Industry news

Webinar archive available online

A recorded version of the recent webinar, Using non-traditional ingredients in unconventional petfoods , is now available. Presented by Petfood Industry magazine and Petfood Forum 2007, and sponsored by Kemin, the webinar featured an in-depth discussion on the types of ingredients that are being used in the next generation of petfoods—including fresh/frozen meats, whole animal/bird parts, and fruits and vegetables.  

Log in today to hear David Lummis, pet market analyst for Packaged Facts, and Dr. Greg Aldrich, Pet Food & Ingredient Technology Inc., discuss this important topic. To view the recording of the presentation, go to: http://www.iian. ibeam.com/events/watt001/21136.

Petfood pioneer passes
Dr. James E. Corbin died on March 1, 2007. He was born in 1921 in Providence, Kentucky, USA, and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Kentucky. He earned his doctorate at the University of Illinois. Corbin joined the Ralston Purina Co. as manager of special chows research in 1954 and became the first director of the Purina Pet Care Center. In 1973, he joined the Department of Animal Science at the University of Illinois and established a world-class teaching and research program in companion animal biology. He retired from the University in 1984, but was an active emeritus professor.

“Few persons have had greater impact on the petfood industry. Besides pioneering the concept of extruded petfood as an industry scientist, Jim's mentorship of literally hundreds of petfood professionals has helped to make the industry the dynamic organization that it is today,” said colleague Dr. George Fahey.

There will be a memorial service for Dr. Corbin on March 31, 2007 on the University of Illinois campus. Dr. Corbin's family is currently in the process of setting up a memorial scholarship in his name through the University of Illinois. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the nonprofit organization Canine Connection or Lifeline Pilots. Corbin is survived by two daughters, two sons, six grandchildren and one brother.

Del Monte Foods profit declines in third quarter
Del Monte Foods Company has reported a 10% decrease in third quarter profit due to higher costs and a decline in sales volume. Del Monte posted profit of US$46.5 million for the third quarter, compared with US$52 million for the same quarter a year ago. Sales increased by 15% in the third quarter, mainly due to its acquisition of petfood brands Meow Mix and Milk-Bone. Del Monte said growth from new products and net pricing also contributed to the 15% increase in total sales.

For the third quarter, pet products net sales increased by 56.7% to US$356.2 million, from US$227.3 million in the prior year period. Total sales in the third quarter were US$907 million, up from US$789.6 million during the same period in 2005. Growth from new pet products, including 9Lives Daily Essentials, Kibbles 'n Bits Brushing Bites and Pup-Peroni Ribs, a shift in promotional timing from fourth quarter fiscal 2007 to third quarter fiscal 2007, and net pricing also positively contributed to the increase in net sales.

For fiscal 2007, the Company continues to expect sales growth of 12-15% over fiscal 2006 net sales of US$3.0 billion. Fiscal 2007 net sales growth is expected to be driven primarily by the Meow Mix and Milk-Bone acquisitions.

Payne leaving PFI
Steve Payne, vice president of communications, is leaving the US Pet Food Institute (PFI) to become the vice president of corporate communications for Feld Entertainment, which manages Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and other entertainment events, and is headquartered in the Washington, DC area. Kurt Gallagher will now become PFI's new director of Communications and export development. He will be responsible for PFI's public affairs program. Gallagher was with PFI previously in an administrative role. He returns to PFI after handling communications and other projects for a large member association and an online company.

Ameri-Pac gains national recognition
DiversityBusiness.com recently named Ameri-Pac Inc. as one of the top 500 women-owned and minority-owned businesses in the United States. Ameri-Pac also ranked number 18 of top small businesses in Missouri and number 14 of the top women-owned businesses in Missouri. The Div500 is a classification that represents the top 500 diversity-owned businesses in the US, in sectors such as technology, manufacturing, food service and professional services.

