Freshpet introduces new ready-to-bake cookies for dogs

Fresh, refrigerated pet food company Freshpet introduced a new line of ready-to-bake cookies for dogs, available in the pet food aisle refrigerator at grocery stores and pet specialty retailers.
Freshpet says Ready to Bake Cookies are made from scratch, are 100 percent natural, and are made of ingredients such as crunchy peanut butter, whole oats and dried cranberries. The dough for the cookies is pre-shaped, so consumers only need to bake the cookies in the oven.

Petfood equipment manufacturer answers mixing, blending questions

Pet food manufacturing machinery company Charles Ross & Son Co. have created a new online resource to answer mixing- and blending-related questions on its website.

Charles Ross & Son Co. answers mixing- and blending-related questions in the new online "Mixing Technology Insights."
The Ross "Mixing Technology Insights" provide tips and techniques for pet food manufacturers on dispersion, dry blending, emulsification, homogenization, particle size reduction, high viscosity mixing, sub-surface powder induction, sanitary mixing and other topics. Each two-page bulletin includes a sample application or mixer installation from various industries. 

K9 Natural ranked among fastest growing New Zealand petfood companies

K9 Natural was named one of the fastest growing petfood companies in New Zealand by the Deloitte Fast 50 ranking.
The petfood company ranked eighth on the list of New Zealand's 50 fastest growing companies. K9 says it increased sales by over 320% a year and the company forecasts sales exceeding US$15 million for the next financial year.
"We are well aware that making the fast 50 doesn’t mean we have made it; we have just made it to the start line. There is a lot of hard work required to ensure we capitalize on this great opportunity," said Calvin Smith, K9's chief executive.

Healthy human food, diet choices translate to pets

A recent article from LiveScience detailed the transformation of a Fort Worth, Texas, resident, Maribeth Ashley, and her two dogs as they journey to a healthier lifestyle, and it explored how some petfood companies are tapping into this trend.
Nulo, under the direction of founder and CEO Michael Landa, not only offers food, but weight-tracking and meal-planning tools and home delivery, similar to myriad human weight-loss plans on the market today.
Companies are also selling exercise equipment for dogs, including treadmills and wheels (like a larger version of a hamster wheel), according to the story. The amount of food owners feed their companion animals can be another contributor to pet obesity, as well as nutritional content of food.
"We've switched from feeding a high-protein diet 40, 50, 60 years ago to basically a high-carbohydrate diet," said Ernie Ward, a veterinarian from North Carolina.

MBA student looking for petfood case study

I am an MBA student at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA, and I'm looking for a petfood company that I can use as a case study for my final project.
It involves a strategic look at the company including posting financials and an in depth look at business as a whole. It is presented in April to a panel of professors and peers.
If you are interested please contact me at shellyweaver@comcast.net.

Alba Proteins fined for explosion, worker injuries

Alba Proteins Penrith Ltd., a petfood manufacturing company, was fined £20,000 (US$33,700) after three workers were injured by an offal cooker explosion at a plant in Cumbria, England, according to Safety Media.
Workers were trying to clear a blockage in the industrial cooker in August 2007 when steam and offal exploded through the inspection hatches.
“Alba Proteins should have carried out a formal risk assessment so that it was able to offer employees guidance on how to deal with blockages safely. Instead, no training was provided and workers were put in danger as a result,” said Steven Smith, head of operations for the Health and Safety Executive, which prosecuted the company.