Steps to ensure 'green' food for pets

A Dallas, Texas-based company, Green Pet, has launched all-natural petfood, especially for pets that are prone to allergies from processed food, according to a news report.
According to the company, the following are the ways in which owners can ensure their dogs are eating "green":
• Look for dog and cat foods made from whole foods such as chicken, duck, lamb, whole-grain brown rice and flaxseed oil.
• If the first four or five ingredients look like something you would put on your plate for dinner, then you're doing well.

New petfood consulting service announced

Petfood Industry Strategic Consulting (PISC), a new partnership between Petfood Industry and Open Minds, is now available to consult with petfood companies.
PISC combines market intelligence with 50 years of pet industry experience, according to Open Minds partner Marcel Blok.
The range of expertise, disciplines and services offered by PISC include:
*An international outlook and strong top management experience;
*Regulatory counseling;
*Market insight;
*Factory design;
*Help with technological issues;
*Qualitative audit of marketing and distribution activites and identification of opportunities;
*Petfood formulations;
*Customized training;
*Organizational assessment and subsequent design;
*Structured new product development;
*Marketing and communications.
For more information, contact pisc@wattnet.net or Tel. +1.815.966.5411.

Australia withdraws irradiation option for petfood treatment

Australia will not allow importers to irradiate imported cat food to reduce microbial hazards, according to a news report. The decision follows reports of possible links between irradiated food and neurological damage.
Though studies have found food irradiation safe, it can reduce vitamin content. In November 2008, University of Sydney’s Dr. Georgina Child reportedly found an association between irradiated cat food and neurological damage in cats, according to Sydney Morning Herald.
In June, Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service stated it would withdraw the irradiation option for imported cat food but not imported dog food.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved irradiation for several types of food, including petfood, but the process is not widespread in the US.

Owners spending on pet care despite recession

With more than 65% of American families having a pet, pet care—including food, accessories, veterinary services and grooming—is big business, according to a news report.
American Pet Products Association data shows spending on pet care was $43.2 billion in 2008 and is expected to cross $45 billion this year.
According to IBISWorld, an industry and market research firm, pet stores are expected to touch $11.45 billion in revenue this year. A growth of 5% over the next five years is expected in pet care, training and pet sitting.
Veterinary services accounted for $22.3 billion in 2008 and is expected to grow 4.3% over the next five years.

AFIA concerned about climate-change legislation

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has written a letter to US senators, stating its views on pending climate-change legislation and cap-and-trade issues. The Senate will take up the issue later this year.
Addressed to Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California), chair of the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), the senior Republican on the committee, the letter urged them to consider the effects climate-change legislation and cap-and-trade issues will have on the cost of food, feed and household products.
The letter was signed by the American Meat Institute, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the National Chicken Council, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, the National Meat Association and the National Turkey Federation along with AFIA.

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.)

AFIA comments on food safety bill

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted on H.R. 2749, a legislation designed to enhance consumer confidence in food safety. The Senate will be presented the bill later this year.
American Feed Industry Association had created “firewalls” in the House bill to distinguish between food and feed requirements, as the term “food” in federal food law means "food for humans and animals."
The areas that found special mention in the first report are the prevention of outbreaks of food-borne illnesses, increased inspection and surveillance, and enhanced responses to, and recovery from, illness outbreaks.