Top 10 pet food companies worldwide

Most pet lovers know there are hundreds of pet food choices for your best friend. This post lists the top 10 pet food companies world wide.



1. Mars Petcare (or Mars) : Mars Petcare, the pet division of Mars Inc., continues to grow by relying on innovation and leveraging the expertise within its Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition. Sales across its core brands, such as Pedigree, Cesar and Whiskas, have remained strong, Mars says. The introduction of the Goodlife Recipe was the largest brand launch in Mars Petcare US history, according to the company, and the line has performed well.



2. Nestlé Purina PetCare: Successful new products, such as the expanded Friskies dry cat food line, as well as a continued emphasis on innovation based on humanization secured Nestlé Purina Petcare (part of Nestlé SA) another flourishing year. It was the number one company for new dog products and number two in new cat products.



3. P&G Pet Care (also see Iams): Since the pet food recalls, Procter & Gamble's shares in the pet segment have been down, running 1 to 1.5 share points lower since the four weeks ended February 24, 2006, the last period before the crisis. "Unfortunately, even though these wet and semi-moist products are less than 10% of our product line, we frankly got hit pretty hard," stated A.G. Lafley, P&G CEO and chair.



4. Hill's Pet Nutrition: With companies outside of North America growing the most, Hill's Pet Nutrition still managed 8.8% in growth from 2005 to 2006 and an overall growth rate of 60.9% since 2000 (Table 3). Hill's says its keys to expansion are building and strengthening relationships in the veterinary profession and continuous innovations and improvements in wellness and therapeutic petfood nutrition. Hill's also announced plans to build a new manufacturing plant in Emporia, Kansas, USA.



5. Del Monte Pet Products: Although Del Monte's shares dipped US$0.73, or 7.5%, the company had an astounding 57.6% growth from 2005-2006 (Table 3). The company produced second-quarter earnings per share of 13 cents vs. 11 cents last year. Sales rose 5% with growth in new pet food offerings. Del Monte is hoping competitors in the industry push through a price hike early this year to offset the rising costs of grains used in brands such as their Meow Mix and Kibbles n Bits brands.



6. Affinity Petcare SA: Affinity Petcare, a division of Agrolimen SA, says it is committed to the following values: imagination, innovation, flexibility and a scientific and systematic approach. The company offers a wide range of products, from special veterinary diets to super-premium foods to value-priced products for cats and dogs.



7. Nutro Products Inc.: Nutro Products Inc. was purchased in May 2007 by Mars Inc., but for the sales reporting period used in this article, Nutro was still a separate company. The company prides itself on using natural ingredients, making foods pets drool over and thrive on, and being at the forefront of research. Though affected by the March 2007 recalls, it has since stepped up its safety and testing programs to prevent future incidents.



8. Unicharm PetCare Corp.: Unicharm PetCare Corp. is a division of Tokyo-based conglomerate Uni-Charm Corp. and is continuing to take advantage of Japan's steadily growing pet population of 25 million companion animals. The company believes the key to its continuing rise is a strong emphasis on four trends: indoor cats and dogs, small dogs, overweight animals and the aging pet population. To differentiate itself from other fast-growing Japanese pet food manufacturers, Unicharm emphasizes the speed of converting consumer needs into products and applying technology to premium foods.



9. Total Alimentos SA: New to the Top 10 profiles, Total Alimentos SA is a Brazilian-based company operating from its facility since 1974. The company's single objective: to provide consumers innovative products with high levels of technology.



Total Alimentos credits investments in technology, research, new ingredients and communication with customers as reasons it currently occupies such a prominent position in the production of food for dogs and cats in Brazil and worldwide.

10. Nutriara Alimentos Ltda.: The second new pet food company from Brazil to appear on our list, Nutriara Alimentos Ltda. was founded in 1991. Initially production was directed at birds, pigs, bovine and equine breeders. It wasn't until 1996 that the company opened the pet segment of its business, but it took little time for Nutriara to secure a position in the competitive pet food market.