Interview with Doug Martin of Treat Planet
Doug Martin of Treat Planet’s Etta Says talked with Pet Insight about the company’s intent focus on promoting pets’ health and offering treats which are nutritious and made with quality ingredietns.
How is Etta Says! addressing consumers’ demands for cleaner, healthier dog treats?
Etta Says is extremely focused on the health of pet treats. As consumers’ bonds strengthen with their dogs, the level of utilizing treats continues to increase. With this increase in the consumption of treats, the quality and nutritional demands of treats becomes more important. Therefore, we are constantly reviewing every ingredient we use in our treats and making sure it is sourced in the US, is an all natural ingredient and the healthiest choice we can find.
How does your company determine which ingredients to use?
We put all ingredients through a selection process to make sure each ingredient is the best choice for healthy pets. We focus on natural ingredients that are sourced in the US. We consistently review all choices of ingredients to accomplish specific goals in our treats and ask whether the ingredient is the best selection for health. This requires constant research on the state of the US ingredient market and consultation with nutritional experts.
What have been effective methods retailers have used to educate consumers about treat safety and how your company is ensuring treats are safe for pets?
One of the simplest communications that retailers use is highlighting all US made treats. These are instantly viewed as safer and better treats. We commonly include US flags to place on all merchandising displays we provide to retailers. Educating our retail partners is the next step so they can better address customer questions. Treat Planet is actually the first treat manufacturer to launch an interactive iPad/iphone app available to retailers and consumers from the itunes store. This app allows anyone to have instant answers to any questions on our treats.
How does Etta Says! strengthen trust amongst retailers and consumers when it comes to ensuring your treats are safe?
Etta Says sets a standard of 100 percent all US ingredients, processing and products. We further complement that standard with the best education in the industry on our products with tools such as our Apple itunes app.