interested in technologies and innovations that foster a stronger pet-owner relationship.
"Brands are becoming very creative with their social media campaigns, using gimmicks like dogs on skateboards, celebrity endorsements and online cat awards to attract the attention of pet owners. It's one of the few categories where brands aren't actually marketing to the end user, and they're tapping into something very personal for people, so they have to be creative, and social media really allows them to do that," Lieberman said.

Petfood Forum 2014 call for papers announced

The Petfood Forum 2014 content advisory board is seeking abstracts for noncommercial oral and poster presentations, due by September 16, 2013.
Potential speakers are invited to submit abstracts on petfood/pet treat topics including nutrition and ingredients; packaging; safety and regulatory issues; processing and production; market data, trends and predictions, including for petfood markets outside the US; company profiles and case studies; marketing, promotions or social media; and new product development.
Submissions should be emailed; complete submission guidelines are available.
Petfood Forum 2014 is scheduled for March 31-April 2, 2014, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, about 10 miles west of O’Hare Airport near Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Webinar for petfood, treat manufacturers to be hosted March 28

Trouw Nutrition USA will sponsor a webinar on understanding and using operational petfood and treat manufacturing data on Thursday, March 28 at 10 a.m. CT.
The webinar, entitled, Understanding Variation - The Key to Managing Chaos in Petfood Manufacturing, will help attendees understand variance and analytical matters of petfood and pet treat manufacturing. By attending the webinar, you will learn:

• How to better analyze and interpret their petfood manufacturing and business data
• No data have meaning apart from their context
• All data contain "noise" - some data contain "signals"
• To detect "signals," you must first filter out the "noise"
This educational webinar will feature Dr. Donald Wheeler, one of few individuals to be elected as a Fellow of both the American Statistical Association and the American Society for Quality. Wheeler holds a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Texas, as well as a master's degree and Ph.D. in statistics from Southern Methodist University. Wheeler taught as an associate professor in the Statistics department at the University of Tennessee for 12 years. In 1982, he formed Statistical Process Controls Inc. and has worked as a consulting statistician ever since. In 2010, he was awarded the Deming Medal.
The webinar will be moderated by Jessica Taylor, managing editor of Petfood Industry.
For more information and to register, please visit www.petfoodindustry.com/Webinars.aspx.

Top 25 global petfood companies profiled in database

You can search the Top Pet food Companies database for specific companies or by markets served or key product categories. To use the database, you must register and log in to www.petfoodindustry.com; registration is free and simple to do.

For about a decade, Petfood Industry has featured the top pet food companies worldwide in the January issue. That article is among the most viewed each month on www.petfoodindustry.com, often for months and even years after it was initially published.


Figuring that this large and steady online usage means pet food professionals are hungry for this type of information, we decided to expand it. Previously, we have offered a brief list of companies (usually 10 to 15) based on data generously provided by research firm Euromonitor International. This year, we set out to find data on more companies, along with more information about each company.

The results are available now in an exclusive new Top Pet food Companies database. To use the database, you have to register and log in to the site; registration is free and simple to do. The top 25 global pet food companies are also highlighted in the January issue of Petfood Industry.

Date announced for Petfood Forum Asia 2014

Petfood Forum Asia 2014, the fourth edition of this exclusive, premier conference for petfood professionals in southeast Asia, will take place April 9, 2014, at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) in Bangkok, Thailand.
Petfood Forum Asia debuted in Bangkok in 2008 and was followed by editions in 2010 and 2012. Each conference has grown; in 2012, the conference moved to BITEC to accommodate the growth and that of its partner show, Victam Asia. Petfood Forum Asia 2014 will again be co-located with Victam Asia, one of the world's largest agri-feed trade shows featuring key industry suppliers of equipment, ingredients, testing services and more.
Petfood Forum Asia 2014 will bring the knowledge and insights of industry experts to petfood professionals throughout southeast Asia and the world. A call for papers will be announced in summer 2013. The conference will also offer valuable networking opportunities to participants.

Call for papers now open for Petfood Forum 2013

Petfood Forum 2013 is now accepting papers for this global petfood industry event, being held April 15-17 at the Renaissance Schaumburg in Schaumburg, Illinois, USA. 
Petfood Forum offers multiple learning sessions from pet food industry experts, networking opportunities and a large exhibit hall with pet food industry suppliers.
Potential speakers may submit abstracts for Petfood Forum through October 1 for topics including, but not limited to:
• Nutrition and ingredients;
• Packaging;
• Safety and regulatory;
• Processing and production;
• Market data, trends and predictions;
• Company profiles and case studies; and
• New product development
An advisory board of petfood experts will evaluate all submissions for relevance of topic; presence of new or innovative information, concepts or research; proposed speaker’s experience or background with the topic; lack of commercialization or promotion; and evidence of previous speaking experience. Each submission is evaluated on its own merits against these criteria, but also in relation to other papers received.
Please submit your abstract prior to October 1 by email to dphillips@wattnet.net, formatted for Microsoft Word. Abstracts must be written in English and be no longer than 300 words. For more information on submitting an abstract, go to www.petfoodindustry.com/PFF2013.aspx.

