Nestl� and the Fat Cats — and Dogs

By John Revill

Forget about corporate fat cats: a new scheme launched by food giant Nestl?is targeting real overweight pets, which could also help their chubby owners battling their own expanding waistlines.

The world?s largest food company has launched a new weight-loss program to help pet owners and their cats, dogs and other household animals get back into shape.

Project: Pet Slimdown is an online resource created by the company?s Purina pet food brand and Jenny Craig weight loss business in the U.S., offering free weight-loss advice and exercise tips for animal and humans.

Exercise ideas, walks and support from fellow dieting animals are all part of the package, which encourages pet owners to work with their vet to design a diet and exercise weight-loss program.

?The obesity epidemic is not limited to people. Two thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese, and more than half of all pets in the country are also battling the bulge,” said Lisa Talamini, vice president of research and program innovation at Jenny Craig, in a statement.

(The fat-dog phenomenon is large enough so that Pfizer offers a weight-loss drug for dogs, Slentrol.)

One dachshund highlighted by Nestl?, for instance, was so overweight his stomach almost touched the ground. Weighing in at 15.6 pounds, he was able to reach 12.2 pounds after three months on the diet program, before eventually reaching his ideal body weight of 10 pounds.

The program offers links to the Jenny Craig business, with the aim of boosting sales of its products to humans too.

“Pets are loyal, non-judgmental, and supportive,” said Grace Long, a veterinarian for Nestl? Purina in the U.S., in the press statement. “They are the ideal weight-loss partners.?

As well as helping animals to get healthier, there is of course a business case.

According to the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention, around 32% of the 86 million cats in the U.S. are overweight and 35% of the 78 million dogs also have weight problems.

Canine overweight-management diets make up around a quarter of Nestl?s U.S. dog food sales, which amounted to $512 million in 2010. Around 17% of Nestl?s $317 million cat food sales are generated by people keen to put their cats on diets, according to research by market research company Audits & Surveys.

With the growth in pet food sales, it was perhaps inevitable that some of the trends from human food marketing would spill over into the animal kingdom.

Of course, the pets don?t usually make the choice of which food to buy. That’s on their owners, and Nestle is hoping to convince them with its healthy arguments.

If successful, analysts reckon the pet initiative could also boost sales of Nestl?s diet products aimed at people, as well as tie them to the Purina brand, part of Nestl?s Petcare business which reported sales of 7.08 billion Swiss francs (about $7.42 billion at current exchange rates)? in the first nine months of 2011. It may also increase sales at Jenny Craig.

So when it comes to dieting, a dog might still be a man?s best friend. It might also help Nestl? expand its own bottom line.

(This post originally appeared on the WSJ’s The Source blog.)

Image: iStockphoto