China’s official newspaper calls Honest Kitchen pet food’s claim of No Chinese ingredients “anti-Chinese”, “offensive” and “wrong”. China must be suffering from short term memory loss.
Breitbart.com reports that “China’s official Communist Party newspaper, the People’s Daily, published a tirade this weekend against family-owned American pet food company The Honest Kitchen for advertising that it locally sources ingredients and does not use and Chinese products in its recipes.”
Is a U.S. pet food company using food safety as an excuse to fan the flames of anti-Chinese sentiment and promote Tibetan independence? Richmond News, a newspaper in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, recently reported that residents were offended to discover a brand of dog food with the label “no ingredients from China.
It is ridiculous to judge China’s food quality based on the melamine pet food recall, especially in the face of new facts. China places high value on food safety and has been making great efforts to improve the quality and safety of its food. Its actions against the Chinese people show that it is not “honest” at all.
The point being, it is offensive and wrong to define “healthy” as “not from China,” especially for a business that reportedly makes $30 million a year in revenue, some of which comes from Chinese customers.
But there is another question to consider. What does the “Free Tibet” slogan have to do with food safety? If this is really an issue about food safety and nothing else, why put the “Tibetan flag” next to the message: “0: The number of food ingredients we use from China (P.S., Free Tibet!).” The argument that the “no ingredients from China” label is not against the Chinese people simply does not hold water, because there is clearly a political motivation.
With that said, a persuasive argument can be made that trying to build a brand around such political slogans has little to do with food safety and much to do with promoting an anti-Chinese agenda. And, as recent events have shown, making oneself an enemy of the Chinese people is not the right way to do business.
China might want to forget about all the pets that suffered and died here in the US and Canada directly linked to melamine poisoned ingredients in 2007 and Chinese jerky treats from 2007 to present day – but we will never forget those pets.
China – your nasty actions against this US made human grade pet food just reminded consumers to be even more leery of Chinese ingredients. Not that we needed reminding.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
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Woofielover
April 5, 2018 at 8:47 pm
“…for a business that reportedly makes $30 million a year in revenue, some of which comes from Chinese customers.” Huh. Well, my Chinese customers make it a point to tell me they don’t want anything from China either! This is standard manipulative communist political propaganda. Way to go THK! You know you’ve made it when you’re the topic of another country’s political statements!
Eric's mom
April 27, 2022 at 12:14 am
I’m glad there is at least one pet food company good enough not to risk the lives of cats & dogs by using dangerous ingredients from china. all pet food companies should stop using any ingredients from china. it’s not racist it’s called safety.
Deb Lewellen
April 5, 2018 at 8:59 pm
not just the Melamine but those chicken jerky treats that have sickened thousands of dogs
Denise
April 5, 2018 at 8:59 pm
Thank goodness for that. The Honest Kitchen is what I feed to my dogs BECAUSE there is nothing in that food that’s made in China and the end result is I have healthy, beautiful dogs.
Joy
April 5, 2018 at 9:00 pm
That’s why I buy it!!
ellen
April 5, 2018 at 9:04 pm
Im from Hong Kong and I deliberately chose Honest Kitchen because it has NO ingredient from China. I dont care about the politics.
Dave Baker
April 5, 2018 at 9:15 pm
What’s probably the BIGGEST thing here for the China media is the “Free Tibet” bit. I mean, really, that’s the thing that drew their ire. But I can’t find anything about it when I Google “Honest Kitchen” and “Tibet.” I dunno. (shrugs)
Eve
April 5, 2018 at 9:16 pm
Offensive? Ridiculous? What a weak retaliation in a desperate bid to lure pet owners back to an indesputably, unethical unregulated toxic life-threatening industry who are the world most cruelest in animal rights and welfare.practises. There’s NO WAY I would EVER give my trust, lets call it blind-trust because we all know whats on rhe label is NOT what’s truly inside period! If you honestly and unconditionally love your pet feed it home-grown local fresh RAW Meaty-Bones diet. Its so easy.
Barbara Fellnermayr
April 5, 2018 at 9:23 pm
Wow, I think that’s pretty funny. We manufacture our food in Richmond, BC. We started putting 0% ingredients from China in our advertising before THK. Richmond is predominantly a Chinese community, my customers specifically request that we don’t use ingredients from China.
Reader
April 5, 2018 at 9:33 pm
Isn’t China (manufacturers, chicken processors, etc. etc.) still pushing out tainted Jerky Treats? I love it (not) when the only time China complains about something, is when the truth is actually hurting them! Too little, too late … sorry China!
T Allen
April 5, 2018 at 9:40 pm
China is digging up dirt from 2014? Reported by Breitbart? Sounds like an April Fool’s joke. Wonder why Breitbart is involved….Not a good move on China’s part (if this isn’t old news) as they just re-ignited the avoid Chinese made products war again.
Batzion
April 5, 2018 at 9:49 pm
Oh pleeeeeeeze, China! Who would buy anything for their pets from a country that eats dogs? And the whining coming out of British Columbia don’t mean jack to anyone here.
“Making oneself an enemy of the Chinese people is not the right way to do business.” Guess what. Making an enemy of pet owners in the U.S. is not the right way to do business either.
If you feel moved, please sign the petition to stop the Yulin Dog Meat Festival which is scheduled to take place on June 21st: https://www.change.org/p/do-not-allow-the-yulin-dog-meat-and-lychee-festival-in-2018
Also, check out this Bloomerg article about a company that wants to save the world by feeding our pets vegan kibble: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-05/how-fake-meat-might-feed-your-dog-and-save-the-planet?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=email
Free Tibet!
Mike Nagle
April 29, 2021 at 11:41 am
They don’t just eat dogs, they torture the dogs to death in unspeakably cruel manners. Don’t believe me? Just google it, and watch the videos. Just remember, what is seen cannot be unseen. You’ve been warned!
Michelle
April 5, 2018 at 9:56 pm
Wow! What I have to say about this would not be printed !
Sora
April 6, 2018 at 12:25 am
I’m Chinese but I never buy pet food from China.
Brent
April 6, 2018 at 1:21 am
Please don’t ever link to Breitbart
Kim Willis
April 6, 2018 at 1:53 am
It is the way of China to want to control everything. Even their own people know this and prefer good food like THK. We in the US love them for their convictions. So industry people from China… if you are reading this, you cannot control our industry here. If we don’t like your products, we do not have to buy them nor use them, let alone feed them. And we can actually use that fact to sell our products and guess what, you don’t get to control that. There is a reason stuff from China is cheaper. Even once you clean up your act you have a long road to prove you have. I doubt I will see it in my lifetime. Cheap is to entrenched in China’s culture to change but so much in the next ten years.
Regina
April 6, 2018 at 6:41 am
I do feed my 2 chows THK. Just wish they would change the source of selenium (sodium selenite) to a organic selenium yeast.
Shell
April 6, 2018 at 7:34 am
Let’s just hope Honest Kitchen is honest about what they claim. We all have seen what the companies in light of weak laws, lack of testing in the US as evidenced by the many great articles posted here on the website.
We do not have a labeling law that mandates country of origin for Pet Food. None for human food either.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/05/219377718/was-your-chicken-nugget-made-in-china-itll-soon-be-hard-to-know
Carla K
April 6, 2018 at 8:49 am
I would never believe anything I read in Brietbart. I can’t find the source of that image, it could be photoshopped. Brietbart has an agenda and it’s not a good one. I found Honest Kitchen through Susan’s list and chose it mainly because it doesn’t have ingredients from China. If HK wants to put all sorts of political slogans out there (which I’m not sure they even did), ones I don’t agree with, I will still purchase it. I don’t give a rat’s butt if some Chinese residents in British Columbia are offended. Why are they living in BC if China’s so great?
