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| Apr 24, 2008 2:36 am |
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re: Nutro Pet Food Information |
Ann Rader
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Nutro’s not recalling though, and dismisses accusations that its products are causing problems. This large pet food company changed hands within the past couple of years. It has had questionable ingredients and quality control going all the way back to 1998 when the FDA found pento barbital, the drug used to euthanize animals, in Nutro. And during the huge pet food recall of 2007 Nutro had many different varieties involved in the recall.
When we read all the way down through this article, there are people making positive statements about this brand, and some say that simply changing foods can cause digestive upsets like those mentioned by the pet parents who are upset that Nutro has harmed their pet. What the writer doesn’t realize is that most pet food manufacturers switch ingredient sources, and therefore the quality of the ingredients, all of the time, including in the same variety. Feeding the same food over time does not mean that the quality of the ingredients is the same over time.
Some lesser known facts about pet food manufacture:
--Pet food companies are required to list only the ingredients they put into the food. If another ingredient or a substance is added to one of the ingredients prior to the time pet food company purchases it, the pet food company only lists the ingredient it purchased. One example of this is that ethoxoquin, a chemical preservative, is very frequently added to fish meal at the source. A pet food company will list fish meal on the label, but does not have to and does not include ethoxoquin as an ingredient on the label.
--Some pet food companies switch ingredient vendors frequently to get the best prices available at the time. Ingredient quality can be compromised.
--Some pet food companies use ‘batchers’ which are independent companies that locate and purchase ingredients for the pet food company and mix everything together before it’s time for a batch of food to be cooked. The kibble batter, for lack of a better term, is then delivered to the manufacturing plant to be made into kibble. The pet food company is not in control of quality, the batcher, which makes batches for many different companies is in control. The batcher may be lax with quality control and the pet food manufacturer will never know.
--Some pet food companies buy huge amounts of perishable ingredients; higher volume equals higher savings. These ingredients may sit around for days before being used.
--Some pet food manufacturing plants do not have the highest certification for cleanliness and high ingredient standards where the ingredients are actually traced to their source to guarantee high quality. This Certification is called the APHIS Certification for Sale to the European Community. Europe has extremely high standards for pet food manufacture – higher than the United States.
--With almost every pet food manufacturer, once the kibble is made and bagged it is shipped to large national ware houses. At that point, the pet food manufacturer completely loses control of its products. The foods may be stored without proper climate control, pest control such as insecticides may be used around and even on the bags, and the food may sit for months and months before being moved from the warehouse to store shelves. By the time a pet parent opens the bag, the food may be six months to a year or more from the date of manufacture.
There are several HealthyPetNet Representatives who participate in this forum. I’m one of them and I work with Beth Sponseller, who is Rep as well. If you would like information about a company and a pet food that does NOT employ any of the practices I’ve listed here, please let us know. And Beth will be happy to send a free sample if you’d like to try the food with your pets.
Beth’s web site is http://www.NutritonForCritters.com
Private Reply to Ann Rader (new win) |
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