General News www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009 19 For more information: www. tetra. net More people keep goldfi sh than any other type of fi sh, but their needs are very different to other customers. Because they tend to be less involved, they need simplicity, ease of use, and highly effective products. It is for these reasons TetraFin has been relaunched as Tetra Goldfi sh. With clear labelling, the features and benefi ts of Tetra Goldfi sh couldn't be clearer for the consumer, and ease of recognition for repeat purchases is increased. Tetra Goldfi sh comes with the highest quality guaranteed. Also, Tetra Goldfi sh foods and care products now benefi t from improved formulas for cleaner, clearer water and healthier fi sh. Tetra is supporting the relaunch in- store with a range of attention grabbing Point- of- Sale to promote the complete Tetra Goldfi sh range of products and help you increase sales and profi ts. For more information call your Tetra sales representative or 02380 60 60 70. TetraFin is now Tetra

General News 2 0 PET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com Labelling of pet food - legislation fi nally updated after 30 years PFMA welcomes the publication on 1 September of the new Regulation on the Marketing and Use of Feed ( Regulation ( EC) No 767/ 2009). The new Regulation will harmonise labelling of pet food in all the 27 EU member states even further than under current legislation, which dates back as far as 1979. Feed business will have until 1 September 2010 to adjust their labels in line with the requirements of the new Regulation. The PFMA Chief Executive, Michael Bellingham, said " We recognised the need for an overhaul in the existing legislation and have worked hard for the last 5 years to ensure that there were in place new rules refl ecting the needs not only of industry, but also the requirements of our customers. For that reason, we commissioned independent market research into consumer attitudes to labelling which we shared openly with the European Commission, and which infl uenced their thinking. Meanwhile our members were fully engaged in the process, through our committee structure and internal communications, as were other stakeholders. These new rules will have an impact on how cat and dog, plus from now on other small animal food, is manufactured and marketed. This is not only with regard to the legal requirements but, perhaps more importantly, in respect to clarity in making and substantiating claims." What will change for the consumer? In principle the new Regulation includes the same provisions as current legislation. There will still be the need for a product name and the statutory declaration, which has to be clearly legible and in an indelible manner. However, the way the ingredients will be declared has been updated. The new Regulation sees the introduction of headings such as, ' Composition', ' Additives' and ' Analytical Constituents' which should improve readability for the consumer. In addition labelling terms that have lead to confusion in the past ( ash) can now be replaced by other terms. The consumer will also fi nd additional information on the additives that have been used in the pet food product. The new regulation provides that there should be easy ways for consumer to get in contact with manufacturers ( for example, telephone number, websites, email addresses, etc). What will change for the manufacturer? Manufacturers will be required to change the labels by 1 September 2010. This will not only mean changes to the wording on the products, but consideration about the presentation of vital information ( e. g. analytical constituents) on the packaging. Mr Bellingham states " Frankly a year is not nearly enough time to make these important changes. All of our members will be severely affected, having to dispose of any out dated labels and then re- originating all their labels within that very short time scale. Pressure on the limited number of European printers will be immense, compounded by the fact that new rules for food labelling are being agreed at the same time. We estimate that the additional cost to the SMEs alone in the UK would be £ 10.5m in the fi rst year." Guidelines The new Regulation provides for feed manufacturers to develop a Community code of good labelling practice and we are in the process, in conjunction with our European sister organisation FEDIAF, of fi nalising a Guide to Good Practice for Communication on Pet Food. This will go much further than the basic requirements of the regulation. This requires broad stakeholder consultation and, ultimately, approval by the EU, and will be made publically available. ¦ CIRCULATING OVER 12,000 COPIES A MONTH To retailers, manufacturers, vets, kennels and catteries, garden centres, equine and aquatic related outlets and pet related organisations throughout the UK and the rest of the world Pet Trade World really does Lead the Way!