Free Webinar: Trends in pet food humanization

The word on everyone’s mind when talking about pet food is humanization.  More and more, trends in pet food can be tied to trends in food for humans. But that’s not the whole story — pets have distinct and often quite different needs than do humans.

WATT Publishing and Petfood Industry magazine will present a webinar that will explore some of the key trends in pet food humanization, plus take a close look at other developments in pet food products.

Join Lynn Dornblaser, director of consulting from Mintel International in this educational webinar that will be presented on November 18, 2008 at 2pm ET

 

 

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Pet food Giant recalls some dry pet foods

 Mars Petcare announced a voluntary recall Friday of all dry pet food products produced at its plant in Everson, Pa. between Feb. 18 and July 29, citing potential contamination with salmonella.

Mars, in a news release, did not say how much pet food is involved, but said the pet food recall reaches 31 states and various brands and said the action was taken as a precaution.

“Even though no direct link between products produced at the Everson plant and human or pet illness has been made, we are taking this precautionary action to protect pets and their owners,” the company statement said.

Mars said it stopped production at the plant July 29 when it was alerted of a possible link between dry pet food produced in Everson and two isolated cases of people infected with salmonella.

Mars said salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats and, if there is cross contamination caused by handling of the pet food, in humans also.

The company said consumers should look for “17″ as the first two digits of the second line on the UPC for products affected. For Pedigree products, they should look for “PAE” on the bottom line. They can also call 1-877-568-4463 or consult Mars Petcare.

The brand names include some items under the names Country Acres, Retriever, Doggy Bag, Members Mark, Natural, Ol’ Roy, Special Kitty, Paws & Claws, Pedigree, Wegman’s, Pet Pride, PMI Nutrition and Red Flannel.

Source: AP

Extremely informative pet blogs, online pet resources

Click here if you’re looking for Pet food nutrition news, or try this link if you need information on Dog Nutrition.

If you’re just looking for the latest in pet food trends, take a look at Pet Food Trends, or this web site Premium Pet Food.

Everything you need to know about pet food safety can be found on the Pet Food Safety blog. And if you need great resources on pet food ingredients, try this blog: Pet Food Ingredients.

Additional pet food resources are available at: Pet Industry News, Functional Pet Food, and the informative Dog Treats blog.

Before you head to the grocery store, you can review Pet Food Brands, learn more about Organic Pet Food, or just browse this Free pet food industry magazine.

Parties for pets replaces tupperware parties?

As if you need one more reason to avoid your neighbor.  Here’s one more.  Pawties.  Parties designed to sell pet owners all sorts of pet toys.  Ummm . . .

For candle collectors, there’s PartyLite. For those who love dips and easy recipes, there’s Tastefully Simple. And for our four-legged friends, there’s “pawties.”

Yes, humans aren’t the only ones who benefit from in-home parties. Petlane pet advisor Linda Parker, from South Barrington, has been selling dog, cat and bird toys since 2006.

One more odd work-from-home opportunity gone mad.

New book explores pet food politics

Pet owners who lost their cats and dogs in the 2007 pet food contamination will not soon forget that scandal. But, neither should anyone else, says nutrition expert and Chronicle columnist Marion Nestle whose new book, “Pet Food Politics,” is just hitting store shelves.

The reason, Nestle says, is because the entire issue sends out clear warnings about weaknesses in our global food production system, for humans as well as animals. That’s why the book’s subtitle is “The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine.”

Source: What’s New: ‘Pet Food Politics’ a wakeup call

1.6 Million Pets Put Under Due to Vet Bills They Can’t Afford

According to figures from Sainsbury’s Finance, vet bills are becoming increasingly unaffordable for many – with price inflation estimated at around 12 percent a year. This can be set against the current general inflation rate of 4.4 percent across all goods and services, which is itself at a 16-year high.

These price pressures have led pet owners to make some hard choices. The Sainsbury’s research shows that 1.6 million cats and dogs were put down between 2003 and 2008 because their owners could not afford either veterinary fees or other medical costs of looking after their pet.

Read more about this pet crisis: 1.6 million pets put under due to vet bills

Humans Now Used as Taste-Testers for Cat Food?

In a recent Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition paper, Dr. Pickering explains the potential value of having people act as taste testers to rate cat foods. For example, he believes it might enable manufacturers to understand why a cat favors certain foods. While manufacturers conduct trials to see what felines prefer, it’s difficult to know exactly which flavors or textures the cats are responding to, he explains.

