At the suggestion of a pet owner, I recently took a closer look at Full Moon pet food. The label states this is a human grade pet food. It is manufactured by Purdue Farms and sells online for about $7.50 a pound.
The pet food website states the food is formulated as Complete and Balanced per AAFCO Nutrient Profiles for Adult Maintenance. And the website discloses the Turkey Recipe contains 137.5 kcal per cup.
Coincidentally (or not), the Full Moon Chicken Recipe and the Beef Recipe contains the exact same kcal per cup…137.5 kcal per cup.
This is a cooked, sold frozen pet food. The Guaranteed Analysis states the pet food contains a minimum of 10% protein, a minimum of 8% fat, and a maximum moisture of 73%.
When you look at the pet food – as displayed on the Full Moon website – it appears to be a bowl full of pieces of meat with small chunks of vegetables.
The ingredients of this pet food bring some questions. Ingredients are (Turkey Recipe): “Turkey, Turkey Liver, Turkey Bone Broth, Spinach, Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Blueberry, Cassava, Carrageenan, Vinegar, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Rosemary Extract, Dicalcium Phosphate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Fish Oil.”
Why is Cassava and Carrageenan included in this pet food? Both ingredients are thickeners and commonly used in high moisture pet foods (such as canned pet foods).
In looking at the food again, where are the supplements? (Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Rosemary Extract, Dicalcium Phosphate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide.) Are they added loosely in the pet food or is what appears to be chunks of turkey actually a fabricated/reconstituted meat and supplements are included in the slurry?
Questions were sent to Full Moon – via their website – asking if the meats in the pet foods are fabricated meats? We asked the company to explain how the supplements were included in the pet food and if the meat ingredient was fabricated, were the supplements included in the pre-cooked slurry?
Full Moon did not respond to our questions.
Wikipedia describes a reconstituted meat as: “A reconstituted meat, meat slurry, or emulsified meat is a liquefied meat product that contains fewer fats, pigments and less myoglobin than unprocessed dark meats. Meat slurry is more malleable than dark meats and eases the process of meat distribution as pipelines may be used. Meat slurry is not designed to sell for general consumption; rather, it is used as a meat supplement in food products for humans, such as chicken nuggets, and food for domestic animals.“
We don’t know if the Full Moon pet food is made with fabricated or reconstituted meat, but if it is…should that be disclosed to pet owners?
Is it misleading consumers to portray a pet food as chunks of cooked meat if the pet food is actually chunks of fabricated meat product made to look almost identical to cooked meat?
Should Full Moon Pet Food provide a response to our questions, they will be added to this post when received.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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Carolyn
September 7, 2023 at 12:15 pm
Anything produced by Purdue Farms is questionable in my opinion. I don’t guy their products for my consumption.
Bunny
September 7, 2023 at 1:54 pm
People by now should be preparing their pets’ meals at home using locally sourced organic products and with a balancing vitamin and mineral supplement. There is a ton of information out there how to do just that. And an increasing number of holistic veterinarians helping people with creating an excellent nutritional choice for their dog, cat, bird, ferret, or small fuzzy. Yes, you can do it, yes it’s more affordable even if you stick with 100 percent organic ingredients. People need to get it through their heads that the pet food manufacturers ARE NOT INTERESTED in your pet’s health except for the lies they spout in advertising which glosses over the EVIL they are actually doing. It is profit over pets. Catch a clue! IT IS PROFIT OVER PETS EVERY TIME!
CHUCK LINKER
September 8, 2023 at 1:33 am
THANK YOU BUNNY !
MANY OF US HOPE FOR SOME CHANGE OF THOUGHT OF THE FDA.
IT IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY.
I WONDER IF IMMEDIATE CHANGES WOULD BEGIN RE: INGREDIENTS, WOULD MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WANT TO FOLLOW THROUGH & IMPROVE THE HEALTH
OF THEIR PETS ?
CONVENIENCE IS THE DIRTY WORD. AMERICANS WILL NOT SACRIFICE THAT.
Robin
September 7, 2023 at 2:22 pm
Without a closer look, it does appear to be potentially reconstituted product just based on the uniformity of the color of the “chunks” (nuggets?) and that they all look like they were cut off the same uniform thickness perfectly sized slab. And I guess I would dare to also ask if the meat slurries (ugh…) came from human graded USDA meat sources, who is doing the actual preparation, in house or is it leftovers from Mickey D’s giant nugget machines or Wienerschnitzels giant wiener machines? $7.50 a lb has an awful lot of profit potential built in even if it’s actual cooked meat chunks. And yeah, thickening agents pretty ensures it’s reconstituted…..slurry.
T Allen
September 8, 2023 at 2:12 pm
I realize for liability reasons you can’t state that that picture doesn’t show real meat, but I can and will. There is no way that is not either a very finely ground product (think bologna), pink slime or reconstituted product. Google pics of any cubed or sliced meat and you’ll see why. There is no striation, no marbling of fat, no difference in color (white/dark muscle), etc etc. That and the fact that all recipes with meat are exactly the same? The huge problem I see (besides the fact it’s labeled “human grade”) is if it is labeled chicken and you buy it because your dog is allergic to beef, and it contains beef…. Hope they have a good attorney. 🙁
Rosemary MacKenzie
September 10, 2023 at 9:54 am
For that price, you can go to the grocery store, buy real meat from many species, plus veg, make your own. Research the ca, additional vit/min requirements if any. It is very easy and a complete no brainer. I’ve been doing it for years. “Pet” food companies are there for profit and hopefully not poisoning any of their customers – but that is secondary.
Advantage is that you actually know what your dog and cat friends are eating. Oh, and you save money too – not just on the food but on vet visits. Oh, and if you need a vet, find a good holistic/integrative vet. The veterinary college types are just too narrow and nowadays tend not to be clinicians.