Manufacturers have begun aggressive rollouts of upscale products designed to both promote good nutrition and good taste for pets. As a result, products made with real fish and lamb instead of processed meals are all the rage.
spokeswoman for Ralston Purina Co., St. Louis, told SN.
As a result, Ralston has added a new salmon & tuna product made of real fish to its Purina O.N.E. line. Shipment of 18-ounce boxes and 3.5-, 7- and 16-pound packages is scheduled for April 20, and it will be supported with print advertising, samples and coupons.
Kal Kan Foods, the Vernon, Calif.-based division of Mars Corp., McLean, Va., is adding salmon & rice dry cat food to its Whiskas brand next month.
"This new product actually has salmon pumped into it and it is extruded dry. It has the benefit of having some of the flavor actually retained in the salmon," said Angele Thompson, cat brands product development manager.
Kal Kan is also repackaging and relaunching its Whiskas canned line in April, while the new Tender Morsels line of canned cubes is available in beef, chicken, turkey and savory bites flavors. The new seafood line has flaky chunks of fish included in the ingredients.
Star-Kist Foods, Newport, Ky., a division of Pittsburgh-based H.J. Heinz Co., is introducing three new varieties of Amore Quick Meals to complement seven existing flavors that had been marketed under the Amore Natural label.
"This is a complete reformulation of our product line, using ingredients that enhance product palatability and appearance," said Laura Young, a company spokeswoman. "We are utilizing freestanding inserts and cross-promotional coupons to support consumer promotion."
Glendale, Calif.-based Nestle, which operates Friskies PetCare Co. and Alpo recently introduced a line of Fancy Feast Filet & Pate Gourmet cat food. The canned product is available in salmon & tuna, chicken & seafood and turkey & giblets varieties. In addition to TV commercials and print advertising, more than 75,000 cans were sampled at cat shows in recent months, said Julie Thomas-Lowe, a Nestle spokeswoman.
