Discovery.com visited a kibble pet food manufacturing plant providing a ‘How it’s Made’ video. It’s interesting, in more ways than one.
Rarely do consumers get to see inside a pet food manufacturing plant – especially a kibble facility. But thanks to Discovery, consumers get a peak at the manufacturing of pet food. When you watch the video, notice the dust and what appears to be mold covering the equipment.
For comparison, below is another video from Discovery – a ‘How it’s Made’ for human food cereal. When you watch this video, again take notice of the equipment. You’ll see a dramatic difference in cleanliness at the human food plant.
What would you do if a film crew was coming into your home tomorrow? You’d clean, right? Guaranteed, both of these plants cleaned before the Discovery film crew arrived. If this – from the pet food plant is clean…
This machine appears to have mold all across the front.
Dust covers one side of this equipment, and filth covers the other side.
Though the image was a little blurry, you can easily see the grunge build up on these sprayers (dispensing fat on the finished kibble). One of the fittings was clean – the others are covered in grunge.
…imagine what a pet food plant looks like on day to day operations when a film crew isn’t there?
Pet food manufacturing facilities are rarely inspected, and when they are – in most cases, authorities alert the plant well in advance to their visit (giving them plenty of time to clean). Pet food consumers are never provided with the opportunity to read the inspection report. Pet food consumers deserve better than this.
The pet food manufacturing video also stated “Pet food experts say dogs and cats prefer food with a fattier content and a combined meat and cereal formula over just cereal alone. But too much meat flavoring can turn them off.” Yes…too much ‘meat flavoring’ would ‘turn off’ a pet. Real meat wouldn’t, but too much meat flavoring…yes.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
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Silvermane
February 8, 2016 at 2:13 pm
Although I am sure that the majority of pet food manufacturing facilities are similar in cleanliness (just imagine what a canning facility looks like), they aren’t all this way. I have personally toured the Champion Petfoods plant in Morinville, Alberta, Canada and it is spotless. Since they do many, many tours, I’m pretty sure that they don’t just keep it clean on visitor days. I haven’t been to others, but I would assume plants from top, ethical and responsible manufacturers would be clean as well (I’m thinking family owned companies like Fromm for example, not multinationals). I would be less sure about plants that do a lot of co-packing. The Diamond plants, for example, seem to have had a fair number of cleanliness issues with the FDA, etc.
Susan Thixton
February 8, 2016 at 3:03 pm
I would agree with you – I don’t believe all of them are this dirty. But would guess most are.
Aunnika
February 8, 2016 at 5:20 pm
Really glad you added Fromm to your list. I really feel they do a great job. Only wish they had more wet cat food options and cat treats. They would have me for everything then 😉
T Allen
February 8, 2016 at 3:10 pm
Look at 1:37. See the big gap/crack in the equipment. There is no way to clean that. I guarantee there is all kinds of nasties living in there. Until the word is spread far and wide and people start hurting these companies in the pocketbook this will continue.
Batzion
February 8, 2016 at 4:27 pm
Missed it first time around. Thank you for pointing it out.
Kathryn
February 8, 2016 at 3:43 pm
I ran across a YouTube vid from the “how it’s made’ program late last year — the dialog was what offended me more than the condition of the actual plant — they glossed over what the actual ‘ingredients’ are by using terms like cereal products for humans, etc., and the ‘Fat and flavor enhancers’ in the finishing spray — if they had told what it ‘really’ was — rancid, chemically enhanced, etc., etc., etc., it would have been a totally different program
Batzion
February 8, 2016 at 4:25 pm
The whole mess, both animal and human, is a GMO and chemical nightmare.
Debi Cohen
February 8, 2016 at 5:00 pm
OMG, dastardly and cruel to all involved in the consuming of and the purchase of.
Aunnika
February 8, 2016 at 5:17 pm
Susan I love what you are doing and share on G+ and FB.
I was wondering if there are chemical words used for “pet flavoring” that we could get a copy of and look out for on the contents on bags. Obviously, using the guideline “if you dont know what it is and you wouldnt eat it” is a good one, but even human grade food has scary words on it! One word i keep finding on my good Cat Food is Montmorillonite Clay….wth? Is this is a source of minerals or iron? The food is much darker than most BTW.
Either way, would love to know if there are fancy chemical words used for neat flavoring
Thanks
Aunnika
February 8, 2016 at 5:22 pm
PS. My spell incorrect got the best of me
I meant “Meat Flavoring”
Susan Thixton
February 8, 2016 at 5:28 pm
Flavorings would be listed as ‘natural flavors’ or ‘steak flavor’ and so on. And we are not told what those flavorings consist of. The industry is allowed to claim this is proprietary information.
