Petco Appeals to 'Pet Parents' With All-Natural Pet Food Initiatives
*By Carlo Versano*
Petco will phase out dog and cat food containing artificial ingredients and preservatives entirely by May 2019, the company announced Tuesday.
Petco CEO Ron Coughlin told Cheddar Tuesday that the decision to move to a wholly natural-ingredient line was part of a corporate strategy to become a full-service "partner to pet parents." It also reflects broader consumer trends toward healthier, organic foods ー that now includes the diets of their pets.
"All the trends that happened in farm-to-table are happening in pet food," Coughlin said. Some Petco stores will even start piloting "human-grade" food cooked in-store ー made-to-order meals for dogs.
Coughlin admitted that revenues at the privately-owned Petco could get dinged in the short run as it terminates relationships with suppliers who won't follow it to the "nutrition high ground." It's also facing headwinds from tariffs that are forcing the company to rethink aspects of its supply chain, he said.
For all the health consciousness, the move to go all-natural is very much a way for Petco to Amazon-proof ($AMZN) its business model. Coughlin said some stores will soon have on-site veterinarians, along with its roster of groomers, to create what Coughlin called "360 degree care for pets" and a one-stop shop for pet owners.
"We want to make sure we're doing the right thing for pets," he said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/petco-ceo-were-banning-artificial-ingredients).
Ahead of the Meta shareholder meeting, more than five hundred doctors have jointly sent a letter to investors to hold the Facebook parent accountable for the risks its platforms have posed to the public and mental health. Dr. Rob Davidson, a West Michigan ER physician and executive director of the Committee to Protect Health Care, joined Cheddar News to discuss how medical professionals are coming together to highlight the social media giant's spread of misinformation, especially during the pandemic. "We've seen the direct impacts of misinformation and disinformation that spreads like wildfire on the social media platforms," he said. "Our goal with this letter is to try to get the shareholders of Meta to convince leadership that they need to do a better job."
Snap downgraded its earnings and revenue expectations for the second quarter, saying the "macroeconomic environment" has deteriorated faster than the company anticipated. The warning sent shockwaves through the digital ad industry, dragging down a handful of other tech stocks, including Pinterest, Meta, and Twitter. Daniel Cobb, CEO and Chief Strategy Officer of Daniel Brian Advertising, joined Cheddar to discuss the reason behind this warning, and why it's bringing so many social media stocks down.
Pamela Rucker, CIO Advisor and Instructor for Harvard Professional Development, joins Cheddar to discuss how perceptions of Environmental, Social, and Governance–or ESG–changed over the past couple of years, and how using machine learning and artificial intelligence could pave the way to a more sustainable future.
Bob Lockett, Chief Diversity & Talent Officer, ADP, joins Cheddar to break down why offering more flexibility at work is a top way to retain talent at work, and how strong DEI policies help encourage employee loyalty.
