Since the petfood recalls in March, Proctor & Gamble’s shares in that segment have been down, running one to one and a half share points lower since the four weeks ended February 24, the last period unaffected by the crisis. Those share losses combined amount to more than US$20 million in sales since the recall and US$70 million in annual sales if they’re sustained, according to AdAge.com.

“Unfortunately, even though these wet and semi-moist products are a small, less than 10% of our product line, we frankly got hit pretty hard,” stated A.G. Lafley, P&G CEO and chairman. Even though P&G’s larger dry food business was unaffected by the recall, many have speculated, due to dropping sales and shares, that P&G may sell their Iams and Eukanuba brands.

Since the beginning of the initial petfood recalls in March, Foodcorp CEO Justin Williamson says the company’s Nola brand in Johannesburg, South Africa has received five claims of suspicious nature. The claims have all been found to be false. In each case there was either no dog food to test, no body to perform tests upon or, in cases where tests on products were done, they were found to be negative. According to Williamson, all cases reported were related to a house brand specifically done for certain businesses, and not its other branded products.

Chris van der Merwe, marketing director of Nola, says that the company has not received any direct monetary claims, except for one veterinary bill. The retailer in question did not pay the bill as it was found to be false.

The Pet Owner Channel Use Study from Brakke Consulting and Market Directions is a study to be fielded in September, surveying more than a thousand dog and cat owners. The survey will examine purchasing frequency by brand and by type of outlet, channel switching and the importance of convenience, price and veterinary recommendation on purchasing decision. Products in the study include wellness and therapeutic petfoods, dental treats and products, and joint health supplements. Upon publication, the price of the study is US$12,500. For more information, contact John Volk of Brakke Consulting at jvolk@brakkeconsulting.com.

Petfood Forum, the premier event for the petfood industry for 15 years, will debut in Asia March 5 in Bangkok, Thailand, as part of Victam Asia 2008, Southeast Asia’s leading agrifeed event. Petfood Forum Asia will be the meeting place for petfood professionals in Asia and around the world. You can network with your peers and industry experts, while learning the latest on:

• Global and Asian petfood sales trends
• Petfood safety and traceability
• Nutrition and longevity
• New and functional ingrediets
• Advances in palatability
• Hot product trends

Registration includes a light breakfast, buffet lunch and coffee break. Register by January 15, 2008, and save more than 15%! Eary-bird registration is US$225, while registration after January 15, is US$275.

The Meow Mix Acatemy, which will be located in New York City at Union Square East and 15th Street starting August 21, will offer classes and guest speakers to help people connect with their pets, while raising money for animal shelters. The Acatemy will feature a faculty of feline behaviorists, cat therapists, veterinarians and pet psychics; and a curriculum that will educate students about everything cat-related. Special seminars will also be held at the Acatemy, featuring guest lecturers Warren Eckstein, Carole Wilbourn and Dr. Alison Abramson, DVM.

For every student who visits The Meow Mix Acatemy, one pound of Meow Mix cat food will be donated to a cat shelter. In addition, 100% of proceeds from sales at the Acatemy bookstore will be donated to shelters.
Following the Acatemy event in New York, the school will go on an 11-city national tour, stopping in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Tampa, Houston, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco, where the tour will conclude November 4.

The AKC Canine Health Foundation has granted funding to Imulan BioTherapeutics (Imulan) to study the effects of Imulan’s immunomodulating T-Cell Receptor (TCR) Vaccine for canine dilated cardiomyopathy. “Cardiac disease regularly ranks in the top five diseases that are of major concern to breeders and dog enthusiasts,” said A. Duane Butherus, PhD, chair of the Canine Health Foundation Grants Committee. “This search for a treatment of the complications of cardiomyopathy is an important step toward helping the next dog affected with this disease.”

Dilated cardiomyopathy or DCM, also known as congestive cardiomyopathy, is a condition in canines in which the heart becomes weakened and enlarged, and cannot pump blood efficiently. The decreased heart function can also affect the lungs, liver and other body systems. Dilated cardiomyopathy is a heritable disease in dog breeds including the Boxer, the Doberman Pinscher, Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound and St. Bernard. Treatment is based on medication, including ace inhibitors, loop diuretics and phosphodiesterase inhibitors.