“Cats aren’t very good at vocalizing what they like or don’t like about cat foods,” said Dr. Pickering, who conducted the study in Australia before coming to Brock University. “The idea was that humans can quite clearly verbalize what it is. Humans can also rate the intensity of different characteristics in a particular food or beverage.” Dr. Pickering says the value of his recent work could lie in taking the results of the human testing and comparing them to results of cat testing on the same products. It might offer a shortcut for researchers, he says.

Testers rated the foods on 18 flavor attributes, including tuna, prawn, chicken, caramel, cereal, soy, burnt flavors, bitter and offaly. They also evaluated textures, such as grittiness and chewiness.

Read more . . . Taste that innovates – human taste-testers testing cat food

The Seven Signs of a Healthy Cat Diet

Although diet is among many factors affecting cat’s health, appearance and behavior, feeding felines a high-quality meal is an essential and wise move.

Although diet is among many factors affecting cat’s health, appearance and behavior, feeding felines a high-quality meal is an essential and wise move. Here are seven signs a cat is thriving on a well-balanced, nutritious cat food:

1. A shiny coat. A cat’s coat should be plush and shiny, says Dr. Margie Scherk, DVM, DABVP (feline), a past president of the American Association of Feline Practitioners and editor of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. “Matting or flaking are suggestive of poor dental health, arthritic pain or poor nutrition,’’ says Dr. Scherk. Lack of protein can be the culprit. Cat food should contain crude protein levels of at least 30% in dry food and 8% in wet food.

2. Good teeth and gums. “Good dental health includes not just having strong, white teeth but also — and arguably more important — healthy, moist, pink gums that cover the roots of those teeth without bleeding or excess gum tissue,’’ Dr. Scherk says. Dry food may help some cats in keeping the tips of their teeth clean, says Scherk.

3. Digestion and hairball care. You can tell a lot about your cat’s diet when you scoop the poop. Look for moist, formed “logs” with a “pungent odor that is neither sour nor excessive,’’ advises Dr. Scherk. Switching to canned cat food, adding water to cat’s food or offering a water fountain are options to help cats get the water it needs and avoid dehydration. Loose fecal matter could be a sign of digestion problems, food intolerance, inflammation, infection or even a serious illness, such as cancer. Special hairball formula cat foods offer fiber that helps move the hair along the digestive tract.

4. A healthy weight. Veterinarians might recommend that consumers feed their cats a food designed for weight management or for older cats, which are often less active and burn fewer calories.

5. A strong immune system. If cats eat a complete and balanced diet, they are more likely to fight off illnesses. Veterinary nutritionists are researching the role antioxidants might play in promoting a healthy immune system in cats, as they do in humans, says Dr. Scherk. You’ll find Vitamin E and antioxidants from sources such as tomatoes and spinach in some commercial cat foods, particularly those that emphasize natural ingredients.

6. Strong bones. Sometimes, devoted cat owners who try to feed their cats a homemade diet make the unfortunate mistake of not providing bone meal, says Dr. Scherk. This can lead to bone fractures. If a problem is suspected, veterinarians can use X-rays to evaluate the cat’s bone density. A well-formulated cat food should include calcium.

7. A healthy heart. Diet plays a critical role in cat’s heart health. For instance, feeding felines table scraps rather than a well-balanced, nutritious commercial food can lead to a deficiency of taurine, a critical amino acid. Taurine deficiency can lead to heart problems and even heart failure.

FDA Discusses Pet Food Labeling and Safety

FDA discusses pet food labeling and safety

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held public meetings over two consecutive days in mid-May to discuss issues pertaining to pet foods. The first meeting invited comment on implementation of the FDA Amendments Act of 2007 (FDAAA), while in the second meeting the agency provided an update on its Animal Feed Safety System (AFSS).

Not much debate on FDAAA

Among the mandates imposed under the new law, FDA has until September 2009 to promulgate new regulations relating to labeling, nutrition and ingredient standards for pet foods.

To assist in the process, FDA provided a series of questions in a federal register notice on which it sought input. The questions were open ended; for example, “How can the feeding directions already present on the label be improved?” and “What kind of ingredient definitions would provide adequate information?”and touched on a wide array of pet food issues. It was hoped these questions would prompt considerable discussion at the meeting.

