Recently, All American Pet Co. Inc. announced they “reformulated all of its products to qualify as “natural” dog food.” So…what do you think? Read the company notice and take a look at the pet food and pet treat ingredients. Is this ‘natural’?
Announced on Pet Food Industry website (the lobbying organization for the business of pet food), was the following announcement:
“All American Pet Co. Inc. reformulated all of its products to qualify as “natural” dog food.
This reformulation comes at a time when US retail sales of natural pet products are growing at double digit rates, according to the company.”
“The growing strength in natural petfood sales reflects consumer’s interest in living well and longer and sharing those same ideals with their — four-legged — family members. Consumers know that their personal health and the health and well-being of their dogs are linked. Our entire product line is now natural, including the heart-healthy Grrr-nola Dog Food Bar that doubles as a heart healthy snack, all of the Grrr-nola Natural products and the Bow Wow Breakfast product line,” said Barry Schwartz, chief executive of All American Pet Co.” http://www.petfoodindustry.com/6281.html
From the All American Pet Co website is the following list of ingredients for Bow Wow Breakfast…
Chicken Meal, Whole Grain Ground Corn, Sorghum Grain, Oat Groats, Brewers Rice, Beet Pulp, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols a source of Vitamin E), Natural Liver Flavor, Flaxseed Meal, Dried Egg Product, Ocean Fish Meal, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Dried Brewers Yeast, Choline Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2 Phosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Taurine, L-Carnitine, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Proteinate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Biotin.
The company investor information page provides the following information…
“Breakfast Cereal for Dogs”
“The humanization of pets”
“The ingredients and packaging of our products are positioned to maximize the trend towards the humanization of pets with a variety of shapes and flavors. As a result of this trend of the humanization of pets, the Company is focused on an exciting, new and unique concept in pet nutrition. We were the first line of commercial dog food specifically targeted for the morning meal, because “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” – for dogs too.” http://www.aapbrands.com/investors.htm
PawNation.com, an AOL pet website, noticed the breakfast cereal marketing of Bow Wow Breakfast…
“The controversy surrounding dog food is vicious, so when a pet owner must decide what to feed Fido (Soft? Hard? Brand name? Organic?), the process can be particularly elaborate.
Making it easier for the masses is Bow Wow Breakfast from All American Pet Brands. While the product claims to be especially cognizant of pet wellness (by adding “chewable nutraceuticals, electrolyte and rehydration products”), we’re mostly just interested in the packaging, which resembles the type of box that usually holds sweet, sugary cereals we were prohibited from eating as kids.
That’s not to say that the design wasn’t deliberate, of course. In fact, an AAPB spokeswoman claims that Bow Wow Breakfast will help “teach your children how to take care of the dog,” reinforcing that they be fed twice a day to remain nutritionally balanced.
But, really, we just want to give to our pups what we couldn’t have as kids: brightly-colored stuff in a box . At the very least, it looks a lot more fun to schlep home than the usual gargantuan, boring old white bag. SNOOZEFEST!” http://www.pawnation.com/2009/07/15/bow-wow-breakfast-dog-food-made-fun/
So…is this pet food ‘natural’? Is marketing a dog food in a brightly colored cereal looking box appropriate?
(I am waiting for response to additional questions regarding this pet food…1. Does the chicken meal include muscle meat only or does it include bone and internal organs, 2. What is the country of origin of all ingredients including vitamins and minerals, and 3. What preservative is used by your supplier in your fish meal ingredient?…is it a natural preservative or is it ethoxyquin? When I receive these responses – they will be added here.)
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
PetsumerReport.com
What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients? Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 2500 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com
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Lynn
July 19, 2022 at 4:31 pm
Did you ever receive a response to your questions? I do A LOT of ingredient list investigating and today just noticed ‘ethylenediamine dihydroiodide’ and am trying to learn about it. I sure don’t like things I can’t even pronounce, lol. If they want a source of iodine, use kelp! Not this, whatever the H it is.
But anyway, my snooping around led me to your article. I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion we have to 100% home cook (or raw feed) for our dogs and avoid anything commercial. I have a really hard time trusting pet food companies these days.