Summary of Key Points
The popular pet food brand Jin Guo has faced a trust crisis due to black oil particles being found in its cat food. The founder's attempt to downplay the issue has only intensified the controversy. This is not an isolated case; in recent years, several other popular pet food brands (such as Gao Ye Jia, Vet Zhang Xu, and Miao Fan Si) have also been involved in quality control controversies. While these brands have risen rapidly thanks to their influencer personalities and traffic, issues with outsourcing production, inadequate management, and lagging industry regulation have led to frequent quality control issues, undermining their trust with consumers. The industry needs to shift from relying solely on traffic to standardizing its supply chain and quality control practices for long-term success.
Detailed Analysis
1. The Jin Guo Incident: How the Trust Crisis Developed
Jin Guo's latest quality control issue is not the first time it has faced problems, but it is the most serious. Last September, it was discovered that the freeze-dried cat food had a reduced proportion of fresh meat (25%). In June this year, there were issues with dryness agents and excessive bacteria in the wet wipes. Previous incidents could be resolved by blaming the outsourcing factory or offering compensation, but this time, the issue touched on the critical aspect of pet food safety—black oil particles in the cat food, which directly affects the health of pets.
The founder, Deng Feng,'s response video only made matters worse. He claimed that the oil particles were food-grade lubricants, but netizens pointed out that "food-grade" does not necessarily mean safe for consumption. The promised test results for the cat food were never released, and instead, he shared unrelated canned food test reports, clearly avoiding the core issue. Consumers not only criticized the product quality but also exposed discrepancies in the product descriptions (for example, "fresh chicken breast" being changed to "frozen chicken breast"), suspecting fraud. Some users even shared cases of their cats vomiting or developing kidney problems after eating the food, and the company shirked responsibility after the issue arose. While core fans might still support the brand, ordinary consumers are losing patience and beginning to doubt all popular pet food brands.
2. The "Traffic Strategy" of Popular Pet Food Brands: Selling Based on Influencer Personalities, but with Fragile Trust
Currently, there are three main types of popular pet food brands:
- Pure Traffic Bloggers: Such as Deng Feng, who builds a following around his cats, and "Ming Liang Yu Guo" (a dog training blogger), who convert fans' affection for their personalities into purchasing decisions.
- Professional Endorsement Brands: Like Vet Zhang Xu (with 21 years of clinical experience) and "Chu Zi" (a popular Vlogger on bone and meat nutrition), who use their expertise to build credibility.
- Charity-Oriented Brands: Such as "Lao Feng Yang" (a dog rescue organization), which leverage their charitable efforts to gain goodwill.
Their strategies are similar: they use short videos to build a fan base, then promote their products through their main accounts and use their pets in live broadcasts or offer free samples to lower the barrier to purchase. Their products avoid traditional extruded grains and focus on higher-priced, higher-profit items like baked goods and raw meat, often at 30%-50% lower prices than imported brands, catering to the younger generation's interest in "scientific feeding."
However, this trust is built on the bloggers' personal reputations. Once a product issue arises, consumers immediately question the authenticity of the brand. In the Jin Guo case, fans tried to defend the brand, but this is the inherent risk of relying on an influencer's personality as the core of the business.
3. The Three Root Causes of Quality Control Issues
There are three main reasons for the frequent quality control problems with popular pet food:
- Inherent Weaknesses of the Outsourcing Model: Most brands do not produce the food themselves but rely on third-party factories. This model is low-cost and allows for quick entry into the market, but brands have limited control over the factories. Factories may serve multiple brands and cut corners to save costs (e.g., reducing the amount of fresh meat in Jin Guo's freeze-dried food or simplifying production processes).
- Disconnection between Growth and Management: Popular brands grow rapidly (Jin Guo's sales increased from tens of millions to 200 million in one year), but many founders lack experience in production management. Small-scale production can be monitored closely, but as the business expands, even minor issues in production or logistics can lead to problems if the quality control system is not robust.
- Lagging Industry Regulation: Pet food is currently regulated under the same standards as feed, and many national standards are merely advisory, making it difficult to hold companies accountable for non-compliance. For example, claiming "human-grade" ingredients may mean meeting minimal requirements, and the cost of violation is often lower than the potential profit, allowing factories to operate on the edge of the law.
4. The Key to Overcoming These Issues: Moving from "Traffic-Driven Brands" to "Reliable Brands"
For popular pet food brands to thrive, they need to address the following:
- Build Their Own Production Facilities: Take control of the production process, from raw material procurement to final product testing.
- Implement a Standardized Quality Control System: Establish strict quality control procedures, including traceability of ingredients, monitoring of the production process, and regular third-party inspections.
- Reduce the Focus on Personalities and Strengthen the Brand: Shift consumer trust from the influencer to the brand itself, by providing consistent and reliable product quality.
After all, traffic can drive initial purchases, but it is the safety and reliability of the products that will ensure repeat business. Popular pet food brands must overcome quality control challenges to achieve long-term success.
5. Industry Insights: Safety Is the Ultimate Priority in the Pet Economy
China's pet economy is worth over 300 billion yuan, with food accounting for the largest portion (55.4 billion yuan). Consumers are increasingly concerned about nutrition, transparency, and safety, which presents both opportunities and challenges for popular pet food brands. While these brands have strengths in understanding consumer needs and marketing, they struggle with supply chain and quality control. Without addressing these issues, even large amounts of traffic will not be enough to overcome trust crises.
The Jin Guo incident is not the end of the story; it marks the beginning of an industry transformation. Only those brands that prioritize pet safety and invest in improving their supply chains will survive in the long run. After all, pets are family members, and no one wants to risk their health based on an influencer's reputation.