Reading guide:"Cat litter contains formaldehyde exceeding the standard"This topic has recently aroused widespread attention on the Internet,Caused by the concerns of many pet owners,With the continuous fermentation of this hot spot,The discussion on the safety of cat litter has also become the focus of the industry and beyond。
On September 10, the 28th China International Pet Aquarium Exhibition (CIPS 2024) officially opened in Area B of the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou ·.
As a foreign trade pet exhibition, CIPS has many pet snacks, pet supplies and smart products exhibitors, including cat litter exhibitors.
Xiaobian visited a number of tofu cat litter manufacturers at the exhibition with the hot issue of "formaldehyde cat litter", and had in-depth exchanges with them on this incident, listening to their views and responses on the safety of cat litter products.
The beginning and end of the "formaldehyde cat litter" incident
As early as 2021, the problem of "formaldehyde cat litter" has begun to emerge. At that time, some consumers detected formaldehyde in the purchased tofu cat litter through their self-purchased formaldehyde detectors, but due to the low attention, the incident did not cause widespread discussion, and the brand and consumers reacted indifferently. However, with the gradual increase in pet health awareness, the "formaldehyde cat litter" incident has been pushed to the forefront again in the near future, causing widespread public opinion.
Image source network
Since August, the "formaldehyde cat litter" incident has once again attracted attention, this incident has affected many plant cat litter brands, making them fall into the whirlpool of public opinion, and even some mineral sands companies that have nothing to do with plant cat litter have also been affected, so that many mineral sand brands have posted authoritative test reports, publicly stating that the product does not contain formaldehyde, in order to appease the anxiety of consumers. According to the official information queried by the editor, such as Ruimengdi, Meow Da Da, Zaissan, Honeycare Good Life Home, Maidu Pet Doctor, Magic Core, Mei Pet Shi, It Ling, Lidou, Meow Cai, Muxi, Dust-free Cat and other brands.
At the same time, many pet KOLs also quickly followed up with the report, not only sending samples of a variety of plant cat litter purchased by themselves to the testing agency, but also sharing the test results through videos and social media, which attracted a lot of attention.
Some of the cat litter samples submitted for testing were indeed detected to contain trace amounts of formaldehyde, a result that exacerbated consumer concerns about the safety of cat litter products. Pet KOLs have also popularized the sources and potential risks of formaldehyde through in-depth analysis of test reports, and called on manufacturers to increase product testing and quality control.
Inferior glue with raw materials
The truth about "formaldehyde cat litter".
In order to understand the problem of "formaldehyde cat litter", Xiaobian visited a number of cat litter exhibitors at the CIPS exhibition, including Jingzhou Aipet, Xuzhou Shuzheng, Meisen Pet, Haitian Mining, MRC, Nord Pet, Haisen Pet, etc. After in-depth exchanges with these companies and summarizing their views on the problem of "cat litter contains formaldehyde", Xiaobian found that there are two main reasons why cat litter may contain formaldehyde.
The first is the issue of raw materials. The main raw materials of plant cat litter include okara, cassava, coconut shell, coffee, etc., and these natural plants do not release formaldehyde by themselves. However, if impurities containing formaldehyde such as waste synthetic boards and waste furniture materials are added in the production process, formaldehyde may be generated. Regular manufacturers will strictly screen raw materials and eliminate the use of any materials with formaldehyde risks, but some unscrupulous merchants may choose non-compliant raw materials in order to reduce costs.
The second is the problem of the adhesive used in the plant cat litter, which is perhaps the most mentioned opinion of exhibitors on "formaldehyde cat litter". The cylindrical granules of plant cat litter cannot be formed by the stickiness of the plant alone, and additional binders are required to hold the shape. After the visit, most of the companies said that they use guar gum, which is a natural plant-derived adhesive widely used in the food industry and is recognized as safe and non-toxic and formaldehyde-free. However, some low-cost products may use low-quality adhesives, such as industrial glues or chemical glues containing formaldehyde, which may also be one of the reasons for the presence of formaldehyde.
