High Quality Cat & Dog Food: Why It Matters!

When you go to buy treats and food for your furry friends, you are probably so concerned with healthy ingredients that you might not even consider who actually produces the food, where it is manufactured or what it actually contains.

But, to a certain extent, where pet food is made plays a large role in its quality. In this post, we are going to give some of the primary reasons that you need to ask “What is in my pet food” and look at why buying from a local, Australian-owned pet food manufacturer may be the best choice for you.

 

In This Article:

• Key Factors of High Quality Pet Food
• Australian Made Dog Food Analysis
• Quality of Australian Made Pet Food
• Risks of Buying Foreign Manufactured Pet Treats
• Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

 

Key Factors of High-Quality Pet Food

Once you know the key factors of high-quality food for your pets, you’ll have a better understanding of why you want to know who you are buying from.

High-Quality Ingredients

Any food for your cat, kitten or pupper is only as good as what it’s made from. High-quality ingredients make high-quality pet food. Here are some of the marks of the best ingredients:

• 100% natural. Natural ingredients are preferred over synthetic or lab-made ones. If you read the ingredients label and see things that you can’t pronounce or identify, you’re likely headed away from natural food. Artificial flavours and chemical preservatives are especially to be avoided.
• Whole foods. Wild dogs and cats don’t fill their bellies with carrageenan and corn syrup. The best foods for your pet contain whole foods consisting mostly of animal proteins. Avoid common grain fillers like wheat, corn and soy. Similarly, by-products like “chicken meal” are often so processed that they are devoid of all nutrients.
• Raw, minimally processed. Food processing like heating and canning can destroy the nutritional value provided by vitamins and minerals in pet food. This is why raw foods are preferred. However, because it isn’t always practical to store raw food, freeze dried pet foods are an ideal way to keep raw meat shelf stable while still maximising nutritional value.
• Locally sourced. While local doesn’t necessarily mean healthy, it can be a contributing factor. This is because when ingredients are sourced from outside Australia, they likely go through extra processing or preservation methods that inhibit their healthfulness.

95% of the brands that you see in the pet food aisles are owned by just 6 companies. – Nillastub.com

 

Digestibility

It’s important for pet foods to be easily digestible for two reasons:

First, foods that are difficult to digest won’t provide as much nutritional value. Your cat may need to eat more in order to get an appropriate amount of vitamins and minerals, which might lead to over-eating and obesity.

Second, indigestible foods can lead to GI symptoms like bloating, upset stomach and diarrhea. The good news is that these are generally temporary issues that go away once your pet is back on a healthy diet again.

Ingredients to encourage:

• Fresh foods
• Animal protein
• Dietary fat
• Crude fibre
• Essential amino acids
• Taurine (related: Do Dogs and Cats Need Taurine?)

Food to avoid:

• Starches (such as peas, corn and potatoes)
• Soy and its by-products
• Added thickeners, sweeteners, salts and flavors
• Excessive fat and fried foods
• Hydrolyzed proteins (unless prescribed by a vet)

 

 

Strong Food Safety Measures

Pet food safety measures aim to regulate the way foods are processed, stored and delivered in order to reduce the risk of contamination from food borne illnesses like Salmonella, as well as other unsanitary conditions. Examples of food safety certification bodies include Pet Food Industry Association Australia (PFIAA), PrimeSafe and Safe Food Queensland.

It’s important to realise that, currently, Australia has no formal enforcement organisation for products on shelves. Therefore, pet owners are encouraged to look into what steps their food company is taking to keep production safe.

Some pet foods are labeled as “human-grade”, which means they pass all of the regulations required of food production for humans. While this does ensure a certain level of quality, it also means that pets may be deprived of foods like organ meats that are a healthy part of their diet.

 

There are only a few Australian-owned and Australian-manufactured pet food brands in the market. – Thevetsociety.com

 

Australian-Made Pet Food Analysis

Based on those three criteria, let’s see how Freeze Dry Australia stacks up:

Ingredient Quality

All of our ingredients are sourced right here in Australia, and we never use any grain fillers or artificial ingredients. Our pet foods consist primarily of whole meats that your dog or cat will love, with pet-friendly vegetables sometimes added for extra vitamins and minerals.

Many of our products are 100% raw, and, even more importantly, they are all completely free of preservatives. By relying on a sophisticated freeze-drying process, we are able to create shelf stable pet foods and treats that don’t lose too much nutritional value from processing.

Digestibility

Our products are whole foods, without any added fillers like corn and soy that are a common source of upset stomach and empty calories in pet foods. By focusing on easily digestible and nutrient rich proteins like kangaroo meat, we aim to provide pet treats with a high dietary payoff.

As an added benefit, many of our foods are completely sourced from a single type of animal. These are ideal if your pet is on an elimination diet to help diagnose allergies or digestion issues.

Related: How to improve your dogs gut health

 

Food Safety Standards

All of our products are produced in a facility that has achieved the following certifications for the safe production, sale and delivery of pet foods:

• HACCP Certification
• Safe Food QLD Certified
• Australian Made Certified
• Export Accredited by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources

Quality of Australian-Made Pet Food

When you buy from local brands, you aren’t just giving your pup fresher ingredients. You’re also supporting the local economy and even the environment. Here are just a few of the benefits of buying locally Australian Made Pet Food:

Access to high-quality raw ingredients

Australia is home to some animals that are ideal for pet food. Dogs and cats love them, and they are packed with healthy proteins. Such native meats include kangaroo, emu and crocodile. While you might be able to find foreign companies that use these ingredients, you’ll know they are fresher when you buy local.

 

 

Advantages of local manufacturing

The farther pet food needs to be shipped, the more fuel burnt to get it there. And that means more greenhouse gas emissions. So buying locally manufactured products helps the environment. Furthermore, the types of pet foods that can survive long journeys are typically heavily processed and packed with preservatives.

Support your economy

Think about it. The taxes you pay on the food are going back into your economy. The same goes with the taxes the pet food company pays. You’re also helping keep local workers employed, from the farmers who source the ingredients to the people who package the final product—and everyone in between.

 

 

Risks of Buying Foreign Manufactured Pet Treats

Every additional layer of manufacturing, processing, packaging and shipping creates another opportunity for a lapse in food safety. Perhaps the most striking example in recent history was the FDA’s investigation into pet sickness and even death linked to jerky treats produced in China.

As of December 2015, there had been some 5200 complaints, including 1140 canine deaths. Although the most worrisome cases were about a decade ago, this incident highlights the ticking time bomb that can arise when food consumers and regulating bodies are too far removed from the manufacturers.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is pet food made in Australia?

Yes! Although most of the world’s pet food is produced by the three big foreign-owned companies (MARS, Nestle Purina, and The Real Pet Food Company), Australia is home to several small, local companies that create healthy, delicious food and treats for your pets.

What pet food is made in Australia?

Companies like Freeze Dry Australia manufacture a wide-range of foods for dogs and cats. And we don’t just make our products here, but we also rely solely on sustainably sourced meats and vegetables produced here within Australia’s borders.

Is Australian-made pet food better?

Further shipped means less fresh. Buying local Australian-made pet food is the best way to ensure the freshest food for your pet. And, you’ll be boosting the local economy and protecting the environment as well.

Buy Local For Your Pet and Your Economy

Now you know that buying local, Australian-made pet food and treats is one of the best ways to ensure you are getting the highest quality ingredients. And, it’s the only way to ensure that 100% of the money you spend goes back into the local economy.

Check your food labels against the lists we’ve provided above. Who owns your pet food company? Let us know in the comments and tell us what you think about buying local for your pet.