While reasonably well attended, the meeting did not spark much public debate. FDA purposefully had little to say (the meeting was to collect outside opinions, and assumedly the agency did not want to hinder that process by espousing any preconceived positions of its own).

Only three outside groups offered verbal comments:

• The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) made some brief remarks regarding implications new federal regulations would have on the current state regulatory oversight of petfoods;
• The American Veterinary Medical Association voiced support for mandatory calorie content statements on dog and cat foods and put forth a very interesting proposal to require a “not evaluated by FDA” disclaimer on petfoods bearing health-related claims; and
• Defend Our Pets, a consumer advocacy organization formed as a result of last year’s recalls, made the most extensive comments. The group presented a long list of suggestions, including some form of country of origin labeling (e.g., disclaimers when the product contains ingredients from countries that do not meet US standards) and “total elimination” of what it considers confusing and misleading labeling requirements (apparently from the AAFCO Model Pet Food Regulations). This organization also recommended actions beyond FDA’s authority to implement on its own (e.g., mandatory recall authority, approval of grants by petfood companies to veterinary schools).

Scheduled for a full day, the meeting lasted only a couple of hours, even with a long break in the middle. Because the due date for submission of written comments on this matter was a month later, most organizations with a stake in the matter decided to withhold verbal comment until they could evaluate the comments of others and react at a later time.

In fact, the written comments, posted on www.regulations.gov (re: Docket #FDA-2007-N-0442), are extensive and include input from many organizations, including the Pet Food Institute, the American Feed Industry Association and both the American College and Academy of Veterinary Nutrition.

Questions about AFSS

FDA has been working on AFSS for a number of years prior to passage of FDAAA in an effort to develop a comprehensive, risk-based approach to animal feed safety, including pet food safety. The agency has held a number of meetings on the subject over the past few years (see Petfood Industry Magazine, August 2007 and November 2006).

The May 2008 meeting was held to give an update on FDA’s progress as it further refines the AFSS. Compared to the previous day’s meeting on FDAAA, this meeting did last a much greater portion of the scheduled full day, primarily because FDA gave a number of presentations that prompted some questions from the attendees.

A key point of progress included a revised draft of the AFSS framework document. It identifies gaps FDA sees in the present oversight of feed safety and proposes means by which those gaps can be addressed.

For example, FDA considers lack of a comprehensive list of all ingredients allowed in animal feeds as a part of its own regulations to be a deficiency. However, the recently signed memorandum of understanding between FDA and AAFCO that allows the former greater oversight of the latter’s ingredient approval process, as well as plans to finalize and implement the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) notification rule, is proposed to help address this gap.

Much of the meeting focused on FDA’s continued efforts to rank the relative risk of chemical and microbiological feed contaminants for the purpose of establishing, in part, enforcement priorities and allocation of resources. This is accomplished by a process of assigning scores to rate the potential health consequences of and likelihood of exposure to various contaminants, which eventually results in a number that can be compared to those calculated for other contaminants. Unfortunately, the very detailed presentations at the May meeting on how to do the ranking do not appear to be posted on the agency’s website as of the time of this writing.

Separate pet foods from feed?

AFSS is intended to address pet food as well as livestock feed safety. To me, this makes sense, as it would allow for a more effective and efficient program to the benefit of all. Interestingly enough, Defend Our Pets is adamantly opposed to grouping petfood with feed in the system. Notwithstanding that AFSS has been in development since 2003, the consumer group believes AFSS would “dilute the intent and authority” of FDAAA.

In fact, while FDA is currently trying to extend and incorporate the FDAAA mandates into the system, Defend Our Pets apparently perceives an AFSS that includes petfood to be little more than a veiled effort to diffuse attention away from the petfood industry.

Unleashing Seasonal Pet Foods

Unleashing Seasonal Pet Foods

Industry veteran Roman Versch thinks pets and pet owners are ready for winter and summer formulas

Versch says he has kibble in his veins. He first joined the pet industry in 1971 when he began working for a pet retailer in Los Angeles.

“Seasons change and so should your pet’s food,” says Roman Versch, owner of the Pet Depot chain of pet stores. Why? “In the summer, dogs need higher levels of lineolic acids and omega oils in a lower protein and fat formula,” says Versch. “In the winter, dogs need higher levels of protein and fat.” As evidence he points to Chapter 11 of the 2006 NRC publication Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. Versch will soon find out if pet owners are going to buy the concept.