2012 Pet Fair Asia co-locates with Petfood Forum Asia, registration now open

Registration for Pet Fair Asia, which will be held in China in October, is now open, allowing industry professionals to register to attend the pet trade show event, which will also be co-located for the first time with Petfood Forum China.
With 2.68 million pet dogs and 1.07 million pet cats, China's pet market is expected to increase 7.7 percent each year to US$476 million in 2015, according to Euromonitor International. Pet Fair Asia, taking place at the Shaghai World Exhibition and Convention Center, October 11-14, will serve as a platform for international pet industry members to meet with leading manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, distributors and agents in China, as well as purchase the latest pet products from China.
In addition, Petfood Industry's Petfood Forum China, co-located with Pet Fair Asia in Shanghai, China, will provide an opportunity for industry members to gain insight and information on the demands of petfood and treat manufacturers. Petfood Forum China will be held on October 12.

Pet food Industry offers listing of contract pet food manufacturers

For pet food companies and marketers looking for additional or alternative contract manufacturers in the wake of recent recalls, a list is available online in the Petfood Industry Buyer's Guide, under the Services category.
To directly access this supplier directory, please visit: 

http://www.directorypub.com/PET/SRCH/proddetail2.php?aid=4010&prodid='Co-packing/Custom%20Manufacturing'&pub_id=6000050.

The Co-operative relaunches petfood brand in UK market

The Co-operative is relaunching its own brand of pet food to try and capture a larger share of the UK pet care market.

The range has been extended to include 11 new products and new-look packaging that displays details about The Co-operative’s new pet insurance scheme. The company says its own-brand petfood range is made with no added artificial colors or flavors. Some new products include The Co-operative Supreme Beef and Liver, The Co-operative Complete Tuna and Shrimp, and a special puppy food. 

Petco to share petfood, pet product sales data with Nielsen

Petfood and pet product retailer Petco named Nielsen as its provider of census-level sales information from Petco stores. 

Petco will be among the first pet specialty retailers to join the consumer product goods industry’s information sharing model, adding to existing market information provided by many US food, drug, mass, convenience and dollar store retailers.
By sharing sales data with Nielsen, Petco will be able to gain a better understanding of consumer purchasing behavior, the company's competitive position in the marketplace, and new marketing and pricing strategies. For petfood manufacturers, Petco's cooperation with Nielsen will improve the level of available data and analytics in the growing pet specialty product market. Once available, manufacturers will have access to several levels of market intelligence and insight on both a regional and national level.
“We’re delighted to be working side-by-side with Petco as they enter the industry’s cooperative information-sharing model,” said John Lewis, president and CEO, Consumer North America, Nielsen. “With information from Petco stores, Nielsen is better able to meet the needs of our clients in the pet business and help them and Petco grow their businesses through better analytics and deeper insights into their core consumers.”

'Business Day' pet food safety segment to re-air in July, August

The petfood safety segment on "Business Day with Terry Bradshaw" will air again in select U.S. regional markets in July and August.
In the Huntsville, Decatur and Florence, Alabama, USA markets, the pet food safety segment will re-air on Saturday, August 6, 13, 20 and 27, at 8 a.m. on the Fox WZDX-TV channel. In Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, USA, the segment is scheduled to air on Pittsburg Cable News Network, at 6:30 a.m. on the Sundays of August 7, 14, 21 and 28. The St. Louis, Missouri, USA, CNN Headline News Charter Cable channel will air the segment on July 27 and July 28, at 7:54 a.m., 12:54 p.m. and 5:54 p.m., with an additional showing scheduled on July 28 at 6:54 a.m.

Petfood Industry launches first interactive pet food nutrition course

Petfood Industry launched its first interactive pet food nutrition course, "Building Blocks of Companion Animal Nutrition."
This six-module online course, developed by Linda P. Case, MS, owner of AutumnGold Consulting, provides a thorough examination of the science of companion animal nutrition and practical feeding management for dogs and cats. Watt (parent company of Petfood Industry and Petfood Forum) has made the "Building Blocks of Companion Animal Nutrition" course available through the online educational portal, Watt eLearning.
The "Building Blocks of Companion Animal Nutrition" course includes six modules, an accompanying textbook and certificate of completion. Course content is designed to meet the needs of pet food professionals, animal scientists, nutritionists, veterinarians, breeders, exhibitors, judges, trainers, hobbyists and others seeking a scientific understanding of basic nutrients and their functions, companion animal nutrient needs and feeding behaviors.
Case is a recognized expert in the fields of canine and feline nutrition, behavior and training and companion animal health care. She operates AutumnGold Dog Training Center and is the author of four books, as well as numerous scientific papers and pet owner educational materials. Case also served as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and lecturer and program coordinator at the University of Illinois Department of Animal Sciences.
Log on to www.wattelearning.com to learn more, sign up and gain immediate access to the course. Check back often for new sessions and updated offerings.

Veterinarian blogs about switching dogs to raw pet food diet

Selecting the right pet food is important for maintaining a pet's health and with so many choices, it can be difficult to determine what type of pet food may be best, which is why one veterinarian is blogging about her experience switching her dogs to a raw pet food diet. Dr. Amy Nesselrodt is chronicling her experience in switching her dogs to Answers Pet Food raw diet for one year, monitoring the dogs' health and weight before, during and after the switch.
Nesselrodt says she will be brutally honest in her findings, so that other pet owners may become more educated on feeding their pet a raw food or kibble diet. She says that much controversy exists in the debate over what is really good for dogs and cats to consume, raising questions about the nutritional balance of raw petfood, whether pets are really meant to eat commercially processed cooked foods, whether ingredients like grains and potatoes are actually meant for pets to eat and if raw diets put pets at a greater risk for bacteria consumption.
Nesslerodt's experience and results from her raw pet food challenge can be viewed on her online blog.