While they are not telling pet food consumers directly, the pet food industry has been publicly discussing ingredient shortages. Their words leave us wondering exactly what changes are being made in pet food and if/how they will affect our pets.
In a PetFoodProcessing.com post, General Mills (Blue Buffalo) stated (bold added for emphasis): “So, we have literally hundreds of disruptions in our supply chains, and it really changes on a daily and weekly basis.”
From another PetFoodProcessing.com post (bold added for emphasis): “some wet pet food manufacturers that use co-packers are struggling with things like the quality of the product and the amount of demand.”
The Pet Food Institute gave a statement to the USDA specifically regarding supply chain issues. They told the USDA the pandemic has “hit U.S. pet food makers with higher costs and reduced availability of key ingredients…”
Quotes from the Pet Food Institute statement (bold added for emphasis):
“The disruptions to human food production, beginning in March 2020, quickly led to the reduced availability or unavailability of plant- and animal-origin ingredients that pet food makers require to make a variety of safe, nutritious pet food products.”
“Our members are forecasting dwindling access to these ingredients by the end this year. Left unchecked, these incentives and drivers for growth of demand for renewable fuels will continue to distort markets for food inputs, effectively making these critical pet food inputs inaccessible for many pet food makers and forcing companies to develop product formulations primarily based more on ingredient access than on ideal complete and balanced formulation considerations.”
So where does all of the supply chain concerns industry has publicly admitted to leave pet owners?
One concern is we are left in a position to guess. While industry has admitted in a statement to the USDA pet food formulations are being ‘forced’ to change, we are not aware of any company being fully transparent with pet owners regarding formulation changes.
Changes due to supply chain issues could be simple such as ingredient supplier substitutions. As example, it could be a manufacturer has sourced an ingredient from supplier ‘A’ for years, and they are now forced to go to supplier ‘B’. Perhaps the new supplier is trusted and/or has a quality reputation, but the cost is higher. Or it could be manufacturers are sourcing from a supplier that is not as trusted and would be used as a last resort to keep the same ingredients in the pet food/the same formula.
If proper testing is performed on new supplier ingredients, this shouldn’t be a problem for the pets consuming that food. But, if proper testing is not performed on the new ingredients, pets could end up paying a price for inferior ingredients.
Another possibility could be ingredient substitutions are made. As example, the formulation changes the Pet Food Institute was talking about (‘unavailability of animal origin ingredients’) could be manufacturers using pork instead of chicken even though the pet food is labeled as a chicken based food. Many different substitutions could be made and it could change from batch to batch as indicated by the statement from General Mills: “we have literally hundreds of disruptions in our supply chains, and it really changes on a daily and weekly basis.”
Without full disclosure on any ingredient substitutions, pets sensitive to diet changes or allergies could end up suffering health consequences.
Another possible concern is insufficient protein or fat percentages in a batch of pet food. The Pet Food Institute statement from above – “growth of demand for renewable fuels will continue to distort markets for food inputs, effectively making these critical pet food inputs inaccessible for many pet food makers” – was also mentioned at the January 2022 AAFCO meeting by the Pet Food Institute. The trade association complained at the meeting that the rendering industry was selling fats to the biodiesel industry putting many pet food manufacturers at a disadvantage to source feed grade fats. Thus we wonder if some manufacturers are not meeting the require minimum percentages of difficult to source ingredients such as protein and fat.
Again, without full disclosure by manufacturers, pets could be consuming unbalanced diets and could suffer health consequences.
What can pet owners do?
Ask your manufacturer if they are having any issues with sourcing ingredients. Ask if/when ingredients are sourced from a new supplier, if testing is performed on those ingredients. Ask if they ever substitute ingredients if ingredients listed on the label are unavailable. Ask your manufacturer to post any changes they are forced to make due to supply issues on their website – we need to encourage their transparency.
Pay attention to what is normal for your pet. If normal behavior is cleaning the bowl in 10 seconds or less – and they suddenly seem slow to eat, pay close attention. Have a backup pet food ready, just in case.
And don’t hesitate to consult with your veterinarian should any health concern arise.
Wishing you and your pet the best –
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Become a member of our pet food consumer Association. Association for Truth in Pet Food is a a stakeholder organization representing the voice of pet food consumers at AAFCO and with FDA. Your membership helps representatives attend meetings and voice consumer concerns with regulatory authorities. Click Here to learn more.
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 5,000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Click Here to preview Petsumer Report. www.PetsumerReport.com
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
The 2022 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here to learn more.
Susan
March 15, 2022 at 10:53 am
Is it just me? or does it seem like the higher end raw/freeze dried, etc. seem to be pretty consistent with availability. I see the shortages at the grocery store for the low end stuff, but it appears that the high-end pet stores still have plenty of product.
Anne
March 15, 2022 at 7:55 pm
not sure about that one as it’s been very difficult for me to get any of my cats Farmina wet food on a consistent basis. Chewy has only been getting my flavors in maybe once a month, which makes feeding my senior diabetic felines challenging as I”m not paying the ripoff Amazon prices that are selling Farmina cans for over $44 a case (which is double the retail price).
Cathy Williams
March 15, 2022 at 11:41 am
I have noticed in the last few months my cats are turning their noses up at the Friskies Pate I’ve been feeding. I buy from Walmart, Amazon and Chewys, I guess I should have checked the Lot numbers, see if all the same batch. I home cook for my dog.
TKO
March 15, 2022 at 12:27 pm
As a former employee of an independent retailer, I can attest that we would often receive 50% of what we ordered from a distributor. The employees of our store told customer’s about supply chain issues… only to have the public be rude, argue with us, and blame us for not having their products in stock. So when you purchase from your local store, believe them, stay at least 1 month ahead of your dog’s food supply (and don’t wait until you are completely out to go to the store), and stop living with a “the world revolves around me” attitude. BTW The customer who came in before you, purchased the last 2 bags of the same product (because he stays 2 months ahead of his dog’s food).
As for the qualities of ingredients in a food… the real question is do you trust the brand? If you are reluctant to say yes, find one you do. And if you rely on one product… ask yourself, do you only source your own meals from one manufacturer? Have a backup food for your dog (and yes, I have a dog with a sensitive stomach and GI tract so don’t tell me it can’t be done).
Sally
March 15, 2022 at 12:47 pm
So unless we make our own food, there is no manufacturer we can trust. The nightmare keeps getting worse.
Amy
March 15, 2022 at 12:51 pm
Do you feel like the industry is taking or both sides of its mouth? They are talking about shortages on one hand, but on the other hand Mars is expanding they’re wet food factory and Fresh Pet (which is like feeding bologna) posted record data. Which is it? Growth or shortage? Maybe it’s both – they are using substitute ingredients and realizing more profit while our pets eat more garbage.
Tina
March 15, 2022 at 1:03 pm
Thanks so much for posting this. I learn a lot of new info from your posts that I don’t get elsewhere.
michael
March 15, 2022 at 1:30 pm
This is why I rawfeed human food (and I am picky that if we do not eat it, neither do my dogs). This is not always a guarantee but it is better than the pet industry.
Nova
March 15, 2022 at 6:35 pm
I have been feeding my cats friskies canned food for decades without a problem. This past 2 months, my tabby girl was hospitalized twice. Throwing up & loose stool left her dangerously dehydrated. I switched them all to fancy feast. No more symptoms or problems. I will never feed them friskies again.
Sally Arany
March 16, 2022 at 8:32 am
You think Fancy Feast is better than Friskies? Please read many more of Susan’s articles. I’m glad your cat is better, but her diet matters a lot.