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A Pet Food Industry Trade Show

This is something I wish more pet food consumers could see – a pet food industry trade show. This week – in Orlando, FL – was the Global Pet Show featuring over 1,000 different booths of pet ‘stuff’. Pet food, pet beds, pet collars, aquariums, bird toys and cages…you name the pet product, it was at Global.

This is something I wish more pet food consumers could see – a pet food industry trade show.  This week – in Orlando, FL – was the Global Pet Show featuring over 1,000 different booths of pet ‘stuff’.  Pet food, pet beds, pet collars, aquariums, bird toys and cages…you name the pet product, it was at Global.

Big thanks to Global Pet Show – they are very welcoming to that ‘other kind of writer’ such as myself.  As with last year, I was provided with Press credentials to attend the show.

When you walk in the Orange County Convention Center – you enter a massive room, with row after row of pet related products.  It’s actually a pet lovers dream (well…those that like to shop dream).  There are booths that are the size of a medium house – but most of the booths are small featuring the products of a small pet collar, or food, or treat manufacturer.

The large booths are the big pet food companies.  Below are a few quick pictures I took of some of the big booths (house size).  Some of these booths feature massive high definition televisions, luxurious carpeting, comfy sofas and chairs, food, alcoholic beverages and some even have puppies for visitors to play with.  I can’t even guess what some companies spend on the booths at these trade events.  Especially the large booths – they are swarming with employees ready to pitch their products to the thousands of pet product buyers in attendance.

 

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Sorry I didn’t take more pictures – I took the above almost immediately after I got to the show and honestly forgot about taking more.  You sort of get caught up in the event – visiting and talking with all the companies (my favorite being the little pet food and treat companies that know every supplier on a first name basis). And as with last year, there was aisle after aisle of Chinese pet product suppliers selling jerky treat after jerky treat.

I’m hopeful to learn more about several new (to me) pet food/treat companies soon – and adding them to Petsumer Report.  And – several said they would provide their Pledge too.  I’ll be looking for those (and of course will share with all on Association for Truth in Pet Food website).

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
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9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. Rich DiTeodoro

    March 14, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    Nice job Susan.
    I started making my own jerky after all the horror stories.
    You mentioned that some booths even had puppies, wouldn’t it have been nice if they instead had rescue dogs in need of adoption.

  2. Lisa Hoffman

    March 14, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    Rich DiTeodoro I was there for the last 2 days and the booths that I went into that had puppies were from local rescues that were up for adoption!

  3. Mike Cavanaugh

    March 14, 2014 at 5:39 pm

    Glad you went to Global.
    It’s sad that the consumers don’t understand the math. A company like the one pictured above spends fortunes on their trade show booths, TV commercials, print ads, special pricing to large stores and chains. Also, the huge shelfspace in Superstores is bought with extreme discounts. So, what people don’t understand (until they do the math if they ever do) they don’t understand that in order for the manufacturers to make a profit, they can only afford to use junk ingredients and fillers. Besides the pictured example above, I visited my neighborhood C***** Warehouse store recently. They sell a 55# bonus bag of P******* for $22.49. Really?!? Can you buy anything with nutritional value for people or pets for under 50 cents a pound? The answer is an unquestionable NO!

  4. Annie

    March 15, 2014 at 8:46 am

    Hi Susan, and thank you so much for the huge amount of work you do for our pets.
    I wonder if you would review Tractor Supply Company’s 4Health brand of dog food. They also are making a grain free. After the Great Chinese Melamine Poisonings of ’07, I talked to someone at corporate (maybe #75or 6? that day) who came up with a list of sources for their ingredients. There was one mineral sourced in China. I have been feeding it for years, and the only problem I’ve ever had was possible salmonella due to our local TSC store getting theirs from the same plant that processes Diamond. Yuck. I know. But they pulled all the food from there the day after I told them about it, and started getting it from another plant for the duration of the contamination at the Diamond facility.
    Hope you will take a look at this 4Health food, and let us know what you think.

  5. Annie

    March 15, 2014 at 8:49 am

    oops, sorry
    not # 75 or 6
    #5 or 6. That would be talking to a lot of people!

  6. Audree

    March 15, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    Susan –
    I too was at Global, and agree that there are many Chinese manufacturers, however, there are more and more small start ups that were in attendance that make their products in the USA from ingredients that are sourced in the USA. And, in speaking with many other owners of independent pet supply stores, we are careful and knowledgeable about who makes the food, and where it’s made. Our best advise is to support the independent retailers who know the food manufacturers, are informed about the production process, know the source of the ingredients, and are responsive to the consumer. Your independent pet supply retailer is the only place to buy these high quality, locally produced, unique products. Remember – we’re your neighbors. We shop at the same grocery stores, go to the same banks, walk our dogs at the same dog parks. When you speak to the independent retailer, your’e speaking to the decision maker. That gives you – the consumer – an opportunity to have immediate impact in your pet community.

    • Christine Mallar

      March 17, 2014 at 11:52 am

      Thanks Audree for your great comment. As an independent retailer, we want people to realize how much care and worry we put into the decisions we make about what to carry – they’re entirely based on information we gather about sourcing, manufacturing safety, bioavailability of nutrients, and accountability of the company that makes it. We’re also willing to take away our best selling line of food due to changes in ingredients or finding out something about the company that we can’t abide by – we’ve done this in our store 3 times in 10 years, actually. I’d bet a big box store would never take away their best selling line voluntarily. I hope that every town will eventually have well educated independent retailers for people to use as a resource, and that those who live in towns with Independent retailers will support them in their efforts to keep pets healthy and safe.

  7. Brent W

    March 17, 2014 at 5:10 pm

    I only shop at independent pet supply stores. The employees are more knowledgeable and concerned about nutrition and remedies for minor ailments. I found this very interesting…This one store I go to does carry Hill’s Science Experiment, (I mean Science Diet) along with some other bags of corn meal, (however, the employees always steer people to the better foods), I was told by one employee I know pretty well that she actually got in trouble because Hill’s sent in a mole pretending to be a new customer inquiring about quality food. She told them that Hill’s is substandard and lead them to the ‘better quality’ aisle. How scary is that?

  8. Pet Store New Jersey

    March 18, 2014 at 7:54 pm

    Thanks for sharing the photos! We just opened a pet supply store in Nyack, New York and will definitely look to attend next time. I agree with commenter Brent W, it seems independent pet stores always employ more knowledgeable and caring employees!

    Still strange there was so many Chinese products, but happy to see start-ups were getting their due!

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