Want to know more about pet food manufacturing for pet stores? According to the Pet Products Association in the USA, pet owners spent a staggering sum of $72 billion on their pets last year. $30.32 billion from that amount was spent on pet food. According to forecasts given by the 360 market study, there will be an increase of 3.1% in the pet food market by 2024. According to several other reports, it is stated that pet owners are less concerned with the expenses they incur on pet foods and are more concerned with the quality of the food they purchase. Meanwhile, another analysis proved that a quarter of the sales industry is occupied by natural pet foods.

The picture is very clear over here. There is a massive amount of investment in keeping our dear pets healthy and well-fed.

Pet Food for Pet Stores – Healthy Pet Food

If we observe closely, you’ll see that pet stores are quick to discover to which side the natural food and human specialty trends are leaning. We all want clean, healthy and qualitative food not just for ourselves but for our pets well. Just like our personal preferences have shifted towards natural, organic ingredients, pet owners also have firmly embraced the trend of clean, fresh ingredients for their animals in the same way.

These are the trends that are the key factors in driving success for small businesses. The trend surge of health consciousness in pet owners has now opened up great opportunities in the market for all small but aspiring business owners.

Pet Food Manufacturing for Pet Stores

Years ago, pet food was created from scraps that were gathered from the floors, but the times have changed. Thanks to today’s pet food manufacturers, a lot of thought and care is put into sourcing premium quality vegetables, grains, and meats and a number of other ingredients that are required for producing pet food. The process is as precise and thorough as it is when leading producers create foods for our consumption.

Automation is another key factor that matches the sophistication of the leading plants producing human foods in modern pet food facilities. But the similarities don’t end here. Pet foods ditto human foods in the way that they are susceptible to revisions arising from faulty labeling, contamination, food fraud and several such hazards. According to a nonprofit, Wisconsin-based agricultural organization, the quality of pet foods can significantly vary in brands and also normally contain unnecessary additives.

Whereas false health claims and cheap food substitutes are concerned, there really is no great difference between the leading world markets for human foods and the industry for pet foods. However, according to a renowned institute for pet food, we are given the assurance that member companies of the PFI have a series of rigorous quality assurance reviews to undergo. These start off with the raw ingredients and end with the finished, shelved products being tested.

Among the key factors for operation include how raw materials are utilized and how cost efficiency is formulated. For a processor, it is very challenging to be able to alter the conditions of processing and formulate the raw materials so as to maintain as a minimum a cost as possible. It is also important to maintain the high quality of standards at the same time as keeping the costs minimum.

The selection of ingredients heavily impacts the texture of the final product, the nutritional quality, economic viability, extrudability, and uniformity.

Pet Food Ingredients

Starch

This is the primary component of carbohydrates in pet foods. Starch levels can range from a mere 5 percent to as much 60 percent in the formulation. One of the most important energy sources in pet foods is starch.

Protein

An important thing to remember during extrusion in pet food formulation and processing is that cereal grains alone are insufficient in providing the amino acid balance required for body maintenance and proper growth. Thus, to ensure a diet complete with nutrition, proteinaceous ingredients are essential. These ingredients often comprise of 25 to 70 percent of the entire formulation. Proteins are categorized into animal and plant resources often.

Fat

Lipids and fats are two more wonderful energy sources in pet foods. There can be an increase of 30 percent in fat levels but they usually stay less than 20 percent of the entire recipe’s composition. If the extrusion process is conducted at 20 percent low moistures and 150 degree C high temperatures, there is a possibility that lipid-protein and lipid starch complexes will take shape.

Fiber

Another common feature in the markets these days is pet foods with reduced calories for inactive and obese pets. There are significant levels of hemicelluloses and cellulose included in these diets. Extrusion conditions usually fall short in affecting the obvious digestibility factor of dietary fiber. However, there are hydration properties and bulk densities included in the fibrous ingredients that are quite unlike traditional ingredients. They require alternative processing conditions and extruder configurations.

Minor Pet Food Ingredients

Among the most important elements in the minor category are vitamins. Every vitamin possesses its individual characteristic behavior during the thermal process and some lack of stability in storage. The stability of vitamins is affected by pressure, moisture, temperature and shear during the extrusion cooking process. The fairly stables ones are vitamins A, D and E in the fat-soluble vitamins, although there have been experiences of around 15 to 20 percent losses. The single greatest effect comes from the moisture level of extrusion of the vitamins retained. So the general rule here is that higher concentrations of vitamins are retained by higher levels of moisture.

Contact us to meet all your needs for animal products in one place.

GREEN MOUNTAIN ANIMAL LLC
75 Catamount Drive
Milton, Vermont 05468
802-752-4738
drmetz@grnmtnanimal.com
​ctomat@grnmtnanimal.com