Discussion topics to include pet food trends, consumer engagement and improving pet health through nutrition

Register before March 31 at one.alltech.com for savings of $400

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE18), held May 20–22 in Lexington, Kentucky, will provide those in the pet industry, including pet food manufacturers, with a unique opportunity to participate in a global conversation about the innovations, challenges and solutions facing their industry. Focus sessions designed to educate and inspire will allow attendees to gather insights from leading companion animal experts and exchange ideas with peers from around the globe.

ONE18 pet topics: 

• Mega Trends and New Opportunities in Pet Food: Niche or Mainstream? 

The outlook for the pet food market is promising, with key drivers in both developed and emerging markets reshaping the industry. Preventative and proactive health measures are the most important issues to consumers. Are you taking advantage of these trends? Are you ready for the new game changers?

• Rediscovering Protein: Clean and Sustainable Alternatives

The ever-increasing demand for clean, safe and traceable food is not only impacting human consumption, but that of our pets as well. How are new meatless sources of protein turning the tables?

• Feeding the Microbiome: The Omics Have Arrived

Have we finally found ways to improve well-being by understanding how nutrients interact with pets' genes? What additives or ingredients could achieve this? Are new foods on the horizon that will improve health? Learn about developing a pet food that can support heart health, brain function, joint health and overall well-being.

• Grow and Protect Your Brand: Develop Raving Fans

Pet owners want to engage with brands, to connect with the story behind the product, and they look to the internet for that engagement. Pet food brands are facing a generation of "screen-swiping" pet owners. Learn how millennials and Generation Z are changing the industry and how you can build trust and loyalty among these new consumers.

• Improved Health and Immunity Starts in the Bowl 

Like their owners, companion animals are living longer, but are they functioning optimally in their later stages of life? Are we providing the right nutrition? Does the information on packaging provide the answers you need? By having a better understanding of how nutrition and immune defenses interact, pet owners can choose foods that support animal health more sufficiently.

• Brick and Mortar vs. Virtual Storefront: Pick Your Winner

Forty percent of pet owners buy their pet products online, up from 37 percent in 2016. So how do traditional retailers compete with other brands that have a strong online presence? Why are some companies — usually independent retailers — choosing not to market pet food online at all? Learn how the internet is reshaping the retail landscape of the pet industry.

*Topics subject to change as the schedule evolves.

ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference is the place to learn from and network with some of the brightest stars in business leadership. This year's power-packed mainstage will welcome Jack Welch, legendary former chairman and CEO of General Electric, who was named as one of the “100 Greatest Living Business Minds” by Forbes magazine in 2017; Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou, a professor at North Carolina State University whose research focuses on applications of the revolutionary CRISPR-Cas system and its use in food manufacturing; and professor Robert Wolcott of Northwestern University, a contributing writer to Forbes and the author of “Grow from Within: Mastering Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation.”

The Pearse Lyons Accelerator program returns to the conference this year and continues to be a launchpad for startup innovators. Entrepreneurs from around the world will present their revolutionary ideas in food and ag-tech. How will the next generation of technology influence your business? Find out at ONE18.

Now in its 34^th year, Alltech’s conference is attended annually by nearly 4,000 people from over 70 countries. Whether producers and business leaders are navigating a fundamental change within their industry or just need a little inspiration, they’ll learn about real-world opportunities and solutions at ONE18.

Register to attend ONE18 before March 31 at one.alltech.com for savings of $400. Join the conversation with #ONE18 on Twitter, and follow the  ONE18 Facebook event page for updates.     

Companion animals have now become an extension of the family. It should come as no surprise, then, that many pet parents would say their pet’s nutrition is just as important as their own. They pay as much attention to the ingredients in their pet food as they do to the food they put on the dinner table. 

