Tailoring pet food to mimic human diets

Nestle Purina is making the most of the trend in pet food of feeding animals the same things that humans eat.
“We want to have products that appeal to the owner,” Chef Amanda Hassner said in a report. “It can’t look or smell horrible to the person.”
Accelerated by millennials, the humanization of companion animals is becoming more prominent. As a result, many of the top human food trends have found their way into the petfood market -- particularly those that focus on the health and wellness of our furry family members. Those include:

• Better health through nutrition. Pet owners are looking to eliminate certain ingredients from their pets’ diets, such as sugar, grains, dyes and preservatives.
• Nutrition for seniors, as pets and their owners are living longer lives.
• Weight management, as a large percentage of America’s pet population is overweight or obese.

According to Euromonitor International, millennials tend to humanize pets more than other generations and are more willing to spend more money on higher-quality food and human-grade products.
“Pet owners aren’t just looking to provide a home for their pets,” said Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Association. “They are investing in their pets’ quality of life. Oftentimes they do this at their own expense, cutting personal expenses, but not those affecting their faithful companions.”

10 pet food updates for the week ending August 17

Check out what's been happening in the pet food industry in the past week:

1. Northwest Farm Food Cooperative recalls cat food: Northwest Farm Food Cooperative of Burlington, Washington, USA, is voluntarily recalling frozen raw Cat Food with the code Jul12015B due to their potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

2. Eurofins, AFIA partner to provide industry training: Eurofins Food Safety Systems and the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) have signed an agreement to provide co-branded public training for the animal feed and pet food industries.

3. Register for Innovation Workshop, Pet Food Experience: Registration for this fall’s collaborative Petfood Innovation Workshop and Kansas State’s Pet Food Experience has been opened.

4. Nestle sales down from last year, meet expectations: Nestle announced lower revenue growth in the first half of 2015, compared with last year.

5. Study: Pet food particle size can affect digestibility: The Association for Pet Obesity says 53% of dogs and 58% of cats in the US are overweight, and 90% of pet owners don’t know their pets are overweight.

6. AFIA adds new certifying body for FSC36 Safe Feed/Safe Food: The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) recently added SGS North America as a certifying body for FSC36 Safe Feed/Safe Food. SGS is the fourth certifying body recognized by AFIA to complete FSC36 Safe Feed/Safe Food audits.

7. Apply for Alltech’s Career Development Program: The world could be at the fingertips of students from around the world through the fourth annual Alltech Corporate Career Development Program.

8. Friskies teams up with cat stars for a cause: Famous felines Grumpy Cat and Nala Cat will join cat lover and WWE star Natalya Neidhart in unveiling the Friskies Create & Taste Kitchen, where cats and Friskies foods will go head-to-head in a truly unique way.

9. Company sheds light on stored product insects: McCloud Services is generating awareness on stored product insects (SPIs) and the threat they cause to grain-based foods, especially pet foods.

10. Survey examines US pet food spending: A recent Nielsen survey conducted by Harris Poll looked at how much money Americans spent on pet food in the past year. The English-language survey polled 2,205 US adults, 1,323 of whom have at least one pet.

Pet Product News announces Editors’ Choice Winners

Pet Product News has announced its 2015 Editors’ Choice Winners, including pet product companies.
The awards include:

• Big Creek Foods, Look Who's Happy Fetch'n Fillets
• Clear Conscience Pet, Clean Label Line
• Evanger's Dog & Cat Food, Hand Packed Foods For Dogs
• Halo, Purely For Pets, Vigo Dry Food For Cats In Chicken, Turkey & Whitefish And Lamb, Turkey & Venison
• Havepaws, Cheeky Chicken Jerky Chips
• Merrick Pet Care, Merrick Backcountry
• Miraclecorp, Stewart Fresh To Home Freeze Dried Pattie
• Natural Balance Pet Foods, Wild Pursuit Lamb Lung Bites Dog Treats And Venison Lung Bites Dog Treats
• Nature's Logic, Feline Turkey Meal Feast And Feline Sardine Meal Feast
• Nootie, Mauri Pet Food
• Sojos, Sojos Wild
• Stella & Chewy, Meal Mixers

Buddy's Kitchen releases fresh prescription petfood diet

Canada-based Buddy's Kitchen has created a fresh prescription petfood diet, FreshRx, which can only be found in veterinarians' offices in Ontario, Canada. 

