Low calorie petfood takes off

According to data from Japanese veterinary hospitals 20
to 30% of the dogs they examined were overweight, because many dog owners give
their animals snacks and food between meals. A survey conducted by the Japan Pet Food Manufacturers Association

last year showed that 61.9% of the dog owners
keep their dogs indoors all the time. This, combined with surplus of food,
has boosted the prevalence of obesities. Many petfood companies are therefore
developing pet food which is low in calorie and fats.

Last November,
Japanese company Kao started marketing a pet food it says keeps dogs from
getting fat. The company said low-calorie oil is used to make the chow, which is
priced at 1,554 yen per kg (€10/kg), or about three times the cost for
regular dog food. Pet Care Corp. is selling dog food that contains about 20%
less fat and about 10% less calories than its conventional dog food. The
firm said sales have been growing about 10% a year. Lion Trading Co.
began marketing an improved “zero fat snack” in January and reported that sales have
been rising more than 10% since last year. It said the snack
includes ingredients necessary to burn fats in the body as energy.