Superfoods make it into the doggie dish

Consumers are gravitating to “superfoods” that tout beneficial effects on the human body, and they want the same for their dogs and cats. Functional foods now starring in the ingredient lists of pet food include: 

• Blueberries: Identified as a source of antioxidants, they can be found in dry dog food. 
• Carrots: Known for having beta-carotene, they can be found as a principle vegetable ingredient in pet food and can be given as a treat to dogs in their raw or cooked form. 
• Pumpkins: In the fall, when we are all inundated with pumpkin and pumpkin spice products, even pet food is not immune. Pumpkin is a good source of soluble fiber with beneficial digestive properties.

Sustainability: Supporting a positive cycle of “good” for pets and the planet

Sustainability is a concept that has become increasingly important to consumers when thinking about their own food. They want to know not only how nutritious their food is, but also what practices were used to grow the vegetables and feed the animals that are nourishing their bodies. 

This concern extends to pet food ingredients and how the grains, vegetables and fruits (and superfoods) were grown.

From this standpoint, the management practices used on the farm are very important to the concept of sustainability.

When a plant is stressed, whether from environmental factors, disease pressure or micronutrient deficiency, it lacks the necessary ingredients to attain its peak performance. This can result in subpar yield, size, flavor and texture. Growers will invariably use synthetic products to try and combat these deficiencies. 

However, a more sustainable approach will incorporate the use of products that are naturally based, with substances such as amino acids that enable micronutrients to be more readily available to plants, increasing their ability to fight stressors. The plant becomes stronger, and, by using these natural products, growers also limit residues that could be left on the fruits and vegetables that go into the pet food. 

The process is cyclical. By using sustainable practices that protect the soil, such as cover crops, crop rotation and precision agriculture, growers create a more active soil microbiome filled with beneficial microorganisms that help provide micronutrients to the plants. These micronutrients, in conjunction with natural plant biostimulant products, improve a plant’s resistance to stressors and help the plant protect itself. This in turn decreases the need for pesticides and other synthetic products that leave residues in the ground, on the field and in the food.

Plants raised on healthy soils with the micronutrients needed for plant health, supplemented with naturally based fertilizer as needed, have increased nutritional value. Meanwhile, these farming practices also improve the environmental footprint of the crop itself so you can be confident that your pets’ food is not only good for them, but for the planet, too. 

If you’ve recently added a young feline family member to your home, then you may already know that one of the best ways to give your kitten the right start to a great life is by providing proper nutrition. But with an overabundance of choices in kitten foods, you may be feeling unsure of the best selection for your new friend. Or, if you own more than one cat, you may be considering feeding them all the same food. Unless your cats are all at the same life stage, this is not recommended.

Thanks to modern research and technology, we have achieved a much better understanding of the precise needs of growing cats. Properly balanced nutrition is essential to the appropriate development of both mind and body, but unfortunately, there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to nutrition. However, there are some general guidelines that can be followed to get you and your cat on the right track.

1. Kitten nutritional needs versus adult cat needs: Kittens need more calories than the average adult cat. In fact, a kitten’s weight may double or even triple in their first few weeks of existence. A high-quality kitten food will contain higher calories to meet a young cat’s needs. Most kittens will need three to four meals per day to meet energy requirements. Kittens also require a higher level of many critical vitamins, minerals and amino acids. In addition, they need more protein than adult cats. You can read more about the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutritional guidelines for growing kittens here.

2. High-quality kitten food: Select food from a trustworthy source, preferably recommended by your veterinarian or another trusted person. These foods are made with high-quality ingredients and are generally proven to provide superior health benefits. Check the label for a statement from AAFCO. Ideally, it will also contain the phrase "complete and balanced."

3. Wet versus dry food and how much to feed: Very young kittens should be fed some canned food to supplement their diet. This is because they have small teeth and are unable to chew dry food well. As far as how much to feed, it is generally recommended to follow the pet food label guidelines based on your cat’s age. Do not overfeed.

4. How long to feed kitten food: Generally, cats are considered kittens until they reach one year of age. They should be fed a kitten formula up to this point. Still, there are exceptions to every rule; one example would be a large breed cat like the Maine Coon. They are not considered adult cats until they reach 1.5 to 2 years of age and should be fed kitten food until that time.

