On 5/4/22 Champion Pet Food issued a press release regarding a new line of pet food; Amazing Grains. The press release made numerous claims about quality proteins in the pet food – “high-quality animal protein and grains” and “We start with the finest WholePrey ingredients from both fresh and raw animal sources.” And the press release made claims about testing of the pet food – “The scientifically-tested and validated ORIJEN AMAZING GRAINS™ premium dog food diets…”
Based on these press release claims, we sent the following simple questions to Champion Pet Food on 5/9/22:
Your press release regarding the launch of Orijen Amazing Grains dog food makes several claims about ‘quality proteins’. What does your statement of quality proteins mean? Are animal protein ingredients USDA inspected and passed for human consumption?
The press release also states “The scientifically-tested and validated ORIJEN AMAZING GRAINS™ premium dog food diets…” What scientific tests were performed? How was the food validated/what was validated?
Two days later Champion responded stating they would “put some information together for you“.
On 5/19 Champion provided the following response – which provided many details about their pet food (that we didn’t ask about), but no answer if animal protein ingredients are USDA inspected and passed for human consumption.
“ORIJEN Amazing Grains diets are formulated for dogs, with meat, fish, and poultry ingredients from federally licensed (such as USDA and NOAA) facilities that must have implemented a HACCP-based food safety system. Meat, fish, and poultry ingredients must be sourced from animals that are not condemned, diseased, or that have died otherwise than by slaughter.
Amazing Grains diets contain approximately 90% Animal Ingredients, calculated based on the unprocessed state of the ingredients. Our animal ingredients include approximately 2/3 fresh and raw ingredients, with fresh being preserved by refrigeration and raw referring to frozen. These ingredients provide the moisture content needed for extrusion, provide great palatability, and have the benefit of only being cooked once. Dried animal ingredients are made according to our unique specifications so that we can control the ash level in a high protein ingredient.
Together our fresh, raw, and dried ingredients provide bio available sources of animal protein and fats, all essential amino acids from animal sources, along with much of the vitamin and mineral content needed to provide a balanced diet.
ORIJEN Amazing Grains recipes underwent multiple rigorous scientific tests at a 3rd party facility. These tests included:
- Complete nutritional and fiber analysis
- Total Dietary Fiber
- Insoluble and soluble fiber
- And over 100 other nutrients analyzed
- Digestion validation through an at home feeding study which assessed ORIJEN Amazing Grains diets vs other top selling grain-based kibble competitors. These assessments were done at 3rd party facilities.
- In home experience
- Taste
- Consumption assessments
- Total protein, fat and caloric digestibility
- Stool scores of our ORIJEN Amazing Grain diets vs other top selling grain-based kibble competitors at a 3rd party facility.
Through these tests, it was found that ORIJEN AMAZING GRAINS premium dog food diets were highly digestible (protein >87% and fat >91%) and demonstrated good stool and digestion results.”
As reminder, we asked Champion two questions – are animal protein ingredients USDA inspected and passed for human consumption and what tests were performed and how was the pet food validated as the press release claims? Champion provided explanation to tests and their validation claim – but they did not directly respond if animal protein ingredients were human grade.
We asked again – you didn’t answer directly if animal protein ingredients are sourced from USDA inspected and passed sources. Can you provide me with that information?
Champion responded to our follow up question on 5/27 stating:
“The fresh and raw animal ingredients that we use are sourced from federally inspected (e.g. USDA in US) facilities. In the U.S., the USDA inspectors and veterinarians inspects these ingredients through ante and post mortem inspections within such facilities.
The facilities processing our dry animal ingredients are federally licensed (such as USDA and NOAA) facilities. This means the USDA, NOAA etc. inspects and licenses only the facilities. Also please note the raw materials for dry animals ingredients are sourced from federally inspected facilities (such as USDA and NOAA).”
And again Champion did not directly answer our question. We did not ask if the facilities they source ingredients from are licensed or inspected. We asked if the actual ingredients their press release claimed were high quality are human grade. Their response stating ingredients are sourced “from federally inspected facilities” does not guarantee the actual ingredients are inspected and passed human grade. Adulterated ingredients also come ‘from’ federal inspected facilities.
There are two quality of ingredients in pet food – human grade or feed grade. Human grade ingredients meet every legal safety standard of food, feed grade ingredients do not. Companies that claim ‘high quality’ ingredients (and most of them do) but use feed grade ingredients are misleading pet owners.
Ingredient quality – human grade or feed grade – should be required to be disclosed on the pet food label, easy for all pet owners to see. However thus far FDA refuses to make that requirement of pet food manufacturers.
Personal opinion: I appreciate that Champion Pet Food responded to our questions, some brands have ignored our questions all together. It remains unfortunate that this brand (and others) don’t disclose to pet owners if ingredients are human grade or feed grade. The very least manufacturers can do is ‘own it’. If you choose to use feed grade, disclose that information to pet owners. Stop claiming high quality when/if you are using feed grade (which is NOT high quality).
Should Champion Pet Food clarify ingredient quality – their response will be shared.
Wishing you and your pet the best –
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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Laurie Raymond
June 1, 2022 at 1:17 pm
When Champion was new and they had much less cagey marketing materials and you could check up on them, they made good products. But after I carried them for a couple of years, they began to lie, often. To their distributors and retailers. And their marketing began to rely on fulsome descriptions like the above that sound so great but actually say so little. This is what happens when a company goes big and puts all their resources into marketing instead of ingredients and good manufacturing processes.
Teresa
June 1, 2022 at 3:35 pm
I am still waiting for an update about Wellness since I was feeding Wellness Core Senior but stopped until they decide to answer your questions.
T Allen
June 1, 2022 at 9:17 pm
Of course it’s not human grade, we all know that. It’s disappointing that that they think they can lie to people and people won’t know. They can refuse to answer questions which is obviously deceitful but stating ” Meat, fish, and poultry ingredients must be sourced from animals that are not condemned, diseased, or that have died otherwise than by slaughter.” has to be a lie unless they are using human grade meats. Everything coming out of a USDA inspection product is either humane grade or condemned for human use. It might be perfectly good for animals but it’s still been condemned. And I guarantee an animal that broke it’s leg in transit and fails pre-inspection/ is condemned will become pet food. Someday there will be a lawsuit and the lies will stop.
Sue Hayes
June 1, 2022 at 11:19 pm
Thanks so much for your awesome persistence, Susan!