Consumption in the Pet Food IndustryFacts and FiguresPet ownership has increased in the United States in recent years, with approximately 68% of households owning at least one pet in 2013. The growing popularity of pet ownership has led to an increase in demand and consumption of pet food. Currently, there are 300 pet food manufacturers in the United States that produce more than 7 million tons of pet food each year, providing consumers with more than 3,000 pet food product options. company. The humanization of pets in the United States is also a growing trend, forcing people to spend more and more of their disposable income on products for their pets. It is predicted that pet owners will spend approximately $23 billion on pet food alone in 2014. Opportunities for ImprovementThe Pet Food industry has the opportunity to become more socially sustainable by changing product packaging so that portion size becomes a more important consideration. One of the current consumer issues is that, "often based on consumer demand rather than nutritional requirements, many commercial pet foods are formulated to provide nutrients in excess of current minimum recommendations." which can lead to overconsumption and/or obesity among consumers. pets. The simplest solution would be to reformulate pet foods to reflect proper nutritional needs. However, if consumer demand is for additional nutrients, another solution would be to look to packaging to make a direct effort to display appropriate serving sizes for pets of different sizes.Government Support (U.S.) Positive AttributesIn October 2013, the FDA, under the Food Safety Modernization Act proposed a rule that would require pet food manufacturers to write a formal plan and develop...... options for 'packaging in the middle of paper......, and has implemented certain process and operational improvements to achieve greater efficiency. However, much remains to be done to promote the development of industrial ecology in industry. The most achievable improvements that can be made in the near future include incorporating an easily recyclable paper bag option for dry food packaging, investing in energy-efficient equipment, and upgrading existing manufacturing facilities to reduce energy consumption. On a larger scale, another improvement that would prove beneficial in many areas of the production process would be to have more standardized regulations in terms of nutrient labeling, ingredients, quality and safety. If any or all of these changes were implemented, the pet food industry would make significant progress toward greater sustainability and industrial ecology principles..