Origin
In 1860, there was an American electrician named James Spratt who was running a market in England and selling lightning rods. He carried a bag of lightning rods and traveled thousands of miles to England to promote them on the streets, trying to open up his lightning rod market kingdom. At this time, he saw his unfinished cookies on a ship being eaten by dogs one by one, and the dogs loved to eat them. He had a sudden inspiration, so he quickly brought flour, vegetables, meat and water, and mixed them together. Thus, the world's first pet food specifically designed for pet dogs was grandly launched. Although the production equipment at that time was rudimentary and the production process was rudimentary, it did not prevent him from ultimately becoming the glorious title of "father of pet food".
Development in the United States
After 62 years, in 1922 of the 20th century, in James Spratt's homeland of the United States, a large number of industrialized canned pet food products went viral. In 1957, the world's first puffed dog food bag was introduced, and since then, pet food produced through puffing technology has occupied the main position of pet food due to its absolute advantages of comprehensive and balanced nutrition, convenient feeding, and time saving. Thirty years later, in 1987, the amount of dog food sold in supermarkets alone in the United States reached $2.7 billion, with a sales volume of 2.64 million tons.
Pet Food and Pet Economy
The mid to late 20th century was a period of rapid development of pet food in the United States and even throughout Europe. At the end of the last century and the beginning of this century, the pet food and pet related industry had already completed its initial stage of development in the United States and Europe. To illustrate with the following data, it seems clearer that in 2001, pets created $27.6 billion in consumption for the US economy, and the annual income from the pet insurance industry alone reached $4 billion; In Sweden, 57% of dog owners purchase pet insurance for their dogs. The insurance mentioned here does not include mandatory insurance like "compulsory insurance" and is entirely voluntary for pet enthusiasts to purchase; 17% of Germany's annual national income comes from pet food and related industries; In Australia, the pet food and related industry has over 30000 employees, creating 6% of the country's gross domestic product.
Development in China
The 20th century was a period of rapid development in pet food products and industries in Western countries, but China's work in this area was basically in a state of passive resistance and complete inaction. In the last century, the concept of dogs was basically stuck in the "watchdog" stage, fully responsible for safeguarding the country's border security work. The food given to dogs is only for the purpose of maintaining life and achieving a simple standard of not dying. The food content is diverse and uneven, and often in a state of hunger and semi hunger, with hunger occurring from one meal to another. Whoever eats specially designed food for dogs is not only unheard of, but also a laughingstock for others in their spare time. In fact, this is one of the manifestations of social backwardness and low level of civilization. With the continuous development of social civilization, there is an increasing emphasis on a harmonious society, which also includes harmony between humans and the environment, humans and animals. This is the awkward situation of pet food and related industries in China in the mid to late 20th century.
At the end of the last century, specifically the 1990s, with the deepening of reform and opening up, the living standards of the people gradually improved, and there was a higher level of pursuit for spiritual life. The concept of pets quietly emerged in China, giving the pet food and related industries a embryonic form. In addition, foreign pet food companies have targeted this untapped virgin land, and international brand enterprises have successively established factories in China, entering our sight through different channels, which has triggered a new concept of pet food in China. Although foreign companies have a mentality of seizing profits, objectively they have indeed cultivated and enlightened the growth and development of pet food in China.
Entering the 21st century, the constantly deepening internationalization process has freed us from the backward situation of exclusion and unfamiliarity with pet food and the pet industry. Rapidly growing at a growth rate of up to 30% to 50% annually. According to statistics, when a country's per capita GDP is between 3000-8000 US dollars, the pet food and related industries will develop rapidly. Currently, many cities in China have reached this level. The pet industry in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou is already quite developed. Taking Beijing as an example, the per capita GDP of Beijing reached 3000 US dollars for the first time in 2001. In 2008, the per capita GDP of Beijing exceeded 9000 US dollars, and the national per capita GDP reached a historic high of 3381 US dollars.
Driven by strong economic growth, the domestic pet food and related industry market has also experienced unprecedented prosperity.
Although China's pet food and related industries have experienced rapid development, in reality, the pet food industry is still more dominated by exports, and there is a serious blind worship of foreign things in the domestic pet food demand market. Believing in foreign brands like following the trend, in fact, today, too many foreign brand pet foods have achieved packaging and OEM processing in China, and there are fewer and fewer pure foreign pet foods. Many domestic pet food companies, objectively speaking, although some have relatively backward equipment and hygiene standards, the vast majority are very formal and strictly follow the AAFCO standards for pet food. From product formula design to raw material selection, processing technology is no less than some foreign brands.