test
FreshRx is a fresh, frozen food for pets, and contains no meat meals, artificial preservatives, by-products, grain, corn, wheat, soy or gluten, according to the company. FreshRx is a low-carbohydrate, protein-based diet with recipes containing 70% fresh, Canadian, human-grade cuts of beef, chicken or salmon. Buddy's Kitchen gently cooks the meats while maintaining the integrity of nutrients within the meats. After the meats have cooled, the company adds legumes, fruits and vegetables that are locally sourced in Ontario, as well as a proprietary blend of vitamins, minerals, prebiotics and probiotics to ensure the needs of today’s modern dog are met.
FreshRx is a balanced maintenance diet, but FreshRx can also be used as a supplement over a preferred kibble diet, to add nutrients, variety and increased palatability, says Buddy's Kitchen.
 FreshRx comes packaged into 4.5-oz nutrient dense patties that are frozen to preserve their natural freshness. The thaw and serve patties come individually wrapped, and are sold in bags of 12 patties.

'I and love and you' petfood brand plans fast industry expansion

Boulder, Colorado-based investment firm Revelry Brands acquired a stake in Only Natural Pet Store LLC, and that partnership led to the desire to create a superpremium petfood brand. That brand is "I and love and you," a manufacturer of a variety of pet products designed to be wholesome and healthful for cats and dogs.

test
The brand did well initially, gaining ground on Whole Foods shelves and tripling its sales from 2012 to 2013, according to the companies. Now, growth capital investment from Chicago-based Winona Capital Management and Revelry will allow "I and love and you" to build its executive team, increase product development efforts, expand to a new facility and prepare for a national launch with the next (as yet unnamed) retailer.
The launch may triple or quadruple "I and love and you's" distribution, which currently sits at 1,200 stores and retailers. The 65 products under the brand range from kibble and treats to supplements and medications. The idea, said Steve Ball, CEO of "I and love and you," was to create a brand that would cover all elements of pet care and products that would be on the leading edge of trends such as dehydrated raw food.
Winona said that it expects the trend of buying natural food for pets to continue "as increases in pet ownership and disposable income as well as the humanization of pets drive demand for premium pet products and services." Jason Sowers, a Winona principal, said it is a great opportunity to invest in a company that is "a great leader, an excellent brand with innovative products."

Holistic petfood company Green Dog Food launches ultra luxury petfood line

Holistic petfood company Green Dog Food has launched a limited-edition, ultra-luxury dog food priced at £200 for a 2kg pack.

test
Green Dog Gold is a superpremium complete natural food with a seafood-inspired recipe. Ingredients include swordfish, lobster, Beluga caviar, sea vegetable samphire, saffron, black Périgord truffle and wild brown rice. It also contains the company’s herbal premix formulation to help maintain intestinal and external hygiene while boosting the canine immune system.
 The limited-edition dry food is available direct from Green Dog Food ‘on request only’. It comes packaged in 2kg packs, priced £200, five times the cost of the most expensive complete dry dogfood currently on the market. Orders will take up to 12 weeks to prepare and deliver.
Green Dog Food MD Simon Booth said the idea for the ultra-luxury product came following requests from some of the brand’s more high-profile customers. “We count some of the UK’s most affluent dog owners among our customers, including MDs, CEOs, celebrities and other VIPs, and for them, money is no object when it comes to treating their prized pets," he said. “A number of customers have asked if we could create a special recipe incorporating some of the finest foods to be found, and happy to oblige, Green Dog Gold is the result.” 

Blue Buffalo to discontinue Blue Longevity line

Blue Buffalo will discontinue its dog and cat food Blue Longevity product lines because it could not attract enough consumers to make it a viable brand, the company said.

test
The company suggests that pet owners who use Blue Longevity try one of its healthy weight products for dogs and cats as an alternative. Blue Buffalo these products all contain only the finest natural ingredients, with real chicken, turkey or beef as the first ingredient and are formulated to help dogs and cats achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Freshpet expands to meet demand for natural petfood

Freshpet is projecting an increase in sales, after it spent $25 million to relocate its production and distribution facility to Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, USA, according to a report. The company says its new location will enable it to get fresh products to a huge population base quickly.

test
Freshpet says its products are made with minimally processed and "gently cooked" meat, fruits, vegetables and brown rice, and without preservatives.
"Obviously the Lehigh Valley is a great location for a distribution center," said company CEO Richard Thompson. "It's a one-day drive from a third of the population in the U.S."
Thompson said the company purchased its new factory in 2012 for $2.94 million, and expanded it from 60,000 square feet to 80,000.
"We rehabbed the building to our own specs and immediately installed our Freshpet equipment for starting plant operations," Thompson said.
He said two additional expansion phases will add 20,000 square feet at a cost of about $5 million by July 2014. He also said the natural petfood company's business has grown 300 percent in the past three years and that 2014 sales are expected to approach $100 million.
"Natural petfood has really taken off," he said.

