 |
|
|
|
A Primer in Pet Foods by Missy Brown, MAGRR volunteer There are many websites, books, and magazines that address the issue of pet foods, and it certainly is becoming a more popular subject among those who share their lives with furry companions. And rightly so. It's high time we really considered what we are feeding our pet. So, what IS to be considered? What things should you know? In our first article, A Primer in Pet Foods, we'd like to briefly touch on some of the issues facing us. The pet food industry is a booming business, and there are so many claims being made, and new products coming out. We are plagued by various ads, commercials, fancy packaging, and nifty names. What we don't see is the source of the food, the ingredients, the processing, or the great masterminds behind the ads. Although the industry is regulated by the AAFCO, the Association of American Feed Control Officials, the standards for production, labeling, and marketing are very different than the same for human foods. For instance, meats that a human would never consume, like rotten meat, factory farming waste, meat from dead animals, and road kill CAN be put into food. Often called the silent industry, rendering is needed for all of America's waste, but if it isn't used somewhere, that is money going down the drain. What better way to use it than pet foods? Another consideration in choosing a food is deciphering the label. Ingredients such as chicken, chicken meal, chicken by-products, chicken by-product meal, chicken digest, poultry meal, etc. are all completely different. How do you know what is best? How do you know what parts of the chicken are in each ingredient, and if it even is chicken? And how about names? Are we to believe that a food with the word 'natural' in the name is somehow better than a food without that? Are there certain requirements a company must meet to make that claim? What about those names that tug on your heartstrings, like those containing words such as 'best' or 'dog lovers' or healthy' or even 'chicken soup'? Preservatives will thicken the plot even more. Many of the commercial pet foods are preserved with chemicals that are known carcinogens, and these are chemicals we are forcing our companion animals to ingest daily. And what about the quality of the ingredients? I am sure you've heard the term 'human grade' in regards to pet foods. What makes that different from other formulas, and is that a claim that is even allowed or recognized by the AAFCO or FDA? Oh, yes. And let's not forget ingredients that are more likely to cause allergic reactions in our pets. Fido is scratching and is constantly itching, and it's a possibility that something as simple as a food change can alleviate it. All of these concerns, and many more as well, make choosing a food for your friend about as difficult as it can be. The best thing you can do is educate yourself. Learn all you can, make informed decisions, and do what is best for you and your friend. For more information on general nutrition and pet foods, try visiting these links. While we don't necessarily endorse these sites, we do provide them for information purposes only.
>The
Informed Consumer by Elizabeth
Ferry - article at Co-Op Food |
|
Lucie
|
|
Home