Author: Jordan Tyler

DES MOINES, IOWA — João Marcelo Gomes has been promoted to president of Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health’s EMENA (Europe, Middle East and North Africa) segment, following the promotion of former EMENA President Stefaan Van Dyck, Ph.D ., to group president of the global division.In 2019, Gomes joined the company as president of Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health South America. He was named president of Kemin Food Technologies EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in 2023. He holds a veterinary degree from the Universidade Federal Rural of Rio De Janeiro.In his latest role, Gomes will use nearly 30 years of…

SYKESVILLE, MD. — Pet Palette Distribution will highlight its pet industry’s top brands during SuperZoo 2023, held August 16 to 18 in Las Vegas, by showcasing hundreds of its customers’ best-selling products in its booth, 6811.Products to be highlighted at the Pet Palette booth include freeze-dried food, treats, cat products, health products, and other pet accessories and durables. The independent distributor will also host more than a dozen product giveaways throughout the three-day show, with total prizes worth more than $4,500.Participating brands and products include: Pet Palette Distribution Celebration Set Absorbine Pet Products’ Silver Honey Bundle New Earth Rated toy…

ALEXANDRIA, VA. — The North American Renderers Association (NARA) announced on January 25 the appointment of Jennifer Wilson as EU-UK representative. Wilson replaces former representative Bruce Ross, who retired at the end of last year.In her new role, Wilson will advocate for NARA and its members in the European Union and the United Kingdom, where she will support trade policy and the commercialization of manufactured goods abroad. He will also serve as the principal consultant for the association.Wilson brings 27 years of experience from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the US Embassy in London, and most recently served…

LEXINGTON, KY. — Weather conditions across the United States in 2023 posed a range of mycotoxin risks for corn products, the most used farm- and mill-based ingredient in dog and cat food by volume. According to Alltech, which maintains a comprehensive mycotoxin management platform that benefits farmers, food producers and animal feeds across the country, drought conditions combined with high rainfall have resulted in an increase of risk for some mycotoxins.While aflatoxin is often tested for in pet food ingredients, deoxynivalenol, ochratoxin, zearalenone and fumonisin also pose a safety risk to dog and cat food. By analyzing 418 crop samples…

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND — New Zealand Riverland Foods Ltd is setting up shop in Canterbury to offer exclusive co-manufacturing capabilities for international clients in the canned pet food space. The company — led by Michael Dance and Tom Coughlan, former general managers at another New Zealand-based pet food manufacturer, ZIWI — announced on January 24 plans to establish an “ultra-modern ” facility with the capacity to produce 30 million cans of pet food annually.The company will invest $20 million in the facility to begin with, and expects additional investment as the plant develops. Plans for the facility began in 2022,…

ROSYTH, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND — Bella & Duke, a Scottish subscription-based raw pet food brand, announced an important leadership change on January 23. James Sturrock has joined the company as chief executive officer, replacing Mark Scott, former CEO and co-founder , who will move into a non-executive director role, according to the company.“Since Bella & Duke with Tony [Ottley] in 2016, it has been a long but incredibly rewarding experience to see our vision grow year after year, and I will still be involved in the business,” said Scott. “As a purpose-driven business, which has an incredible team and loyal community,…

LOS ANGELES — Delaware-based BioCraft Pet Nutrition has been selected as one of three finalists for the inaugural Vegan Women Summit (VWS) Awards in the Innovation of the Year category. The company joins two other finalists in the category — New York-based Uncased BioLeather and Berkeley-based UPSIDE Foods: Cultivated Chicken — and 23 other women leading vegan initiatives on a global scale.BioCraft Pet Nutrition, formerly known as Because, Animals, was founded in 2023 with the sole focus of commercializing cultured meat ingredients for use in pet food formulations. With this focus, Founder and Chief Executive Officer Shannon Falconer, Ph.D., and…

NAPIER, NEW ZEALAND — As a relatively new full-time member of the pet food manufacturing industry, Pavinee Watson, Ph.D., is ready to hit the ground running. Following the achievement of his Ph.D. against many odds, as well as a successful internship at ZIWI Ltd. during his undergraduate studies, Watson is now using his expertise in pet nutrition to benefit ZIWI’s research and development team.”Innovation is something that, as a business, we look forward to expanding in terms of new technologies and pet food concepts and, as an R&D technologist, it’s exciting to be a part of that,” he said.In the…

WASHINGTON – In a recent study published in the American Society for Microbiology’s journal, Microbiology Spectrumresearchers have identified two probiotic strains that may be effective for reducing body fat in overweight and obese dogs.Pet obesity in the United States is classified as an epidemic, with more than half of all dogs and cats considered overweight or obese in 2018, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP). This statistic is also true on a global scale, according to researchers, and nutritional interventions are one way veterinarians and pet owners are addressing the issue.Younghoon Kim, Ph.D., principal investigator of the…

PARIS — Insect-based protein producer Ÿnsect announced Jan. 24 that it has received approval from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) to include its defatted mealworm protein ingredients in dog food products .According to the company, the authorization marks the first mealworm-based ingredient approved for use in pet food in the United States.The decision follows a six-month scientific trial of dog nutrition ingredients, the results of which confirmed the safety and nutritional effectiveness of Ÿnsect’s mealworm-based proteins. In addition to the test, research conducted by Kelly Swanson, Ph.D., professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and his team…