5. Switching food: Cats are notoriously considered extremely picky eaters. They can develop a static preference for flavors and textures, so it is recommended to offer some new food and old food in separate bowls when attempting to make a transition. Over time, smaller amounts of the old food may be offered while simultaneously offering more of the new food. It is important to remember that changes to a cat’s diet should be made gradually (five to seven days is commonly recommended) to avoid stomach upset.

It is critical to avoid overfeeding your cat. Like the human obesity crisis, pet obesity in the U.S. has reached epidemic levels. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention estimates that 59 percent of cats in the United States are overweight or obese. This is entirely in your control as a responsible owner. Even a few extra pounds can lead to chronic health issues and a shortened lifespan. Follow recommended guidelines for feeding, even for treats, and provide ample exercise opportunities to keep your cat at a healthy weight.

As much as we try to keep our pets healthy and protect them from illness, they can still get sick. Luckily, much like ours, your pet’s body has a built-in line of defense to fight pathogens that cause illness. Optimal selenium nutrition can help strengthen these defenses and enable your pet to fight its best battle against disease.

What happens when your pet is infected by a virus?

When your pet is exposed to a virus, their body launches a series of defense mechanisms that make up the immune system response. The immune system is responsible for identifying foreign intruders called pathogens that can cause disease and mounting a defense against them before they can make your pet sick. The immune system has two main components: the innate and the adaptive immune systems. The innate immune system is the first line of defense and includes barriers like skin and non-specific immune cells like macrophages, whose sole purpose is to attack at the site of infection. This general, non-specific immune response is a rapid onset, taking only a few hours.

But what happens if this isn’t enough and the virus or pathogen continues to infect? This is where the adaptive immune response kicks in. The components of this part of the immune system remain quiet until they are activated and adapt to the presence of the virus. The adaptive immune system is comprised of humoral, mediated by antibodies produced by B cells, and cell-mediated response, mediated by T cells. B cells make special proteins called antibodies that locate the virus and help the body destroy them. T cells, on the other hand, take a less direct route and form helper T cells and killer T cells. Killer T cells find and destroy viral-infected cells, while helper T cells coordinate the effort. The cells are destroyed and viral shedding to other cells is reduced.

To better help your pet during subsequent exposure, components of the adaptive immune system can produce memory cells. These cells “remember” the pathogen so when the same pathogen infects your pet again, the response is faster and stronger. The challenge with some viruses is that they mutate, causing small changes that make it so your pet’s body doesn’t recognize it as the same pathogen.

What role can organic selenium play in your pet’s health?  

Selenium is an essential trace mineral that is required in the diet of animals. Once consumed, selenium is incorporated into a family of proteins called selenoproteins. Selenoproteins are expressed in almost all tissues of the body and have vital biological roles. Selenoproteins function in hormone metabolism, redox regulation and antioxidant defenses. Selenium can be found in the diet in two primary forms: inorganic (a salt form) and organic (selenium yeasts).

You may wonder how your pet’s immune system, viruses and selenium relate. Selenium has two roles: maintaining proper function and strength of the immune system, and counteracting the oxidative damage associated with infection.

In chickens, selenium can reduce viral shedding and increase the expression of important anti-viral genes like interferons. In horses, selenium increases the expression of cytokines in immune cells. This link between selenium status and innate immune system function becomes clearer when you look at studies using selenium-deficient animals. These animals not only have higher pathogen loads, but they have reduced numbers of immune cells. The cells that are present do not function as properly as those of a normal animal. Luckily, these problems can be reversed simply by adding selenium back to the animal’s diet. At the adaptive immunity level, selenium can improve antibody production by B cells and accelerate T cell proliferation and total numbers.