The Mepaco line of Clean Sweep surge loaders eliminate loss yields and cross contamination, according to the company. The Clean Sweep design eliminates collecting lost yields at the end of a shift because of its “first in – first out” conveyance of lean and high-fat products. The surge loaders are available with bead-blast, pickle passivated or electropolished finishes. www.mepaco.net

EDL Packaging Engineer’s Unit Load Systems enclose bulk, variable sized or palletized products for shipment. Translucent low density polyethylene film provides both product and handling point visibility during transit, at a lower price than corrugated based packaging. The opaque film also protects from ultra violet radiation exposure during periods of outdoor storage, according to EDL. www.edlpackaging.com

The Single Planetary Mixer from Charles Ross & Son is equipped with a custom helical mixing blade that allows for the mixing of high viscosity materials. The mixer includes stainless steel type 316 construction, mix can with dished bottom and six inch flush discharge valve, air/oil hydraulic lift, mix vessel on caster wheels and NEMA 4 control panel purged for CI1 Division 1 hazardous areas. The model is available in a range of sizes from 1 through 300 gallons capacity. www.foodmixers.com

The 8255 ServoPro low-profile casepacker uses servo-drive technology to eliminate all drive chains and belts, reducing the number of moving parts and cutting machine maintenance and downtime. Integrated Allen-Bradley control architecture with a color touch-screen user interface electronically stores machine changeover settings for each control axis, resulting in a changeover time of fifteen minutes or less, according to Thiele. All ServoPro casepackers are available with stainless steel frames and wash-down construction. The product range covers knockdown, wraparound and harness style case in edition to trays. www.thieletech.com

The measles virus (MV) causes half a million childhood deaths annually. Vitamin A supplements significantly reduce measles-associated mortality and morbidity. This study reports on a ferret model to study antiviral activity of vitamin A against canine distemper virus (CDV). CDV is closely related to MV at the molecular level and distemper in ferrets mimics measles in humans. All ferrets that received vitamin A supplements recovered uneventfully from CDV infections. These results replicate many aspects of the observations of vitamin A therapy in humans with measles and suggest that CDV infection in ferrets is an appropriate model for the study of the antiviral mechanism of vitamin A.

This research evaluated the use of yttrium oxide (Y2O3) as an inert marker in studies of apparent total tract digestibility in dogs, blue foxes and mink. Comparison was made with total fecal collection, and use of chromic oxide (Cr2O3) as a marker respectively. In dogs, overall digestibilities of main nutrients with chromic oxide as the marker were not significantly different from overall means obtained with yttrium oxide (p > 0.05). Overall digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and total carbohydrates in blue foxes and mink was significantly higher with chromic oxide than with yttrium oxide (p < 0.05). Overall amino acid digestibilities in dogs determined with chromic oxide as marker were similar to corresponding figures for yttrium oxide, whereas use of chromic oxide resulted in significantly higher digestibilites for a number of amino acids compared with yttrium oxide in foxes and mink (p < 0.05). The study showed that yttrium oxide can be used in low concentrations in food, and allows high accuracy of analyses and thereby precise digestibility determination. It is concluded that yttrium oxide is an alternative inert marker to chromic oxide in the studied species.

This study examined whether rabbits fed a diet containing high fat and sucrose could develop obesity and insulin resistance, the major pathophysiological features of metabolic syndrome. Male Japanese white rabbits were fed either a normal chow diet (control) or high fat and sucrose diet (HFSD) for 36 weeks. Plasma levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, glucose and insulin were measured. HFSD led to a significant increase in body weight, caused by significantly higher visceral adipose tissue accumulation. Although there were no differences in plasma triglycerides, total cholesterol, glucose, insulin levels and blood pressure between the two groups, HFSD-fed rabbits showed impaired glucose clearance associated with higher levels of insulin secretion compared to control rabbits. Results showed that HFSD induced insulin resistance and increased adipose accumulation in rabbits, suggesting that HFSD-fed rabbits may become a model for research on human insulin resistance and obesity.

PhD Animal Nutritionist

Trouw Nutrition USA is a leading manufacturer of unique feed ingredients, base mixes and premixes for the agricultural and companion animal nutrition industry. The company is part of the Trouw Nutrition International Business Group of Nutreco. Trouw Nutrition International is the leading European premix and specialty feeds supplier with extending global positions. Nutreco is based in the Netherlands and has operations in more than 25 countries. 

Due to our growth and commitment to meet our objectives in the United States, we are in constant search for talented people who aim to work in a challenging but supportive organization and be part of a global network of experts - experts with an entrepreneurial drive who put the customer first and take responsibility for the further development of our business. An effective combination of a technical background, developed commercial skills and the desire to provide customers with profitable products and advice is a basic requirement. 

Because of our growth scenario we are currently searching for a PhD Animal Nutritionist. Preferred candidates will be goal oriented, skilled in market research and analysis, possess excellent interpersonal skills and sound judgment, and have demonstrated skills in negotiation.  A PhD in animal nutrition or a related field is required.  Previous experience in the pet food industry would be helpful.

For consideration, please fax, mail or e-mail your resume with salary history to the attention of:

PhD Animal Nutritionist
Trouw Nutrition USA
P.O. Box 219
Highland, IL 62249
Fax: (618) 654-3157
susan.boostrom@nutreco.com

SPF North America Inc., the worldwide leader of palatability enhancers, is seeking a sales account manager. This position will play a major role in our development in North America. Contact Judy Gehler with your resume at jgehler@spf-usa.com or fax to +1.715.926.5285.

For our Full Calendar of Events, please click on the provided link: