(Article reprinted and modified from http://www.allpetnews.com/questions-to-ask-before-choosing-your-pet-food)
With all of the pet food recalls that have occurred over the last few years, it has never been more important to be an informed pet parent, especially when it comes to the nutrition that you provide your dog or cat. It's also important to bear in mind that there are a lot of pet food companies vying for your attention and your money. Remember that they still have costs to cut and profits to make.
How can you be sure you're buying a high quality pet food? Asking the right questions will guide you in the right direction. Start by looking on a company's website for the answers to the following inquiries. If you can't find the information there, don't hesitate to contact the company directly by phone or email. If they aren't willing to answer your questions, it's certainly a red flag to pay attention to and you may want to look elsewhere.
Where are the Ingredients Sourced From? From poultry and seafood, to fruits, vegetables, and supplements, it's important to ask a pet food manufacturer where they're getting their ingredients from, and you want to steer clear of those companies that source cheap ingredients, which have been associated with toxins in pet food and treats that have been linked to sick and dead animals. Asking where the ingredients come from, whether they've been inspected and approved by the USDA, and where they're actually processed into your pet's food, are a few of the key questions that will let you know how much a company cares, and how much it's willing to spend on its ingredients.
Comment: Virtually all ingredients used in the production of PRO PAC & EARTHBORN HOLISTIC are sourced from North America (some of the vitamins come from Europe, the lamb comes from Australia). This is in contrast to most pet food manufacturers, which source at least some of their ingredients from Asia.
What Quality Control Measures are in Place? In addition to knowing where the ingredients come from, it's also important to trust the facility that processes and packages the food. Therefore, asking a manufacturer about the quality control measures they have in place to assure pet owners that the food they're purchasing is free of contaminants is another key question in determining what food is worth your money.
Look for a company that keeps raw ingredients away from cooked ingredients in order to prevent cross-contamination. And make sure they test each batch to be sure there aren't any allergens, molds, bacteria, and other pathogens in the food before it's shipped for sale. A good company will test food throughout the manufacturing process as well as at the end, and will hold food until they've gotten test results stating that the food is safe to consume before letting it leave the facility.
Comment: PRO PAC & EARTHBORN HOLISTIC products have never been recalled. This despite the fact that the manufacturer as run thousands of tests for pathogens, toxins and other harmful substances - just in the last few years.
Pro Pac & Earthborn Holistic use "Positive Release". That is, not releasing products to the market until they've been tested and found to be free of harmful substances. The manufacturer actively utilises positive release on nearly all international shipments.
All animal origin ingredient suppliers used in the production of Pro Pac & Earthborn Holistic are inspected at least annually by the US Department of Agriculture. Material quality, adequate processing, quality control and sanitation are required.
The production facilities for Pro Pac & Earthborn Holistic are inspected at least annually by the USDA to ensure product quality, adequate processing, quality control and sanitation. Included among the inspections are approvals for the European Union, Russia, Australia, Israel and other countries. Approvals for the EU and Russia are the most comprehensive, costly and difficult approvals to obtain. Ingredient flushing and separation procedures and finished product separation (to prevent cross-contamination) are required.
Other Questions You Can Ask to Make the Right Choice. Feel free to ask any other questions that come to mind, such as if the packaging used by a company are BPA-free. Before purchasing a food, check the ingredients and guaranteed analysis on the label to ensure that it is appropriately balanced for your pet and doesn't contain any artificial ingredients or cheap fillers.
Comment: EARTHBORN HOLISTIC bags (and soon to be PRO PAC) are BPA-Free.
Neither Pro Pac nor Earthborn Holistic contain any artificial ingredients or cheap fillers.
Although adding to the cost of production, all of these factors make a huge difference to the quality of the food - and to the health of your dog. It is no secret that Pro Pac and Earthborn Holistic lead the world in quality and safety in pet food.
Available exclusively in New Zealand from Petfood Direct