Conclusion

A healthy immune system is your pet’s first line of defense against sickness and disease. If you remember when you were little, your mom might have said you have to “feed a cold.” While it might have sounded silly at the time, she wasn’t far off. Proper nutrition, especially selenium, is essential to make sure your body can fight off viral infections. The same is true for your dog or cat. No one likes when their pet gets sick, so ensuring they are eating a healthy diet containing optimal levels of selenium can help prevent this.

Sel-Plex^® is Alltech’s proprietary organic form of selenium yeast and is manufactured to mimic what is found in nature. Click here to learn more about Sel-Plex.

I want to learn more about pet nutrition.

In a recent live webinar, Dr. Kristen Brennan, research manager at Alltech, discussed how the science of nutrigenomics can be applied to pet nutrition. Click here and sign-up to view the recorded webinar and the interactive question-and-answer session.

Precise nutrition: What does it mean?

When we talk about precision nutrition, or target nutrition, we are referring to specific dog/cat foods for specific breeds, age groups or sizes of dogs/cats. We know that certain breeds might be predisposed to joint arthritis (e.g., larger dogs), and other breeds might be more sensitive to gastrointestinal issues. The idea behind precise nutrition is designing the best nutrition for an animal based on its genetics, physical build and lifestyle.

How long has nutrigenomics been around? What drove this technology to the forefront of nutrition?

Nutrigenomics has been around since the evolution of the first living thing, because nutrition has always influenced the genome. We just figured out a way to measure it. Really, the sequencing of genomes is what drove this technology forward. Once we understood what each part of the genome coded for, we could capture that information.

What advantages are there for us to use nutrigenomics studies compared to tradition nutrition studies?

The number one advantage is purely the sheer volume of information we can get. We can profile thousands of genes and their activity in one snapshot versus just a few phenotypic measures like body weight. Another benefit is that these can be relatively non-invasive. We need only small samples of tissue and that can be as simple as bloodwork.

Can we use nutrigenomics to explain why some breeds respond different to the same diets?

Down the road, that is the goal. We are starting to understand changes in the genome’s sequence (called SNPs) and their role in health. Eventually, we hope we can link those changes to how dogs or cats respond to diets. The work being done now is more “big picture.”

Gene expression: What does up- and down-regulating mean? Which is better?

By up-regulating (“turning on”) or down-regulating (“turning off”) genes, the body changes the levels of the proteins that make up structures and functions in the cells. This, in turn, alters physiological processes like energy production or immune response. Nutrigenomics is the field of research we use to study if changes in genes occur with changes in the animal’s diet.

Which is better: up-regulating or down-regulating? The answer is, it depends. For instance, if you have genes that are responsible for cancer cell progression and you see an increase (i.e., the genes turn on, or up-regulate), that is a negative thing, but if you see a decrease (i.e., the genes turn off, or down-regulate), that is a good thing. However, if you have genes that are involved in a different function, such as protein translation or energy, increases (up-regulation) are good.

What do we know about obesity and gene expression?

More than half of all cats and dogs are obese in the U.S. Nutrigenomics helps to identify the molecular markers associated with, or before, body weight gain, potentially offering an opportunity to identify targets for nutritional intervention before a problem becomes bigger, literally.

Nutrients and molecules: What is the impact on gene expression?

What we’ve seen on a molecular level is that the form of the nutrients — for example, organic trace minerals versus inorganic — is extremely influential to how an animal responds. By observing genetic expression, we can determine which form of a trace mineral will have the most beneficial effect.

Nutrients and energy: What is the real benefit of organic selenium?

We like to talk about the mitochondria being the “powerhouse” or “battery” pack of the cell. Every cell in your body has mitochondria, which provide energy. We have found that selenium plays a role in controlling the gene that essentially says, “make more mitochondria.” PGC-1 alpha is a key regulator that says to your body, “We need more capacity for energy, so let’s make more mitochondria.”

Nutrients and inflammation: Omega-3 fatty acids can have an impact

Nutrigenomics is telling us that omega-3 fatty acids can decrease the transcription genes involved in joint inflammation, opening the doors for potential nutritional therapy or alleviation of symptoms.

