PETS International Magazine October 2021

A mix of retail and wholesale, with a focus on love and care for pets, is proving a winning combination for Edvard Varda’s UNCONDITIONAL and ZOOCITY businesses in Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia.

With over 62 million pets – 8.2 million dogs and 7.9 million cats – Italy is definitely a pet lovers’ country!

As in the overall pet market, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge, beneficial influence on the US market for the ‘niche’ fish, small mammal, herptile, and bird products markets. Actual sales and demand have risen to historically high levels.

Sales of pet food have risen during the pandemic in both Ukraine and Belarus. As elsewhere, people here have been adopting pets to endure lockdowns – and have fed them well too.

Post-COVID, consumers’ interest in personal health has never been higher and we know they overlay their own health concerns onto their pet’s health. What does this mean for health trends in the pet food industry?

Did you know that there is a logic behind trends? And that consumer trends are no coincidence?

Plant-based – and even vegan – dog and cat foods are increasingly popular with consumers. So how to respond to this growing trend?

When talking about pet ownership, we often focus on dogs and cats, but the worldwide market for exotic pets is huge and growing.

The Russian pet market has significantly changed within the last year, alike pet markets in many other countries. However, the pandemic of COVID-19 probably has had a lesser effect being second after the economic turmoil.

The pet product market in Hungary has been thriving since the first wave of lockdowns, with overall growth in the past year reaching nearly 17%. But not all channels have contributed equally.

What are the issues surrounding developing, marketing and registering functional ingredients and specific diet formulations in pet food?

What is trendy right now? What are the things you should pay attention to when creating a new product? Or what can be used as inspiration?

To satisfy 21st-century pet owners’ needs, the pet food market operates globally with international trade in raw materials and pet food. Sadly, the resulting supply network complexity can facilitate opportunities for economic crime like food fraud.

Puppies, especially those of large and giant dog breeds, are prone to the development of orthopaedic diseases during periods of rapid growth because of a lower degree of bone mineralisation. Proper nutrition is key.

Augmented Reality (AR) is digitising products so they can be placed in reality. The technology has never been more accessible. The results: higher conversions, fewer returns and a better customer experience.

With increased consumer concern about synthetic additives in food, natural antimicrobials are gaining more ground in the industry.

Innovation in the pet food industry is surging since the pandemic, especially in the thriving sector of plant-based pet foods. Where is it headed?

The 19th Zoomark International expo, due to be held 10 to 12 November at BolognaFiere (Bologna, Italy), is a new milestone for the event.

Consequences for the industry could be grave unless trade actively contributes to a new process evaluating the marine ornamental fish trade.