Product Safety and Alternative Pet Foods: North American Market Outlook

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

• Scope and Methodology
  • Scope of Report
  • “Alternative Pet Food”
  • Report Methodology
• The 2007 Pet Food Crisis
  • Menu Foods Recall Is Biggest Pet Food Recall Ever
  • Recall Extended to Treats, Chews, Dry Foods
  • Recall Net Widens to Include More Ingredients, Other Contract Producers
  • Previous Recalls and Safety Issues
  • The Wild Kitty Cat Food Recall of 2007
  • The Diamond Pet Foods Recall of 2006
  • The Greenies Scare of 2006
• The Government Response
  • FDA Scrambles to Recall Products, Alert Consumers
  • Menu Foods Alerts FDA on March 15
  • Melamine Identified in Pet Food Samples
  • The Wheat Gluten Connection
  • Rice Protein Added to Tainted Ingredient List
  • Contamination Spreads to Human Food Chain
  • An Ongoing Investigation
  • Senate Hearings Criticize Government Response, Call for Stricter Standards
  • Holes in Existing Pet Food Safety Systems
  • AAFCO Weighs In
  • Veterinarians Weigh In
  • Pet Food Institute Weighs In
  • The Upshot: Stricter Production and Labeling Standards
  • Spotlight Shifts to Human Food Safety
• The Industry Response
  • Pet Food Institute Spearheads Industry Response
  • National Pet Food Commission Formed
  • Response from Pet Food Companies Is Universal
  • Procter & Gamble Responds in National Newspaper Ad for Iams/Eukanuba
  • Calling All Customers
  • Companies Remind Consumers That Dry Pet Food Is Safe
  • Retailers Respond
  • Lawsuits…
  • …and Buyouts
• The Consumer Response
  • Universal Awareness
  • Class-Action Lawsuits
  • Pet Owners Mobilized Online
  • Early Polls Attempt to Quantify Impact on Consumer Behavior

Chapter 2: Market Outlook

• Billions of Pet Food Brand Dollars Up for Grabs
• Alternative Pet Foods Stand to Gain
• Figure 2-1: Effect of Pet Food Recall on Pet Food Sales in Pet Specialty Stores, May 2007 (percent)
• Figure 2-2: Share of U.S Pet Food Expenditure by Income Bracket: 1994, 1999, 2004, and 2009 (percent)
• Figure 2-3: Alternative Pet Food Marketing Claims: 2005, 2006, and 2007 (number)
• Natural and Organic Pet Foods
• Raw/Frozen and Refrigerated Pet Foods
• Refrigerated Pet Food and New Forms of “Fresh”
• Back to Homemade?
• Human-Grade Foods and Food Certification
• The Next Big Thing: 100% U.S. Sourced Ingredients
• Also On the Ups: Locally Grown
• More Rigorous Company Oversight of Production
• More Detailed Ingredient Declarations
• The New Food Safety Buzzword: Traceability
• Positioning on Product Safety: A Long-Term Strategy
• More Companies Will Acquire, Build, or Upgrade Plants
• Reestablishing Superpremium Credibility
• Additional Government Regulation?
• Continued Pressure from Online Pet Community
• Restoring Consumer Confidence, One Pet Owner at a Time