Aunnika
February 8, 2016 at 9:16 pm
Thanks. Luckily not seen that yet, but you do see this on human food. Especially flavored potatoes chips.. Erargh
Steve Bryant
February 8, 2016 at 6:54 pm
Susan, I know you’re now an advocate of canned wet food as opposed to kibble, but assuming MOST kibble producing plants are not perfectly clean, why would you assume wet food producers are any different? Most companies that make canned also make dry. I’m not sure I understand what point you’re trying to make.
Susan Thixton
February 8, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Hi Steve –
I’m not saying that canned are any different – all we have video of is a kibble plant. That’s all I’m saying.
Aunnika
February 8, 2016 at 9:25 pm
Well, I take back my Clay question. Apparently the Discovery channel covered this too and it acts as an antioxidant or toxin remover! I’m finding it in Natures Variety Instinct canned. The few decent brands that the cats will eat. I looked it up via Google. Could not cut and paste the link for some reason.
Now that raw food s the latest. Wondering how that is handled. It’s more money but my cats love the Instinct brand of it and it doesn’t mess with their GI tract.
Mary Sue
February 8, 2016 at 10:34 pm
Around 2:34 to 2:36 it looks as if the white paint has come off the machinery exposing a brown metal surface underneath. Am I seeing it correctly? If so, what happened to all the paint chips that have flaked off over time?
Mimi
February 8, 2016 at 10:36 pm
Another thing that wasn’t mentioned in human canned food a certain amount of rodent and bugs are allowed depending on the brand. My aunt worked at a canning place and better brands allow less rodent, insects droppings etc. Can you imagine what is allowed in animal plants…”oh a rat just drooped in the food mixer, we’ll have to up the protein content” lol. I know it’s not funny and I hate kibble but do the best I can do. All we can do is stay with smaller family operations with open doors. One of my all time favorites unfortunately sold out to a big company.
Aunnika
February 8, 2016 at 11:09 pm
Mimi
May I ask who or what company that is?
Yes, even FDA has issues with food storage. Back in the 80s and 90s the State used plants that used Federal or State prisoners as employees for their Hospitals. Rumor had it, the milk was tested once and found urine and semen in the samples. Sickening to know this was used for their mentally ill and developmentally disabled patients.
Any hoo, please share so we know. Thanks
Laurie Matson
February 9, 2016 at 2:20 am
Notice they don’t show the huge piles of dead, 3 day Rotting cattle remains laying in the 95 degree heat !! Covered in Flys and maggots and god knows what else!!!
Nina Wolf
February 9, 2016 at 6:57 am
Mary Sue – I wondered the sam thing.
Aunnika – Fromm may do a decent job of kibble, but their caned food is co-packed by EVANGERS, and that is a big problem. Evangers has a bad, bad history, but unfortunately, they do a lot of canning. Wild Calling uses them, as does Party Animal and many others.
Christine
February 9, 2016 at 2:37 pm
Thank the Lord my dogs get fed raw. Made me quite disgusted to just watch the video and to think all those poor animals that are fed this junk that goes so against what carnivores should eat for true good health. The video didn’t even show all the other chemical preservatives, etc. that are added. The majority of the populous just want things easy for them but don’t realize or care that their animals do not require carbohydrates and other junk which just promotes dental issues and ill health over time. I guess they’d rather pay their vets lots of money for sick animals instead of getting a little education and promoting good health and a long life for their companions. I’ve been feeding a raw diet to my pack since 1996. My elder passed last year at age 17+ and was raw fed from weaning. I’ve had many other Westies I’ve bred live well to 16 and over with a number at 17 as well. A little education makes a big difference.
Linda Frieden
December 3, 2018 at 3:41 pm
We owe it to our furry animals to feed them healthy food and not garbage.
nothanyou@gmail.com
August 13, 2019 at 3:22 pm
You cook for your loved ones don’t you? Then for goodness sakes if you love your animals as though they are your family, do not feed this garbage. You wouldn’t feed this to your family would you?
Kay
December 25, 2019 at 3:07 pm
I’m interested in buying Blue Buffalo when I can afford it. Has anyone here bought it? All we can afford now is Alpo and Gravy Train. In addition, because I have a Golden Retriever, I’d like know what ingredients can improve her coat. Also my cat’s getting older, but the stores no longer sell senior cat food.