Pet Food Processing - May 2024 - 22

COMPANY PROFILE
According to
Mars, the Sheba
Hope Reef off
the coast of
Indonesia is one
of the largest repaired
coral reefs
in the world. The
SHEBA cat food
brand has played
a leading role in
its restoration.
Courtesy of Kuleana Coral Reefs
and the SHEBA brand
within the company and others strategically acquired.
In early 2022, the company acquired direct-to-consumer
pet food brand Nom Nom Now, adding fresh
nutrition to its offerings. Later that same year, Mars acquired
Champion Petfoods and its two premium, biologically
appropriate dog and cat food brands, ORIJEN
and ACANA.
" We invest heavily in our research and development
to have options that support different formats, pack
types and formulations based on the changing needs of
pets, " Malandain said. " We're proud to have many 'firsts'
within the category with innovations like dog dental
sticks and pill pockets. "
With these industry firsts have come opportunities to
innovate further, including expanding existing brands
to encompass new areas of pet health and wellness that
consumers are craving. For example, the GREENIES
brand started with a focus on dental dog treats but has
since evolved to include supplements for dogs in late
2021, as well as complete-and-balanced dog food formulas
and meal toppers in early 2024. The TEMPTATIONS
cat treat brand began offering complete-and-balanced
diets for cats in the spring of 2023, the SHEBA brand
recently added kitten formulas to its mix, and CESAR
products continue to evolve to reflect a growing small
dog population and active pet owner lifestyles.
As a global company, Mars Pet Nutrition makes it its
business to support the industry at large, as well as ensure
consumers are equipped with the information they
need to feed their pets with confidence. These efforts include
supporting the establishment of consistent regulatory
and marketing standards in developing markets.
22 PET FOOD PROCESSING | May 2024 | www.petfoodprocessing.net
" In developed markets, there are usually regulations
and legal controls in place to ensure these standards
are applied, " Malandain explained. " But in an emerging
market, where controls and standards may not be fully
formed and knowledge of pet food specificities may be
lacking, we must support the development of consistent
quality and food safety, nutritional and labelling standards
for pet food across the globe. "
Science-backed nutrition
Supporting the company's innovation in the areas of
pet nutrition and health is the Waltham Petcare Science
Institute, a research hub dedicated to advancing the understanding
of pet behavior, health and genetics. For the
last 60 years, veterinarians and scientists at Waltham
have worked in tandem on timely research topics impacting
pet health. Today, these initiatives include new
methods of disease prediction and prevention, determining
contributing factors for healthy weight maintenance,
and studying the human-animal bond.
Waltham is able to leverage biological samples
from thousands of pets through its MARS PETCARE
BIOBANK project, which seeks to identify health, lifestyle,
behavior and genetic markers linked to disease.
The end goal of this project is to individualize care for
diseased pets, or those predisposed to certain diseases,
according to Malandain.
Additionally, healthy weight maintenance findings by
Waltham are being used to reformulate across the Mars
Pet Nutrition portfolio and re-educate consumers on
feeding guidelines.
On the human-animal bond front, a recent study sup
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Pet Food Processing - May 2024

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