Dear reader, 

During the past challenging months for all us, one thing that isn’t changing is our commitment as pet food manufacturers to making safe, nutritious pet foods that help dogs and cats live long, healthy lives.

As we move into the next phase of a COVID-19 world, we will continue to share industry learnings and best practice from around the globe, as well as scientific knowledge to help pet food manufacturers continue to produce safe pet food that provides cats or dogs with their nutritional needs.

Adoption and fostering of animals, pet-friendly offices, pet-friendly housing, outdoor restaurants and other pet-friendly public spaces are only some of the examples of trends that await the pet food industry after the pandemic as people look for ways to enjoy more quality time with their pets.

In this newsletter you will find highlights from key GAPFA external activities from the past few months.

2021 GAPFA TECHNICAL CONGRESS AND AGM

GAPFA hosted its annual 2021 GAPFA Technical Congress and General Assembly meeting virtually on 15^th and 16^th June.
On 15^th June, nearly 40 GAPFA members from all over the world joined the discussions of the first virtual GAPFA Technical Congress. They were presented with an overview of the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) animal welfare strategy made by Dr Leopoldo Stuardo from the OIE, including highlights about activities to support the implementation of the strategy and of the animal welfare standards and policies.  In addition, the participants welcomed Mr Steven Feldman from HABRI (Human Animal Bond Research Institute), who provided insights about recent HABRI projects and highlighted the importance to continue feeding the human-animal bond for a successful future as part of the HABRI-GAPFA partnership. Finally, Dr Siraya Chunekamrai, WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) President, provided an overview of the association, the current projects and initiatives and explored possibilities for collaboration.
As part of the items adopted at the GAPFA Annual General Meeting of 16^th June, the following GAPFA Officers were re-elected by the GAPFA General Assembly to serve another term until the next elections in 2022: Robert Kaczmarek (Mars Petcare) as GAPFA President, Carlos Gonzalez (PFAC) as GAPFA Vice-President for Member Associations, and Michelle Lang (Nestlé Purina PetCare) as GAPFA Vice-President for Member Companies.

2022 GAPFA TECHNICAL CONGRESS AND AGM

Open to GAPFA members and invited guests, the GAPFA Technical Congress and AGM 2022 will be held from 20^th June to 22^nd June, kindly hosted by FEDIAF in Brussels, Belgium, as part of FEDIAF’s 50^th anniversary celebrations.

GAPFA PARTNERSHIP WITH WSAVA 

In July, GAPFA announced new partnership with the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) to collaborate on advancing common priorities and topics related to pet wellness, nutrition, and clinical care of companion animals.

“With the common purpose of being advocates for the health and well-being of companion animals around the world, we are excited to partner with WSAVA the voice of the global small animal veterinary profession,” says Robert Kaczmarek, President of GAPFA. “Veterinary care and pet nutrition go hand-in-hand, and we welcome the opportunity to help promote the well-being of pets who provide companionship and benefits through the human-animal bond, as recently demonstrated during the pandemic. We have the opportunity to make a real change for both pets and the people who love them through this partnership.”

To read the full press release announcement, please click here.

You may also find more information about GAPFA Partners in the new dedicated section created on the GAPFA website and available here.

GAPFA MEDIA COVERAGE

GAPFA SPECIAL STORY IN FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE 

GAPFA is pleased to be part of the July issue of Feed & Additive magazine with a special story with our thoughts as worldwide alliance regarding COVID-19 impact on the global pet food market.

GAPFA anticipates that the pet food industry will continue to show its resilience and remain one of the fast growing consumer goods categories globally.
To read the full GAPFA article in Feed & Additive magazine, please click here.

NEW GAPFA FACTSHEET 'THE SCIENCE OF PET FOOD: ROLE OF CARBOHYDRATE'

Carbohydrates are one of the three categories of macronutrients (along with proteins and fats) in the diet of animals. GAPFA members created a new factsheet called ‘The Science of pet food: Role of Carbohydrate’ to highlight the main purpose of digestible carbohydrates in pet foods and their benefits to cats and dogs.

Although not an essential nutrient, digestible carbohydrates is very beneficial to both cats and dogs as it provides a source of energy and glucose, which allows for the formulation of moderate fat diets and low-calorie diets to manage weight problems. It also helps to spare the use of animal protein, which is a limited resource in pet nutrition.  

This factsheet is the first one from a series of three factsheets ‘The Science of Pet Food’ with the other two dedicated on protein and fat (coming soon).

Please find here the new GAPFA factsheet on Carbohydrate.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE GAPFA NEWSLETTER OF JULY 2021