Data from GfK show 28 percent spike in grain-free petfood sales

In the latest evidence that natural alternatives are driving the petfood market, GfK data for the past year show a 28 percent spike in grain-free food sales at US pet stores. Through its Retail and Technology division, GfK tracks sales in more than 11,000 US pet outlets, including national and regional chains, as well as neighborhood pet shops.
Overall, US$1.7 billion was spent on grain-free pet products at pet outlets over the year from September 2012 to September 2013, and account for about one-third of all new pet items introduced each month. In the past year, the number of grain-free pet products has grown 33 percent, to more than 3,500 on shelves currently - about 2,300 for dogs versus nearly 1,200 for cats.
Dog items also account for the vast majority of grain-free sales: US$1.4 billion in the past year from September 2012-13, compared to US$322 million for cat products. Additionally, consumers pay roughly 45 percent more for grain-free products.
"We see the growth of grain-free foods - and natural pet products generally - as part of a larger trend toward humanization of pets," said Maria Lange, senior product manager of GfK's Retail and Technology team. "Consumers are clearly comfortable splurging on pets they see as valued family members, not just everyday animals. We see brands like Blue Wilderness, Natural Balance and Taste of the Wild leading the way; and we expect other outgrowths of the natural trend to emerge in the coming months."

Natures Menu marks processing 1 million orders for petfood

Petfood maker Natures Menu recently achieved a milestone in the company's history with the processing of 1 million orders.
The natural petfood manufacturer began as a small family business in 1981 that produced food for local dog kennels, but it has grown to do business throughout Europe.
Craig Taylor, an original family member who has been with the company since it started, said: "I am delighted that Natures Menu has reached such a landmark and am proud to still be serving the UK's finest pet stores after 33 years."
According to the one millionth customer, Brenda Holmes, who runs Dis-Cover Pets Corner pet store: "There is so much real meat in the Natures Menu products - we are always telling customers that's what makes a pet so healthy. The treats are the only thing that brings my cats into the house when I call them.''

Human food trends carry over to petfood packaging

Petfood marketers have realized over the years that consumers are not just looking for cute pictures when shopping for food for their pets, but they are shopping for petfood just as they would food for themselves. As a result, a few key trends can be seen in marketing for human foods and marketing for petfoods. 
An article from Packaging Digest points to five similarities that can be found in packaging and marketing of both human and petfoods: nutritional tables, photography and food styling, brand stories, on-packaging language and imagery.
1. Nutritional tables/food pyramids
Consumers are more educated now about their own food and petfood, as issues like obesity and allergies affect both humans and pets. Companies are featuring nutritional tables and food pyramids prominently on packaging to let consumers know what vitamins and nutrients are in the food. 
2. Better photography/food styling
Instead of photos of people and pets, food packaging is focused on the actual food. "Photography styling is less propped and more real, with food appearing the way you'd see it in real life-scattered across a table, as opposed to perfectly (and fakely) sitting in a bowl. The goal: for consumers to think, 'That looks good, that looks tasty, that looks healthy' in the same way they do when they see something appetizing for themselves," the article says.
3. Brand story 
The premium and human food trend is also carrying over into petfood. Consumers are more inclined to purchase something they feel is made by a small company, asking "Where does it come from? How is it made?" In response, petfood companies are putting their stories on the packaging to make their brand's purpose clear. 
4. "No" language 
Consumers are selecting foods that contain and don't contain ingredients similar to those in their own foods. So, companies are putting phrases like "no wheat" and "no artificial preservatives" on the packaging. 
5. Animal nature 
Petfood packaging illustrations are showing animals in the wild to convey the message that animals are eating what they instinctually would hunt in the wild. This trend of marketing "limited-ingredient diet" foods shows companies are recognizing the physiology of pets as animals and providing high-protein foods.
The article also notes that pet treat packaging has changed over recent years, as well. Treat packaging is now emphasizing the ingredients and link to a specific health benefit, rather than just good taste. 

