Susan Thixton's post:
Kansas City, MO is hosting a huge pet food event (an event that won’t allow consumer advocates to attend). The event is full of pet food industry representatives learning how to better sell their feeds, how to make more money. And they are talking about us.
Pet Food Forum is a massive pet food industry trade event that occurs each year. Ingredient suppliers, supplement suppliers, pet food manufacturing equipment suppliers, and just about every ingredient or product involved in the manufacture of pet food is there. The one aspect of pet food that isn’t allowed to be there is consumers or a consumer advocate. We are considered a conflict of interest (or perhaps they simple don’t want us to learn their tricks of the trade) and have been refused admission to the event.
Even though we are not welcome at Pet Food Forum (at a cost of nearly $2,000.00), they certainly talk about us…a lot.
In a news post from the Pet Food Forum, PetFoodIndustry.com reports “Consider sensory testing as one of the ways to figure out what pets and owners really like.” Kadri Koppel, PhD, assistant professor at Kansas State University gave a presentation for attendees about the “smell, texture, taste and other sensations” of pet food. She told the crowd “pet food characteristics, pets’ reactions and owners’ observations make up a triangle of influences on whether a pet food succeeds in the market.” “In the competitive pet food market, the advancing science of sensory analysis can give brands an advantage.” (Because what “succeeds in the market” is most important to (most in) industry, not quality food – not quality nutrition.)
In another update from the Pet Food Forum event, PetFoodIndustry.com tells us a Family Feud type game was played where industry representatives guessed what were the most popular consumer answers to questions. “In playing Pets Family Feud, contestants learned that this strong pet humanization sentiment translates directly into the expectations consumers have for the pet food they buy.”
“Playing in teams, Pet Family Feud participants were educated more about pet food product characteristics and ingredients that consumers find desirable and those that they avoid when purchasing.”
Go ahead pet food industry, watch us closely. Watch us continue to move away from highly processed, recycled waste ingredient pet feed. Watch us ignore your marketing tricks. Watch us buy pet foods that are free of GMO’s and ingredients from China. Watch us fully support pet food companies that are transparent. And watch us continue to share everything we learn about pet food with every pet owner we know (even though you try so hard for us NOT to learn).
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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