Dianne & Pets
April 26, 2018 at 2:23 pm
I had the same concern, but was able to find the article in other news sources. My first thought was that this has to be a made up story, I read an analysis explaining that it is usually second generation Chinese immigrants who have an idealized view of China and the Chinese who have direct experience of China know why people don’t want Chinese ingredients.
Terri Christenson Janson
April 6, 2018 at 9:37 am
LOL!!! The word is spreading… We don’t want China ingredients period! Oh and even childrens toys that come from China are not safe either.
Dave
April 6, 2018 at 10:09 am
The Chinese people aren’t the ones offended. The Chinese media are owned by the Chinese government. The Chinese government is who takes offense. As for Tibet, the Chinese people don’t have any part in wanting to enslave Tibet. The Chinese people are enslaved by the Chinese government just as the Tibetan people are.
I wish more companies would operate as THK does, simply for the sake of quality. But while we are at it … “Free Tibet!”
Kathi McGee
April 6, 2018 at 10:12 am
But from Breitbart? Please.
My dogs will never have a single molecule of anything Chinese made. Ever. They don’t know the first thing about animal care and don’t give a damn.
Michelle M.
April 6, 2018 at 11:09 am
Oh, poor China. Honest kitchen can say anything they want. China has no rights in the matter. What an ignorant, pompous, defensive reaction from a country that even poisoned their baby formula and thousand of pigs with their drinking water. They cannot control our thoughts about them and they seem to be making a threat.
Dianne & Pets
April 26, 2018 at 3:32 pm
I almost expect that at some point, no one will be allowed to say anything critical about any company or country. I think China already made threats over the continued warnings about the jerky treats. I would bet that any future trade deal (at least with Canada) will have clauses to hide their products from country of origin labeling and also make it illegal to say anything negative about the country. We already have such an example, Israel is getting laws passed in other countries making it illegal to boycott Israel or its products, to the extent of having foreign nationals who have never set foot in Israel arrested. I don’t believe they are getting very far, but they are trying.
Batzion
April 27, 2018 at 12:59 pm
Your comment re Israel is incorrect. Israel is punishing no one for not purchasing products made there. Israel is engaged in defending itself against the rabid BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanction) movement promoted by those who defend the fictitious state of “palestine” and the terror organization, Hamas, and whose ultimate goal is the destruction of Israel. Below are four videos which I hope will help you to understand what is happening.
1. https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/92472/watch-bds-movement-hurting-palestinians/?utm_source=Breaking+Israel+News&utm_campaign=feefe73fce-BIN_morning_7_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b6d3627f72-feefe73fce-86785049&mc_cid=feefe73fce&mc_eid=2d3211859d#kTLOZ5XeaXTGjifd.97
2. https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-the-dirty-secret-behind-the-anti-israel-bds-movement/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=German+FM%3A+No+Big+Loss+that+Netanyahu+Canceled+Meeting%3B+Israel+Settles+Old+Score+with+Arch-Terrorist%3F&utm_campaign=20170425_m138888303_German+FM%3A+No+Big+Loss+that+Netanyahu+Cancelled+Meeting%3B+Israel+Settles+Old+Score+on+Arch-Terrorist%3F&utm_term=WATCH_3A+The+Dirty+Secret+Behind+the+Anti-Israel+BDS+Movement
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_pQfsi437A
4. https://unitedwithisrael.org/bds-the-attempt-to-destroy-israel/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Pro-Israel+Groups+Thrilled+with+New+US+Secretary+of+State%3B+Thousands+of+Non-Jews+Join+%E2%80%98Kippah+March%E2%80%99+in+Germany%3B+Israeli+Genetic+Breakthrough%21&utm_campaign=20180427_m145157915_Pro-Israel+Groups+Thrilled+with+New+US+Secretary+of+State%3B+Thousands+of+Non-Jews+Join+%E2%80%98Kippah+March%E2%80%99+in+Germany%3B+Israeli+Genetic+Breakthrough%21&utm_term=watch_btn_dark_png
Israel is forcing no foreign governments to do anything nor is it having foreigners arrested. I strongly encourage you to find reliable and accurate sources of information.