Deadline for Petfood Forum registration
The registration fee for Petfood Forum 2007 goes up after March 15. For a look at the scheduled topics and speakers, and a registration form, go to www.wattnet.com/petfoodforum. This unique event is the meeting place for petfood professionals—an opportunity to learn, network and visit with suppliers. It is scheduled for April 16-18 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare near Chicago, Illinois, USA.

If you have specific questions, contact Marcia Riddle (attendees) at E-mail: mriddle@wattnet.net; Tel: +1.815.734.5633 or Ginny Stadel (exhibitors) at E-mail: gstadel@wattnet.net; Tel: +1.815.734.5691.

Pacific Bag Inc. announces promotion and addition to sales force
Pacific Bag Inc. recently announced the promotion of Kelle Vandenberg as product manager for their new PBideas Packaging division. The PBideas Division is packaging that focuses on promoting brand identity, reusable formats and sustainable packaging. Vandenberg has been with Pacific Bag for three years and has served in various roles at PBi including marketing manager and inside sales/customer service manager.

Pacific Bag also announced recently that Todd Pollack joined the company as account manager. Pollack, previously an account representative at Tavens Container, has worked in the packaging industry for the past twenty years. Pollack is responsible for new account development and current customer sales in the Midwest and mid-southern territories.

Menu Foods fund earns US$1.8 million in fourth quarter
Menu Foods Income Fund pulled in a US$1.8 million profit in the fourth quarter of 2006 thanks to higher prices. Menu Foods released sales figures of US$87.9 million recently, up 3.6% from US$84.8 million in the final three months of 2005. During the first half of 2006, Menu raised prices for its US store label customer, which contributed favorably to the results in the fourth quarter.

Wild Oats Magazine launched
Active Interest Media Inc. recently announced it will launch Wild Oats Magazine, a custom publication for Wild Oats Markets Inc. Wild Oats (www.wildoats.com) is one of the USA's leading natural and organic food stores, with more than 110 stores nationwide and more than US$1.1 billion in annual sales. The magazine premiered in January 2007, and this issue featured articles on the benefits of natural petfoods. For more on natural petfoods, see the April issue of Petfood Industry magazine. Wild Oats Magazine will be published bi-monthly and will be available free of charge in all Wild Oats retail locations nationwide.

Alltech's 23rd International Feed Industry Symposium to focus on ethanol issues
The shift in corn use toward fuel ethanol has wide-ranging implications for the animal feed industry in terms of feed costs, availability and ration formulation. A special focus of this year's Alltech International Feed Industry Symposium is to look at how practices, products and programs will ultimately affect how we utilize feed energy, as well as protein ingredient resources. The symposium is scheduled for May 20-23, 2007 in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. The companion animal segment will address challenges from mycotoxins to cancer, from longevity to appearance. Attendance is strictly by invitation only. For more information contact Alltech at +1.859.887.3328.

Foss joins Petco as executive VP/CFO
Petco Animal Supplies Inc. recently announced that Michael E. Foss will join the company as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO). Foss will begin his new assignment in April and will report to James M. Myers, chief executive officer. Foss joins Petco after spending four years as CFO at Circuit City. Previously, he held various senior positions at the Eastman Kodak Company. Earlier in his career, Foss spent 12 years with IBM.

Nestlé announces record sales figures
Nestlé SA reported that its sales amounted to a new high of US$80.9 billion (CHF 98.5 billion) in 2006, up US$5.99 billion (CHF 7.3 billion), or 8.1%. The single-most important factor in this increase was organic growth of 6.2%.

With sales of US$9.4 billion (CHF 11.4 billion) in 2006, PetCare enjoyed 7.1% organic growth, with real internal growth of 4.3%, and doing well all over the world. In the premium segment, Dog and Puppy Chow together achieved US$821.8 million (CHF 1 billion) in sales for the first time in 2006. The superpremium segments, with products such as Beneful and Pro Plan, are also developing well.