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| Pet Food: The Honest Kitchen |
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| Written by Emily Davidow | |
| Tuesday, 24 April 2007 | |
 Every day seems to bring yet another round of pet food recalls, and even the ASPCA recently issued an urgent alert stating that the pet food crisis isn't over and nobody knows anything, including what's actually poisoning pets.
This followed on the heels of a recall of Natural Balance pet foods due to rice protein concentrate contaminated with melamine, the same chemical that led to a nationwide recall of more than 100 brands of cat and dog food produced by Menu Foods (TSX: MEW.UN) last month, including Iams and Eukanuba, made for Proctor & Gamble (PG). Menu Foods' CFO is also under investigation for selling stock before the recall. In between, Nestle Purina Pet Care (ADR NSRGY) pulled a selection of Alpo products off the shelves, and Del Monte (DLM) recalled several brands of pet treats. Since then, melamine has been found in corn products and hog feed. The FDA has blocked imports of wheat gluten from one company in China as a result, but clearly the problem goes far beyond this incident or ingredient. For frequently updated news and lists of what to avoid, check and subscribe to updates from the following: But that still leaves us with the question of what to feed our pets? If the common conventional foods humans eat are full of pesticides, drugs and hormones, what can we possibly expect from ingredients deemed "unfit for human consumption" that regularly go into commercial dog foods, even when they're not tainted? Sabine Contreras has created an excellent resource in The Dog Food Project, offering label information 101 and specific ingredients to avoid. There are plenty of recipes around for making your own dog food at home, but few people have the time or inclination to prepare every meal for themselves, much less their pets. One advantage of dehydrated food is that you can give your dog the benefits of a minimally processed raw diet without having to deal with the safety concerns of storing and handling raw meat. (There are no bones in The Honest Kitchen's recipes, only muscle meat, so you don't have to worry about that either). Another advantage of dehydrated food is that it takes up little space or weight, making it ideal if you travel with your dog, and results in less packaging waste over time than other dry or wet dog foods. Ideal Bite points out other ways The Honest Kitchen shows they care about conserving energy and championing animal rights. To be sure, I would prefer no animals had to be sacrificed for our animals' welfare, and at the very least I could certify that any who were had a happy life. But this is the very best dog food I've found yet. Wholeheartedly Emily (and Cosmo) approved. The Honest Kitchen's products for dogs and cats are available in stores nationwide, including at many Whole Foods (WFMI) stores, directly from The Honest Kitchen (where you can sign up for an automatic subscription), and through Amazon.com. Disclaimer: I neither own nor endorse any of the stocks mentioned above, but I have spent a lot of money on dog food from the Honest Kitchen. I've never met Lucy Postins, the lovely founder, in person, but she used to pack each order with a handwritten thank you and questions about Cosmo, so I feel a personal connection and warmth towards her and the company. When I was in sixth grade, Jamie Schultz, seventh grader, offered me a chocolate . Then after I ate it, she publicly announced it was a dog biscuit and laughed and laughed and laughed. I forgive her and hope she's well. Comments
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| Last Updated ( Sunday, 29 April 2007 ) |
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