It is worth noting that most formal enterprises have strictly controlled the selection of raw materials and adhesives to ensure the safety of cat litter. Through the visit of the editor, it can be seen that the vast majority of companies in the industry are still committed to providing safe and healthy cat litter products, and even some booths have posted test reports for the audience to consult.
It is worth noting that although there is no national regulation on the formaldehyde content of cat litter in China, in 2021, the Pet Working Committee announced the group standard of "Tofu Cat Litter Specification", and specified in detail that the formaldehyde content of tofu cat litter should be ≤ 1.5mg/kg;
The Shandong Pet Industry Association announced the "General Technical Specifications for Pet Cat Litter", pointing out that the formaldehyde content should be ≤ 150mg/kg.
Tofu cat litter goes to sea
Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States certification needs to be passed
As a foreign trade pet exhibition, CIPS has attracted many enterprises with the goal of developing overseas markets, especially in the field of plant cat litter, and this kind of products are expected to become a new growth point for pet companies to go overseas. Through Xiaobian's visit, it was found that Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia have become the preferred markets for plant cat litter companies to enter overseas, which is closely related to the local market demand.
The Japanese and South Korean markets have particular potential, and the development of the pet industry in the two countries is similar to that in China, but there is a lack of bentonite mineral resources, so the convenient and environmentally friendly plant cat litter is more suitable for the use habits of pet owners in Japan and South Korea. In addition, Japanese and Korean consumers attach great importance to the environmental protection and safety of products, which is also highly consistent with the characteristics of non-toxic, harmless and easy handling of plant cat litter.
The Southeast Asian market is showing a rapid growth trend. In countries represented by Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, the quality and spending power of pet owners are constantly improving, and pet owners are gradually leaning towards more convenient and environmentally friendly choices when choosing cat litter. Compared to traditional mineral sands and crystal cat litter, the tofu cat litter in vegetable cat litter has significantly increased in popularity in these markets, becoming the preferred product for local pet owners.
At the exhibition site, Xiaobian also noticed that a number of cat litter brands displayed their compliance with international standards and certifications at the booth. Through communication with exhibitors, it is known that cat litter products exported to Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States need to pass a series of strict certifications, such as EPA registration, CARB certification, REACH certification, CE certification, BSCI certification, MFDS certification, KC certification, PSE certification and even EU toy safety standards, etc., which make corresponding provisions for cat litter products to meet the safety requirements of environmental protection, air quality and chemical composition.
Written at the end: In response to the problem of "formaldehyde cat litter", Xiaobian believes that it is important to establish a unified set of plant cat litter standards that are recognized at home and abroad. This can not only standardize the selection of raw materials, production processes and product quality of production enterprises, but also provide consumers with a clear reference basis and reduce potential safety hazards caused by uneven quality.
With the in-depth promotion of sustainable development and environmental protection and low-carbon concepts around the world, plant cat litter is expected to become a new growth point for domestic enterprises to explore overseas markets. Overseas consumers have a growing demand for environmentally friendly products, especially in developed markets such as Europe, the United States, Japan and South Korea, and environmental awareness has penetrated into all aspects of daily life. Compared with traditional bentonite cat litter, plant cat litter has significant advantages such as natural, degradable and low carbon emissions, which is in line with the pursuit of environmental protection and sustainable lifestyle by consumers in these regions.
In this context, if domestic enterprises can combine the environmental protection advantages of plant cat litter and actively promote and strengthen the environmental protection attributes of products, they can not only enhance the competitiveness of their brands in overseas markets, but also conform to the global environmental protection tide and achieve sustainable development. In this market environment, plant cat litter will not only be the growth point of product sales, but also an important opportunity for enterprises to shape a green brand image and practice social responsibility, and win more opportunities and trust for domestic enterprises in the international market.