The-Truth-About-Pet-Foods

• What is the informational and scientific quality of their
educational/marketing materials
• Are they manufacturing it or having it made at a toll producer
• Do they seem principled, or merely profit oriented
... All the other things you will learn in this book about how to
evaluate foods.
Epilogue: Now for a bit of a confession. I am at least in part responsible
for some of the above insanity. Many years ago when I first thought
there was a need to develop alternative pet foods, most products were
the same. The game was mostly percentage protein, digestibility and, of
course, palatability. Ingredients didn’t matter much if these objectives
were achieved. My view was that ingredients did matter. Whole wheat
was better than white flour, whole chicken was better than just heads and
feet, and so forth, as you will learn throughout this book. I also discovered
that there was significant science behind – and health benefits to –
certain ingredients that could be used in micro amounts, such as probiotics,
enzymes, phytonutrients, antioxidants and the like.
Partly because we were moderately successful in the market (to the
degree we could educate and overturn deeply ingrained bias, tough job),
and partly because other manufacturers (the big billion dollar guys saw us
as a mere ripple in their tidal wave of financial success) could not defend
well their inferior ingredients, some became concerned, not wanting to
lose face. Others saw opportunity. The big guys eventually adopted some
of our innovations, and some profiteers would start whole new lines, often
shamelessly copying our products and adding a few exotics to be “different”
and “better.”
“Why not make exotic ingredient labels playing to increasing human
concerns about nutrition and capture an emerging health conscious market”
they thought. What was lost in this singular quest for profit, however,
was an underlying commitment to good science and health. The
result: exotic ingredient labels with no true underlying scientific documentation
or meaningful impact on health. Just words on yet more of an endless
line of “100% complete” labels chasing markets. I had helped create
a monster.
Sorry.
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