Finding a quality pet food is often easier said than done. One of the reasons selecting a pet food can be so challenging is due to the unique ‘language’ of pet food, a language that is VERY different than the language of human food. Terms and ingredients that we (pet owners) are familiar with in our food often mean something completely different in a pet food.
To trust your pet’s life with a pet food, it is often necessary to become bilingual; speaking ‘pet food language’ as well as human food language.
TruthaboutPetFood.com is providing a booklet for pet owners that translates some of the pet food language into commonly understood language.
Click Here to access our Tips to Selecting a Pet Food booklet.
Please feel free to share the booklet with other pet owners.
Hoping it helps you speak pet food –
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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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 2025 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here to learn more.
The 2024/25 Treat List
Susan’s List of trusted pet treat manufacturers. Click Here to learn more.
Caroline Snyder
May 6, 2025 at 5:28 pm
Thank you for putting this together Susan.
Just one thing, and it is in regard to “EXTRUSION”. There are TWO types of extrusion. Almost all kibble production uses SINGLE AUGER EXTRUSION. Here, temperatures can reach 350-400F, resulting in extreme degradation of some ingredients, including Taurine, and the formation of Acrylamides which form when pet (and human) foods rich in carbohydrates and low in protein are cooked at high temperatures (above 248°F), such as during frying, baking, or roasting. The compound Asparagine, with the Sugars that are found in starchy foods like potatoes, grains, under these temps, react and produce pro-inflammatory, cancer-causing Acrylamides. OK, that will also apply to the “Baked” or even “Gently Baked” kibble.
However, TWIN AUGER EXTRUSION is a very different beastie. It is used in commercial Italian dried pasta production to turn Pasta Flour, Water and Salt into Pasta Shapes. The temperature never reaches even 200F. Well below the boiling point of water. Have you EVER seen burnt pasta shapes? No? That is why.. so, where am I going with this?
The Italian company FARMINA uses not just human grade ingredients, and Non-GMO fed animals (NO carcinogenic Round-Up Neither) in its kibble, but they also use TWIN AUGER EXTRUSION. It takes longer, but the end result does not receive the heat damage that other kibbles get. They then use a vacuum process to apply fragile ingredients and oils to the kibble when it cools.. these get “sucked in’ to the kibble. At that point, ALL air is removed and inert NITROGEN replaces it. You notice sometimes that the kibble appears “moist” and the pieces stick together. This is the oils re-appearing on the surface after the vacuum removes the air with its damaging Oxygen.
Anyways, these days I avoid ALL US-made products unless they state “ORGANIC”, as the US standards for animal welfare are dreadful; even the “Certified Humane” standard wouldn’t pass muster back in the UK and even “Organic” is watered-down compared to UK standards!
Even though the finished FARMINA dry food cannot be CALLED human grade, being made in a commercial pet food, rather than a human food facility, It is my go-too for 20 cats and, man, are those critters healthy!
Susan Thixton
May 7, 2025 at 7:44 am
Farmina now has a pet food plant in the US – I believe South Carolina.
Caroline Snyder
May 8, 2025 at 10:44 pm
I have heard that a plant is being built somewhere in North Carolina and that it will be fully functional in 2028, manufacturing pet food for the US and Canadian markets. My concern is that the quality WILL go downhill.. with 98% of animals fed GMO and Round-Uploaded food in CAFO facilities in the US. The company says that they will continue with the same high standards. I can’t see them importing Italian grass-raised Boar or Pastured Duck to be honest so I am not holding my breath! Rather like the debacle when Champion Foods opened its US production facilities. The ingredients took a very steep nosedive, barely resembling the Canadian Orijen and Acana Dry Foods.