VIV Asia scores with first pet health and nutrition event

Paula Flores from Euromonitor International opened the event and talked about global and Asian pet food market and trends. “We see that pet owners are looking to extend their pet-related purchases beyond basic necessities, spurring demand for functional treats, and more extravagant pet products. This market is booming, and some Asian regions are getting close to the trends we seen in Europe and North America”, Flores explains.

Natural trends

In the feed ingredients session, sponsored by AllAboutFeed, Anton Beynen from Vobra Petfoods in the Netherlands explained the functional and natural trends that are reflecting the use of pet food ingredients. “The natural trend is booming, but does this also mean that the pets become healthier when they eat the natural food?”,Beynen explained.

Obese pets

Ronald Jan Corbee from Utrecht University in the Netherlands gave an interesting presentation about clinical nutrition for pets and the issues we see nowadays with obesity and diabetes in cats and dogs. “From a study we have seen that 20% of show dogs and 50% of show cats are obese. Because these are show animals, apparently this is what we consider normal and a condition level that is part of some breed traits”, Corbee explained. “It is therefore important to feed the pets according to the ideal bodyweight, not the current bodyweight”, he concluded.

Continue the event

The attendees rated the event with a 7.7 (out of 10). “We are very happy with the attendance and the quality of the speakers. Clearly, this has been reflected in the rating. We look into the possibilities to organise this even again next to VIV Asia 2017”, Niek Reichgelt from VNU exhibitions explained.