Increasing popularity of raw petfood, impact on sustainability discussed in recent article

A recent article in The Vancouver Sun looks at the history of petfood and increasing popularity of raw petfood diets, as a recent report by Mintel points out that nine of 10 pet owners say they view their pet as "family members," and so, look to feed their pets the best diet possible.
"Anthropomorphism of pets has an increased effect on the dietary aspects of commercial petfoods including ingredient selection and nutritional composition," said animal science researcher, Kelly Swanson of the University of Illinois.
Swanson said that raw food has become increasingly popular because some pet owners do not want animal byproducts in their pet's food, demanding real meat instead. This also impacts sustainability because "petfoods compete now directly with human consumption."
Another change over the years is that companies are selling petfood products with a higher protein content, the article notes. Swanson said some diets contain 40-60 percent protein up to as much as nearly 90 percent.
"The raw food diet is fairly controversial. I have friends who feed their pets raw food and their pets are fine. But it's a tricky thing to do, and people forget about the issue of sustainability. They'll recycle their cans on one hand, but food shortages in some countries are not on their radar when they are dealing with their pets' food," said Swanson.
"Dogs are living longer, healthier lives because of how much healthier the dry kibble diets are now from reputable food manufacturers," said Dr. Rebecca Ledger, an animal behaviorist in Vancouver, Canada.

Research and Markets ‘Pet Products Focus’ webinar looks at petfood market trends

Research and Markets added a new webinar, Pet Products Focus: Emerging Trends to Watch, to its offerings. The webinar looks at emerging pet industry trends, from new pet products for pampering pets to products that address changing health needs.
The webinar identifies parts of the pet products market that are experiencing the fastest sales growth, types of health claims that are most prominent for new cat and dog foods, see examples of petfood product innovation, look at unique health demands and challenges for different dog breeds, and more.
The webinar also looks at claims about "natural" and "organic" petfood, gluten-free petfoods, ingredient sourcing issues and other petfood-related questions.

Iams petfood brand campaign reminds owners that pets aren't vegetarians

Petfood company Procter & Gamble recently relaunched its Iams ProActive Health premium dry dog and cat food brands. This includes "new marketing messages that remind pet owners that their dogs and cats are not vegetarians," according to Jon Moeller, chief financial officer of P&G. 
Moeller said some petfoods add plant proteins like gluten, but Iams' petfoods contain 50 percent more animal protein than comparable products and no added gluten.
The relaunch also includes new packaging sizes to target consumers' preferred price points. 
Additionally, several new products will be launched over the coming months. Iams' So Good brand will be its first in the mid-priced dry dog food category, containing ingredients like chicken, fruits and vegetables, but free of dyes, added sugar and and artificial preservatives. Iams Woof Delights will be launched to offer consumers a choice of wet dog food, free of fillers, artificial flavors and added gluten.

Organic petfood, novel protein sources among 'Top Pet Trends of 2013'

Following the launch of new petfood and pet products at Global Pet Expo, Petsweekly.com compiled a list of the "Top 10 Pet Trends of 2013."
One trend listed was pet owners' increasing demands for all-natural, organic, "Made in USA" products. 
According to the article: "We predict a number of other companies will be following suit as pet parents realize the value of raw, freeze-dried, and dehydrated foods for their pet. This is something that companies like the Honest Kitchen, Merrick and Stella & Chewy's have been doing for years. But, as we all know, it takes time for the big boys to implement change. The 'Made in the USA' logo will increase in importance as more pet owners refuse to support companies who manufacture in China and other locales, and instead prefer to support the local economy with their hard-earned money -- even if it does cost a bit more."
In addition, supplements and nutraceuticals for pets are expected to become more popular. "[T]here will be an even greater rise in the way we treat our pets for medical conditions, a large increase in the number of animal nutrition specialists and a lot of holistic veterinarians entering the scene," the article says.
New protein sources will also be increasingly used in petfoods, treats and toys. These alternative protein sources, ranging from alligator and crawfish to kangaroo and llama, are expected to become even more important as pet owners seek the best ways to keep their pets healthy. 
Other trends included keeping chickens as pets, which could lead to more opportunities for the petfood industry, as well as re-purposed, environmentally responsible pet products and companies.  

