"Not cheap goods any longer"

The focus was on treats and toys, but chew products and treats are developing more and more strongly; preferably made from fresh meat, or a combination of fresh meat and rawhide in all conceivable shapes and sizes, with or without added benefits derived from additives with a positive effect. 

Previously Chinese exhibitors were on the look-out mostly for bigger importers, well established distributors and manufacturers who wanted to complement their own-label range with specific bought-in products. On the whole these were customers who wanted to market the products in their own packaging and under their own brand. Now, however, interest has shifted to franchise companies and buying cooperatives, which want to buy the latest products in the trend without a long preparation time and at short notice from Chinese manufacturers, even under their brands. With regard to treats and chews in particular, trends have emerged to which one must react quickly. 

During a three-week inspection visit to Chinese manufacturing plants for pet food, chews and treats, I was surprised and impressed on a daily basis by the high quality and hygiene standards and the superb technical equipment possessed by the larger companies, and so I would have wondered at any other outcome.  The manufacturing technology and hygiene could only lead to good results. The aspect of raw material quality was somewhat more interesting, because I had to rely on a description of the raw material sources, but the tests did not reveal any rogue suppliers

I wasn't able to confirm their provenance with my own eyes, but it was stated that the meat and hides all came from herds raised far from the industrial regions in thinly populated areas. The results obtained evidently confirm this.