The Truth About Pet Food

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Did you know your pet’s food may include dangerous ingredients and harmful chemical compounds? Some of the most expensive brands, labeled “premium,” “natural,” “prescription diet” or even sometimes “organic” are often made from adulterated ingredients or contain carcinogenic and inflammatory additives.

High prices do not necessarily imply high quality. Illusive labels and deceptive marketing are used by many companies to disguise substandard food.

Cornucopia’s research into the pet food industry reveals that many products stray from the natural, wild diets of cats and dogs.

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Cornucopia’s newly released report, Decoding Pet Food: Adulteration, Toxic Ingredients and the Best Choices for Your Companion Animals, reveals how the pet food industry is regulated, details specific ingredients to avoid and explains how to keep your pet healthy by choosing wisely at the pet food store and/or preparing their meals at home. Also included with this publication is an online shopper’s guide to help consumers differentiate between high quality, safe pet foods and their more risky alternatives.

Loose regulatory standards often protect the interests of companies that use lower quality ingredients and legislation and regulatory oversight for pet food is aimed at the feed industry. Current regulations allow for the use of animals “which have died otherwise than by slaughter” in pet foods. And, individual state regulations often allow for road kill, restaurant grease and spoiled meat to enter rendering facilities. These admissions pose significant risks to our pets, failing to ensure the quality and nutrient balance of their diets.

Cornucopia’s research into the pet food industry reveals that many products stray from the natural, wild diets of cats and dogs. Protein, fat and carbohydrate ratios may differ significantly from the nutritional needs of your pet. The majority of both dog and cat food product formulations contain too many grains and starches. Though grains need not be avoided completely in pet food, cats and dogs are carnivorous and should have diets based primarily on meat.

This report outlines reasons to avoid brands listing ingredients such as corn, wheat, corn gluten meal, soybean meal and brewer’s rice. Consuming moldy grains is arguably the most detrimental health hazard in pet food ingredients due to the mycotoxins produced by the molds. In addition to grains, many products contain other questionable and/or unnecessary ingredients.

When shopping for your pet’s food, there are specific ingredients you should learn to avoid. Carrageenan, synthetic preservatives, meat and bone meal, bisphenol A (BPA) and forage fish are a few of the main culprits.

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