Product Safety and Alternative Pet Foods: North American Market Outlook

Packaged Facts released a consumer report today on Product Safety and Alternative Pet Foods in the North American market. Access to the report will cost you $1,495 US for an online download. A little too rich to simply satisfy my curiosity.

The abstract suggests that the findings are significant enough that the big brand pet food manufactures will pony up to see the results.

The report identifies “Alternative Pet Foods” as high-end natural and organic pet foods; fresh pet foods including raw/frozen, refrigerated, and homemade; and 100% U.S. sourced, locally grown, and other smaller-batch pet foods.

Together, these product segments currently account for less than 10% of North American pet food sales, but the growing consumer perception that these products are safer than traditional mass-produced pet foods—on top of numerous other favorable trends covered in the report—virtually guarantees high double-digit growth rates for at least the next two years.

My curiosity is a result of working with Jamie Young on his recent dog food cookbook, Grrrrowlicious Food for Hungry Dogs.

Jamie is an Australian dog food chef who is buying local and making his own pet food. He’s as alarmed by what goes into dog food as I am about what goes into my human food.

The recipes in his book, including Bacon and Cheese Cookies (which you can download as a PDF), look so damn yummy that I’m hoping he’ll do a “Dogs and You” cookbook, which will let dogs and owners nibble off each other’s plate.

If you’re a dog owner, or simply interested in projects we’re working on, have a look at the Grrowlicious website and the press release.

Work Industries was involved with the online marketing of Grrrrowlicious Food for Hungry Dogs by Jamie Young.