Nutrients and digestive health: Other applications of nutrigenomics

By using nutrigenomics, we have found that special molecules from yeast-based polysaccharides (prebiotic fibers) can increase goblet cell counts and mucin, protecting the mucous membrane and, ultimately, the intestine from chemical and physical injury.

The bottom line on nutrigenomics and pet nutrition:

• Nutrition and the environment are the two main factors that can affect the health of a pet.
• Nutrigenomics examines the nutrient-gene interactions on a genome-wide scale.
• Better understanding of nutrition is possible through nutrigenomics. If we understand the “why,” we can figure out the “how.”
• Nutrigenomics enables us to design diets to target specific concerns such as obesity and joint inflammation.

Have you recently welcomed a new four-legged family member into your home?

One of the best ways to give your puppy the right start to a long and happy life with you is by feeding it healthy, nutritious food. But with so many options (there are literally thousands of choices on the market), you may be feeling overwhelmed or simply unsure of the best selection for your pet. Or, if you own multiple dogs, you may be wondering if the answer is as simple as feeding them all the same food (it’s not).

The great news is that through extensive scientific-based research and modern technology, we have achieved greater comprehension of the specific needs of growing dogs. We understand now more than ever that properly balanced nutrition is essential to the appropriate development of both mind and body. Unfortunately, there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to nutrition since needs may vary depending on specific breeds, traits and life stages, but there are some general guidelines that can be followed to get you and your pup on the right path to spending many years together.

Nutrition for healthy, happy puppies

1. Puppy nutrition versus adult dog nutrition: Puppies mature rapidly and have twice the daily nutritional requirements of adult dogs. Their muscles, joints, bones, internal organs and immune system are just a few of the major components that are developing in their first one to two years of life. Therefore, they require a high-fat/high-energy, 30 percent protein diet with increased levels of many essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids. A complete and balanced puppy food will contain specific nutrients tailored to meet these critical needs. Your puppy should be fed three times per day until it reaches 6 months of age. You can then reduce meals to twice daily. You can read more about the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) recommendations for growing puppies here.

     a. Large breed puppies have unique needs: Owners of large breed puppies should take additional heed when selecting food because orthopedic diseases can arise if appropriate nutrition is not applied. Large breed dogs that grow too fast can suffer from hip dysplasia, knee problems or other comparable concerns. It is imperative that a large breed puppy formula is fed, which should contain a lower fat content and reduced caloric density than food intended for small to medium breed dogs.

2. High-quality puppy food: Choose food based on high-quality ingredients, backed by proven research, that meets or exceeds AAFCO and National Research Council guidelines. Your veterinarian, breeder or trainer may also be able to guide you in the right direction.

3. Moist, semi-moist or dry food and how much to feed: Dry food is generally considered to be the best option because it contains more meat protein, is more efficient, is easily digested and is better at keeping teeth clean. Regarding how much to feed, it is generally recommended to follow the label guidelines based on your dog’s age. Do not overfeed.

4. How long to feed puppy food: Generally, dogs are considered puppies until they reach their anticipated adult size. Most dogs are about a year old and at 80 percent of their expected size when the transition is made from puppy to adult food. Speak with your veterinarian if you are unsure of when to make the change.

5. Switching food: Luckily, dogs are generally not considered very picky eaters. Transitioning from an old food to a new food should be a fairly straightforward experience but should be done gradually to avoid digestive upset. Mix small amounts of the new food in with the old food, gradually increasing the new and decreasing the old over the course of at least seven days.

Last, but certainly not least, it is critical to avoid overfeeding your pet. Like the human obesity crisis, pet obesity in the U.S. has reached epidemic levels. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention estimates that 54 percent of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese. This is entirely in your control as a responsible owner. Even a few extra pounds can lead to chronic health issues and a shortened lifespan. Follow recommended guidelines for feeding, even for treats, and provide ample exercise to keep your pet (and possibly you, too) at a healthy weight level.