BENTONVILLE, Ark., Aug. 14, 2012 – Dog owners now have another way to save money at Walmart, so their companions can live better. Available exclusively in more than 2,900 Walmart stores, Pure Balance is the retailer’s first ultra premium dry dog food which includes no soy, wheat or corn additives, no artificial colors, no preservatives and no chicken by-products. Pure Balance’s first and primary ingredient is
either real lamb meat or poultry, and contains a blend of omega 6 and 3 fatty acids good for a healthy coat and skin. Additionally, the product supports vision health, as well as heart health and immunity. “Walmart customers, including me, consider our dogs family members so when it comes to their food we want the very best for them,” said Jody Pinson, vice president of pets at Walmart. “Our customers told us they wanted to be able to feed their dogs a dry food made with pure
ingredients without having to make a special trip to the pet store. We listened and are excited to offer Pure Balance, an ultra premium dog food, at a price our customers can afford.” Walmart’s new Pure Balance brand dog food offers key benefits found in top pet specialty brands, and is already gaining notice from veterinarians who understand the benefits of a high-quality dry food. “As a veterinarian, I am repeatedly asked to recommend diets for peoples’
pets, and I see a lot of benefits in switching to Pure Balance,” said Dr. Chip Lang, a veterinarian at the Cochranton Veterinary Hospital in Pennsylvania. “Pure Balance is formulated to contain a simple and well-balanced base of quality nutrients, while avoiding unnecessary additives. The combination of these benefits means that the diet could be recommended for healthy animals and pets with skin, intestinal or other allergies.”
Pure Balance rounds out Walmart’s broad assortment of pet food available at everyday low prices.
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About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 10,300 retail units under 69 different banners in 27 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate
philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting //walmartstores.com, and on Facebook at //facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at //twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are
available at //www.walmart.com and //www.samsclub.com.
FACT SHEET
Walmart Stats
- Walmart sells enough dog food each year to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool 2,050 times.
- Walmart sells enough dog food to match the weight of an African elephant more than 27 times each hour.
- Walmart will sell enough dog food to outweigh The Great Pyramid of Egypt in less than three years.
Growing Market
- Consumers will spend $53 billion on pet products in 2012, nearly $21 billion on pet food alone. (Source: American Pet Products Association March 2012 Study)
- All dry dog food sales have increased 81 percent from nearly $4.3 billion in 2001 to nearly $7.7 billion in 2011. (Source: Nielsen Consumer Facts 2001, 2011)
- Ultra premium is the fastest growing segment of the dry dog food market, growing 8.5 percent in 2011 to nearly $3.5 billion. By comparison, the “value” category grew 6.8 percent, “premium” grew 3.1 percent and “super premium” decreased by 4.9 percent. (Source: GfK US Pet Shops and Nielsen Scantrack & Homescan 2011.)
Product Specifics
- Chicken & Brown Rice
- First ingredient is real chicken
- No corn, wheat or soy
- No fillers, artificial flavors or preservatives
- Supports vision health
- Supports heart health and immunity
- Bag sizes available and retail price:
- 5 lb ($6.78)
- 15 lb ($16.60)
- 30 lb ($31.88)
- Lamb & Brown
Rice
- First ingredient is real lamb
- No corn, wheat or soy
- No fillers, artificial flavors or preservatives
- Supports vision health
- Supports heart health and immunity
- Bag sizes available and retail price:
- 5 lb ($8.47)
- 15 lb ($21.47)
- 30 lb ($39.88)
At the beginning of the New Year we are expanding our pure sensitive range. The new pure sensitive Insect protein is a feed based on insect protein and provides a promising alternative solution for dogs with sensitive nutrition against the background of a species-appropriate, healthy and above all sustainable feed. The new variety is distinguished by a particularly high level of compatibility and the use of resource-friendly raw materials. For the production we use the larvae of black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens).
Owners of dogs suffering from a feed allergy have often had a long and desperate search for a feed that the animal tolerates and does not cause any symptoms. The pure sensitive product range includes a holistic nutritional concept specifically for these feeds-sensitive dogs. The expansion of the range with an insect-protein based feed now enables an even better tolerance.
A feed allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to proteins in food. It can only occur if the immune system already had contact with the relevant protein. Since insects are very rarely used as a source of protein in feed, the risk of an allergic reaction is extremely low.
However, high tolerance is not the only positive property of insect protein; insects are also a more sustainable source of protein in terms of nature. The production of insect protein requires significantly less space and water than conventional protein sources used in feed, while at the same time breeding does not release the greenhouse gas methane. Insects are also extremely efficient in obtaining nutrients: One tonne of insects can convert 4.5 tonnes of organic waste into high-quality nutrients.
Just like the other recipes of the feed line, pure sensitive Insect protein also builds on the principle of the Limited Ingredient Diet (LID). Only those ingredients that are necessary for a dog´s diet are used. We only combine one animal source of protein with one source of carbohydrate, which reduced the risk of allergies and intolerances. For sources of carbohydrate, our pure sensitive recipes are based exclusively on rice or potatoes, which are particularly easy to digest and do not use wheat, corn or barley. The MERA pure sensitive line is also free from colourings, flavourings and preservatives.
The new MERA pure sensitive Insect protein is now available in practical 1 kg, 4kg and 12.5 kg packs
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