Finnish dog food maker lets dogs sample before buying

Resembling a classic dog house, the dispenser utilises artificial intelligence-powered image recognition and blue-light disinfection technologies to ensure dogs can sample the food in a safe and hygienic environment. The owner, in turn, is provided with information on the ingredients of the sample.

The Finnish dog food brand said the goal of the pilot project is to enable dog owners to make choices that reduce the amount of pet food that goes to waste due to the taste preferences of dogs.

“The dispenser seems to have been a welcome and pleasant surprise to both dogs and owners. But our primary hope is that allowing dogs to taste food in advance will reduce the amount of food waste in future,” commented Tuuli Kaarela, brand manager at Hau-Hau Champion.

“And of course how dogs react as biscuits clang into the bowl tells us how tasty food we have managed to make.”

The automatic dispenser has a simple operating principle: Using image recognition technology, it identifies dogs approaching it and dispenses a sample of pet food. The same technology also detects when the dog has left the dispenser, prompting the dispenser to clean the bowl with disinfecting blue light.

Yiftach Atzmon, chief operating officer at Sterlights, said the Finnish specialist in ultraviolet-C disinfection solutions equipped the dispenser with a new kind of ultraviolet light that eliminates bacteria and viruses safely, quickly and effectively.

“UV disinfection ensures the continuous cleanliness of the air and surfaces. The method has been researched broadly, and the results demonstrate its safety and effectiveness for pets,” he stated.

“Dogs’ wellbeing always comes first for us – and it means both high-level hygiene and food that is safe and tasty for dogs,” added Kaarela.