I do not like to get into politics on Susan’s site out of respect for her and for the readers, but I cannot let your mendacious comment slide without correction.
Brenda Peppard
April 6, 2018 at 11:59 am
I feed my pet Honest Kitchen Because they promise human grade processing and NO ingredients from China. I try to Never buy any pet food or treats that have questionable ingredients. I am appalled with China and how they mistreat animals in their country. I will say no more as it is’t printable. Thank God for people like Susan Thixton.
cb
April 6, 2018 at 3:11 pm
China continues to produce tainted products. I try to avoid as much as I can from China but it’s impossible as they are the only suppliers of many components/products.
Brietbart calling the Chinese paper propaganda is hilarious. I did look at the comments at Breitbart. If you look past the hateful comments at least they want safe food and producoucts too.
Kathleen Vaughn
April 6, 2018 at 3:16 pm
Well, when you’ve betrayed Consumers trust then…
jason
April 6, 2018 at 7:59 pm
This is serious discrimination!Some people are proud of their discrimination and bias.How hypocritical Canadian are!
Dianne & Pets
April 26, 2018 at 3:36 pm
Really???? I don’t think it is fair to call everyone in any country hypocritical. There are people in every part of the world doing their best to change things for the better, Now if you want to say that the government is hypocritical, that is a different thing. But you also have to call large corporations hypocritical. My opinion anyway.
Pet Owner
April 26, 2018 at 3:45 pm
The government is run by people. People run businesses. People support businesses with not good practices. People don’t speak up. People don’t share information about bad actors. Yeah, it’s about people.
For one thing, the “dog festival” could be banned … as just a start ….
Ellie
April 7, 2018 at 1:56 am
China is still a hardline communist country. While some of the people of the west still believe in moral concepts, such as ethics in business, there was never any such belief system within the communist regimes. No business like Honest Kitchen would be allowed to exist within China much less mention anything negative about products produced there. You can see the glaring rage of the controlling elites of the communist party within that statement about Honest Kitchen. You better believe that those who work for those communist elites of China within the United States will be targeting that company in the future.
Most of the products that people in the west buy today, excluding food, is manufactured in China for two glaring reasons…..the cheap labor that exists there and the fact that there are no regulations, environmental or otherwise, in China or other third world countries. The majority of the workers in China have no say about their working conditions and are paid slave labor wages. Cheap unrepresented labor and no government regulatory system is what globalization has always been about.
Fitzwilliam
July 1, 2018 at 2:20 pm
Does Honest Kitchen make cat food too? I’ll buy it if so. I’m trying to find cat food with non China sourced ingredients and it’s difficult. Label me racist, but I can’t make the association between “China” and “quality” when it comes to food ingredients. If it does not state no ingredients from China on the label, then I want to be able to contact the company and get a straight answer. I just tried this with Nutro and got a song and dance answer about how they “travel the world” to select the finest ingredients for their pet food and then they listed a few countries but avoided to answer the question re if anything comes from China so no more Nutro for my cat. Halo and Merrick appear to be safe bets.
Rose Coveney
January 9, 2020 at 3:00 pm
What angers me is that American owned pet food manufacturer’s located in America deliberately include ingredients from China in American made pet food which they KNOW puts our pets in danger. And now China is taking offense that we have noticed and feel insulted? Do they really think Americans are stupid? How many pets have to get sick and die? The Chinese people who live in China have no alternative but we do.
Eric's mom
March 13, 2022 at 8:52 pm
SO GLAD THERE IS A PET FOOD COMPANY THAT CARES ENOUGH ABOUT PETS TO NOT USE ANY INGREDIENTS FROM DANGEROUS CHINA.