“Shedding is a profound and obvious effect that seasonal changes have on dogs and cats,” notes Versch, “but it is by no means the only one.” He points out that the seasons are a powerful force in our lives. They affect the activities we do, the foods we crave, the clothes we wear and often, the moods we are in. “Our animals are also affected by seasonal changes,” he says.
A patent and licensing

Working with nutritionists, Versch developed pet foods to address seasonal changes. In October 2006, the US Patent Office awarded him a patent entitled “Selected Climate Change Control of Petfood Formulation and Distribution.” Following up on his patent, Versch founded Seasons Pet Food Co. with the idea of selectively licensing his formulas to companies capable of global and multi channel petfood distribution. He plans to unleash the concept one way or another by August 2008.

Cool Weather Blend is formulated with extra protein and fat to ensure that pets get all the energy they need to fuel their higher energy requirements during cold climatic conditions. It will be sold November through April.

A new path
Superior pet nutrition is a well-worn path in the US, notes Versch. “Customers must have a powerful reason to switch from pet food brands they are satisfied with and current petfood leaders in the US will not willingly give away market share.”

He strongly believes Seasons Pet Food Co. is the right company to create a new path based on seasonal formulas. “A survey done by the company shows that the seasons concept is one that 78.6% of consumers are willing to try,” says Versch, “because it makes sense.” When he’s told no one is asking for seasonal formulations, he responds that no one was asking for iPods or jet skis, but millions of people are buying them now.

Versch sees an analogy between seasonal pet foods and hairball control petfoods. “Hill’s Science Diet introduced its hairball formula in 1996 and changed the market overnight,” he says. “Consumers eagerly converted to Hill’s feline hairball formulas with the advantage of natural hairball disposal through food.” Hill’s improved retailer support and created excitement for specialty retailers because the product was not available through mass merchant locations.

Summer Blend contains higher lineolic acids and omega 3 and 6 oils blended in a lower protein formulation. It will be sold May through October.

Kibble in his veins
“I’ve got kibble in my veins,” comments Versch. He first joined the pet industry in 1971 when he began working for a pet retailer in Los Angeles. There he learned to position and sell petfood products including the original Nutro Pet Food and Science Diet when it was packaged in brown bags and “Acme Buttermilk” kibble from Breeder’s Choice. “As petfood varieties increased,” he says, “consumers became more selective in their petfood purchases. Gradually, the industry shifted to natural, holistic trends and breed specific products found on shelves today.”

When working in retail, Versch and others on the staff noticed a pattern every summer: Customers came in desperately seeking advice for helping their pets suffering from dry, itchy coats and hot spots. “We always asked what they were feeding and a pattern of high-protein, corn-based diets emerged,” says Versch. “We further discovered that these customers were often adding canned diets high in protein on top of the high-protein kibble. We recommended lower protein kibble and a skin and coat supplement and many customers came back happy with the results.”

Visible benefits
The seasons are a powerful force in our lives. They affect the activities we do, the foods we crave, the clothes we wear and often, the moods we are in. Pets are also affected by seasonal changes.

Versch is confident that pet owners feeding Seasons Pet Food will “have a pet with a great coat and better body condition.” He says one reason why so many pets are overweight is that they receive calories at a steady rate all year, even when they don’t need as many calories in the summer. “Our formulas increase fat when pets actually need it: on the lower end of the thermo-neutral and critical cold zone,” says Versch. “Fat is decreased when pets least need it during the upper end of ambient temperatures. We also increase very absorbable essential fatty acids which support a healthy coat.” Seasons Summer Blend will be sold May through October. The Seasons Cool Weather Blend will be sold November through April.

These questions remain
For everything there is a season. The seasonal petfood concept is appealing, but are pet owners ready for winter and summer formulas? Do seasons really affect indoor pets that much? Will inventory/stocking be a problem? What benefits will pet owners actually see? Time will tell.

New to the NRC requirements
Entirely new to the 2006 NRC publication Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats is a report on the effects of physical activity and the environment on nutrient requirements (Chapter 11). Starting with dogs as athletes, effects of sprinting and endurance activities on nutrient requirements are explored. The effects of temperature, high and low, are examined for energy requirements. Nutrient requirements as a function of amount of exercise and ambient temperatures are discussed for water, protein, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.