Talk of the the bay

By Times Staff
Published June 5, 2006

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Wal-Mart gets classy with pet food lineup

Shoppers looking for evidence of Wal-Mart substantially bolstering its lineup of natural and organic products may be surprised to learn the pet food department was among the first big beneficiaries.

The discount store giant recently began stocking Natural Life Nutritional pet foods in all 110 Florida supercenters.

While not certified organic, the super-premium dog and cat foods were sold only in health food stores, high-end pet boutiques and places such as Wild Oats and Whole Foods Markets. Natural Life pet foods are touted as containing no artificial flavors, colors or fillers. Even the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has endorsed the Kansas manufacturer's vegetarian line of pet chows.

It's not cheap. An 8-pound bag of adult dog food fetches $10.32. A 5.5-ounce can of cat food goes for 76 cents.

"Wal-Mart's pricing is about 8 to 10 percent below other retailers, but we have not heard any complaints yet," said Kaleb Terlip, chief operating officer of family-owned Natural Life. "We think this will double our business to about $13-million this year."

The push for more organic and natural foods is part of Wal-Mart's effort to stock more upscale products that appeal to higher-income people who buy groceries there.

It appears to be working. A store in Bradenton is ranked among the five top-selling stores for Natural Life among 1,500 Wal-Marts stocking the line nationally.

- MARK ALBRIGHT, Times staff writer