Author: Tim Wall

Cats have been the most common pets in Europe for many years. In 2022, Europe will be home to 127 million cats living in 26% of households. The popularity of cats seems to be growing all over the world. The highly urbanized human population in Europe may find cats to be more convenient as cats often require less space and maintenance than dogs in general. As urbanization becomes more common around the world, many of the same factors that encourage cat ownership in Europe may fuel the popularity of cats in other regions. A report by Markets and Markets identified…

Post Holdings based in St. Louis, Missouri, a consumer packaged goods holding company, intends to acquire the assets of Perfection Pet Foods for US$235 million. The acquisition of the pet food industry is on track to complete in the late fourth quarter of calendar year 2023, which aligns with the first quarter of the Post 2024 fiscal year.Perfection manufactures and packages pet food and baked treat products under private label and co-manufacturing arrangements. Post Holding’s acquisition includes two Perfection manufacturing facilities located in Visalia, California. These facilities will provide Post with expanded manufacturing capabilities, allowing the company to bring a…

Excerpted from a press release:Blue Ridge Beef is recalling all lot numbers and use by dates between N24 1124 to N24 1224 of their 2 lb. Kitten Grind log UPC 8 54298 00101 6; 2lb log of Kitten Mix UPC 8 54298 00143 6 and their 2lb log of Puppy Mix UPC 8 54298 00169 6 due to contamination by Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes can affect animals that eat the products and there is a risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they do not…

The US Food and Drug Administration has announced that grease-proofing materials containing certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are no longer being sold for use in food packaging in the US, including pet food bags .Manufacturers use thousands of PFASs, in products ranging from pet food bags to bullets, climbing ropes, guitar strings and artificial turf. In pet food bags, PFAS can help the bags resist moisture and lipids, such as fats and oils. PFAS are also used in the manufacturing process of some pet food containers.Along with their ubiquity, the problem comes from how slowly PFAS break down in…

In the fourth quarter of 2023, BRF’s pet food division grew by 1.8% over the same quarter in 2022. Superpremium pet foods fueled this growth, as did first pet food sales of BRF in Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates.Superpremium brands Biofresh and Guabi Natural expanded their share of pet sales in 2023 compared to last year, rising above market rates, according to the company. BRF’s cat food category grew in double-digit volumes. “To stimulate growth, GranPlus, the Special Premium brand, debuted an advertising campaign on broadcast television, while Biofresh launched an unprecedented campaign in collaboration with a new advertising…

A group of researchers in Taiwan identified a variety of undeclared species in cat foods available in the local market. The team published their results in the journal Bioinformatics and Genomics.Undeclared animal species in pet food pose both health and ethical concerns. Some pets may be allergic to undeclared species, such as cattle or chicken. Pet owners themselves may object to the presence of tissues of certain animals in the food of their dogs and cats. For example, having pork in pet food can be problematic for Jewish or Muslim pet owners, just as beef can be an issue for…

JM Smucker’s net sales of pet foods and treats fell to US$441 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024. Smucker’s pet product. Smucker’s pet food segment revenue decreased by US$39.0 million. While net sales decreased by US$288.0 million, or 40%, compared to the same period in fiscal year 2023, Smucker’s pet segment had a profit margin of 18.4% in Q1 FY24. If one excludes US$367.7 million of non-comparable net sales in the prior year related to pet food brands sold by the company, net sales actually increased by US$79.7 million, or 22%. Sales of the MilkBone brand increased,…

Colgate-Palmolive’s pet division has invested heavily in drive capacity and flexibility to carry Hill’s Pet Nutrition in new growth segments in various markets, Noel Wallace, CEO of Colgate-Palmolive, said at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference on Feb. 23 in Boca Raton, Florida, USA.These changes are demonstrated by wet products coming from Hill’s Tonganoxie, Kansas plant, which is the company’s most sophisticated plant in the world, he said.”This allows us to really penetrate the market with a full assortment of different types of products in the wet segment that historically haven’t been there in the past,” Wallace…

General Mills’ Blue Buffalo plans to build a 730,000-square-foot warehouse in southern Olathe, Kansas, USA, the Johnson County Post reported. The Olathe City Council approved an incentive package for the new facility. Incentives include approximately US$71.5 million in industry revenue bonds, exemptions from sales taxes, and a 10-year, 50% property tax abatement. The Blue Buffalo The warehouse is expected to bring 103 jobs to the region with starting salaries above US$51,000. Those salaries are set to increase to US$64,000 in the tenth year of operation.Blue Buffalo’s sales volume continues to grow in early 2024Blue Buffalo’s Formulation Life Protection continued to…

Blue Buffalo’s Life Protection formulation continued to grow in sales volume in the United States this year, Jeff Harmening, chairman and CEO of General Mills, said at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference on Feb. 20 in Boca Raton, Florida, USA. As of late 2023, sales volume is down by mid-single-digits for the recipe. However, throughout the beginning of 2024, the cost of goods sold increased by high-single-digits.”The Blue Buffalo the brand remains strong and our refreshed ad campaign seizes the opportunity to more effectively communicate with parents about the benefits of the powerful ingredients found in…