Mars, Nestle’ Purina, Big Heart, Hill’s and Blue Buffalo top the list of U.S. and global leaders in the pet food industry. Mars and Nestle’ Purina combine for more than $29 billion in domestic sales eclipsing the combined sales of the remaining companies. Source: Petfood Industry, May 2017. This exclusive list of top 50 pet food companies, part of PetfoodIndustry.com’s Top … [Read more...]
$580 million of pet food supplements sold in 2016
Dog owners purchase the majority of pet supplements, buying three times as much as cat owners. Packaged Facts identified these five trends as factors shaping the pet supplements market beyond what we already know: Joint health, digestive health and condition-specific supplements have opportunity to compete with formulated pet foods and treats Supplement marketers … [Read more...]
Top-selling dog foods, treats make up big bite of Amazon sales
Pet food made up approximately 35 percent of Amazon’s $2 billion in U.S. pet product sales in 2016. Here are the top 5 selling products and SKUs: Taste of the Wild dry dog food - High Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison and Venison Taste of the Wild - Pacific Stream Canine Formula with Smoked Salmon Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free dry dog food - Original … [Read more...]
Pet food nutrition: protein hype and digestibility
Differentiating one pet food from the next gets harder every day. Nutritionists say regardless of what is in the prepared diet, getting essential nutrients in the ingredients actually absorbed into the body during digestion is most important. Recent studies dug into the issues of protein and digestibility. Source: Petfood Industry, February17, 2017. Two studies on pet food … [Read more...]
Global pet care sales hits $100 billion milestone
Sales for all pet products and services totaled US$103.5 billion globally in 2016, surpassing the US$100 billion mark for the first time, writes Debbie Phillips-Donaldson. This 4.7 percent growth rate stands out among other consumer packaged goods industries, according to analyst Jared Koerten. Source: Petfood Industry, February 7, 2017. Focusing on the US, by far the … [Read more...]
Bugs in the kibble
Insects are a promising source to generate protein sustainably and with a low carbon footprint. Bühler Insect Technology Solutions, located in China, has begun operations to develop scalable, industrial solutions for the rearing and processing of insects to provide novel protein sources for livestock, human and pet food. Source: Petfood Industry, January 17, 2017. One … [Read more...]
11 pet food trends forecast for 2017
Experts believe pet owners will increasingly demand the same qualities in pet food they want in their own meals, such as familiar ingredients, sustainability and nutrition. Our AHD team believes some of these trends will greatly affect veterinary teams and retail associates. Review this list and consider how you may address these trends as they appear in your … [Read more...]
10 most popular pet food industry news stories of 2016
In 2016, news about pet food contamination, top dog and cat food companies and market trends topped the list of most popular stories published by Petfood Industry. The rankings were determined by the number of page views recorded by Google Analytics. Source: Petfood Industry, December 27, 2016. These 10 stories received the most attention on Petfood Industry’s … [Read more...]
Cat nutrition is top concern of feline owners
Nutrition is the number one topic that cat owners want to talk about with their veterinarian, according to a Royal Canin survey of 1,001 cat owners. However, the survey showed that three in five cat owners do not regularly take their cats to veterinarians. Compared to dogs, cats are three times as likely to be taken to the vet only when sick. Source: Petfood Industry, August … [Read more...]
Online pet food sales: still in learning mode
Debbie Phillips-Donaldson, editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry, shares her insights on all things pet food, addressees market trends as well as news and developments in pet nutrition, food safety and other hot topics for the industry. Source: Petfood Industry, June 20, 2016. Considering that e-commerce is now a fixture for businesses and consumers, including with pet food, … [Read more...]
Jerky treats sicken, kill dogs
More than 1,140 dogs have died after eating jerky pet treats, out of 6,200 cases of jerky related canine illness reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from 2007 to December 31, 2015. The agency released these numbers this week in an update on in its ongoing investigation into animal illnesses and death related to jerky treats. Source: Petfood Industry, May 17, … [Read more...]
Education important for success with novel proteins
Education will be a critical component of adding novel proteins to pet diets according to Mark Mendal, with the consulting firm Pet Proteins. He spoke during Petfood Forum 2016 on April 19, 2016. Supply challenges may also be an issue. Source: Petfood Industry, April 19, 2016. Increasing the role of novel proteins in pet foods and treats allows manufacturers to expand the … [Read more...]
Top 10 pet food brands sold online
It’s a changing landscape for what brand of pet food is sold and also the source from which it is acquired. Note the increases in home delivery percentages in the top two retailers. Source: Petfood Industry, April 28, 2016. Consumers have really embraced the subscription model when it comes to purchasing pet food online. It’s a product that is much more convenient to have … [Read more...]
What’s up with pet food?
The Global Pet Expo offers a look at what’s new, different or trendy. Debbie Phillips-Donaldson, editor-in-chief, of Petfood Industry, shares what she experienced at the expo in this article. Topics include: innovation enhanced kibble freeze-dried, raw and baked pet foods and treats cat focus natural pet food and treat claims ingredient transparency Source: … [Read more...]
Natural pet food claims becoming complicated
Labeling challenges, key word definitions and regulatory oversight challenges the natural pet food market, as well as our human food markets. This quick read will provide some insight as veterinary teams and sales representatives discuss this food category, including treats. Source: Petfood Industry, February 1, 2016. Managing marketing claims on pet food packaging and in … [Read more...]
Read labels right
Animal health pros, especially veterinary teams must be able to explain labels on pet foods, treats and related items. Labels are becoming more important to consumers. Source: Petfood Industry, January 14, 2016. Human food trends continue to heavily influence pet food trends, and not just when it comes to the food itself—package labeling has become an increasingly important … [Read more...]
December pet food recalls
It is hard to stay abreast of pet food recalls. This list of the latest ones will help veterinary teams and dealers answer client questions. Consider posting it on an employee bulletin board or discussing it during team meetings. Source: Petfood Industry, December 30, 2015. See Blue Buffalo, Stella and Chewy’s, Bravo and Nutro products recalled in the last month. … [Read more...]
Pet ownership saves the US $11.7 billion in healthcare costs
The economic value of pet ownership is shown in this study. Print, broadcast and online media are sharing the information. Source: Petfood Industry, December 28, 2015. While additional health benefits associated with pet ownership have been documented by scientific research, the economists were unable to determine specific cost data associated with those findings. … [Read more...]
Pet food packaging: consumers care about what it says
Learn what pet owners actually look for in packaging. This column notes packaging trends and what buyers want on packaging from the pet food industry. Source: Petfood Industry, December 15, 2015. For pet owners who do care most about what pet food packaging actually says efforts are under way to help make that information easier to find and comprehend. A task force has … [Read more...]
Do cats present a big pet market opportunity for 2016?
Feline pet food and market trends are featured in this piece by Debbie Phillips-Donaldson, editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry. She also highlights: the latest developments in pet nutrition food safety hot topics Feline marketers and veterinary staff members will be interested to learn more about cat ownership. Source: Petfood Industry, December 9, 2015. Almost … [Read more...]