South African petfood industry shows potential for manufacturers

South African pet owners spend nearly ZAR5 billion (US$550.7 million) per year on petfood for dogs, cats and other pets, according to Pet Food Industry Association of South Africa.
Just 20 percent of the country’s dogs and 35 percent of cats are fed with commercial petfood from about 200 brands available, says the association’s executive director, Barry Hundley, which means many opportunities exist here for petfood manufacturers.
Changing lifestyles and the Internet have sparked a boom in the petfood industry as people become more solitary. These factors, according to Hundley, will help the South African petfood market increase ZAR4.5 billion (US$495.6 million) to ZAR5 billion (US$550.7 million) at the current growth rate of 1-3 percent per year through 2017.
For petfood manufacturers, three main marketing channels are available here: expensive, specialized brands sold by veterinarians, grocery-store brands and other, non-grocery brands available through retail outlets. Specialized brands account for retail sales of about ZAR1 billion (US$110.1 million) per year and non-grocery brands account for about ZAR0.5 billion per year (US$550,685), while grocery brands such as Husky and Bobtail account for the rest. 
A challenge in the South African petfood industry is that it is “overregulated and underpoliced,” he says: "There are lots of regulations but not as much enforcement of them. Every variety of petfood - each flavor and each type for large, small, young or old dogs or cats - must be registered separately." But, Hundley says South African government inspectors do not visit petfood facilities often enough, so manufacturers can get away with questionable practices.

Mintel releases UK petfood, pet supplies market report

Market research company Mintel released a new study on the UK petfood and pet supplies market.
Sales of dog food in 2012 reached a record £1 billion (US$1.49 billlion), thanks to growth in popularity of pet treats. Snacks and treats accounted for 24 percent of all dog food sales, up 6 percent from 2011 to 2012 to reach £239 million (US$356.48). Natural pet treats increased 8 percent over the same one-year period to reach £40 million (US$59.66 million).

Mars' Sheba brand to offer sustainably sourced fish entrées for cats

Mars Petcare's Sheba brand announced that it will offer responsibly sourced fish entrées for cats in the US as part of Mars Petcare's global commitment to use only sustainably sourced fish by 2020.
Following the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program sourcing recommendations, Sheba Entrées will use only farmed or wild-caught fish from environmentally responsible sources. The brand currently offers five varieties of responsibly sourced whitefish, tuna and seafood options, but by the end of 2013, all of the recipes will meet Seafood Watch recommendations.
In March 2010, the global petcare segment of Mars made a commitment to use only sustainably sourced fish by 2020. As global fish stocks continue to decline, the company aims to achieve the following milestones across its entire pet care portfolio by 2020:

• Only using fish from 100 percent sustainable wild catch and sustainable aquaculture sources
• Replacing all wild catch whole fish and fish fillet with sustainable fish byproducts and sustainable aquaculture
• Only using sustainable alternatives to marine fish ingredients

Research and Markets adds report on China's pet food market

Research and Markets has added a new pet food market report, Report on China's Pet Food Market Competition 2013, to its offerings, available for purchase online.
According to the report, China's local pet food companies market products including dry pet food, wet pet food, pet food snacks and pet nutrients. These companies have sales revenue of more than 1.5 billion Yuan (US$241 million), and market scale continues to increase by more than 15 percent on average annually.
In addition to these findings, the report provides a detailed analysis of pet food industry regulations and trends in China's national policies; the development history of China's pet food market and future growth opportunities; characteristics of pet food consumption and consumer purchasing in major areas; circulation channels of China's pet food; competition between foreign and domestic brands; and more.

Pet food market in China shows potential for growth

The Chinese pet care market, valued at US$1.3 billion in 2012, shows potential for the global pet food industry, with pet food sales accounting for just 37 percent of the provisional pet care market total, according to a blog from Euromonitor International’s head of pet care research, Paula Flores.
China is home to one of the world’s highest pet populations, Flores says, with 27.4 million dogs and more than 11 million cats in 2012. The country ranks first globally as a home to other pets, such as birds, fish, reptiles and small animals.
Increasing disposable incomes in China may also help the pet food market in that country. The percentage of Chinese households with disposable incomes of more than US$10,000 and US$45,000 increased four-fold from 2006-2011, to 36 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
Further potential in the Chinese petfood market lies in the fact that much of the pet population is still eating table scraps rather than prepared petfood, as the less than 10 percent of pets receive their nutrition from prepared foods.
According to Flores, international manufacturers, such as Mars and Nestle, are most popular with consumers in China, holding a 58 percent market share in dog and cat food. The main challenges for these companies are bringing in new consumers and driving more affluent customers up to purchasing premium and higher-priced products. The top Chinese manufacturers, Tongwei Co. Ltd. and Nory Pet Co. Ltd., on the other hand, accounted for just 2 percent of retail value in 2011.