Rachael Ray’s Nutrish Pet Food has been named “the fastest growing US Pet Food brand”. Why? Could it be marketing? Could it be celebrity endorsement? Or is it the fact that FDA and State Department of Agriculture does not enforce law?
The press release about the pet food growth states “Euromonitor International Limited has determined that, Rachael Ray Nutrish is the fastest growing US Pet Food brand among brands in excess of $200 million in annual sales in 2016. The claim comes after the brand accomplished its most successful year to date, with sales up 49 percent in 2016 vs. the previous year.”
Why would this pet food be the fastest growing US brand?
First – Rachael Ray Nutrish is a feed grade pet food. It is not food – it is feed. There’s a difference.
Human grade pet food is made with ‘food’ ingredients, the very same quality of ingredients sold in grocery stores all across the US. AAFCO defines human grade as “Every ingredient and the resulting product are stored, handled, processed, and transported in a manner that is consistent and compliant with regulations for current good manufacturing practices for human edible foods.”
Feed grade pet food – on the other hand – is NOT the same quality of ingredients sold in grocery stores. Feed grade is defined by AAFCO as: “Material that has been determined to be safe, functional, and suitable for its intended use in animal food, is handled and labeled appropriately, and conforms to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act unless otherwise expressly permitted by the appropriate state or federal agency (suitable for use in animal feed).”
In other words…feed grade pet foods are legal…unless they aren’t legal…and by the way, many are not legal. Feed grade pet foods are openly allowed by FDA and each State Department of Agriculture to violate federal and state law.
As example of illegal…
The Rachael Ray Nutrish Super Premium Food for Dogs Real Chicken & Veggies Recipe…
…states on the pet food label it is made with “real chicken”. But the reality is that it is made with ‘real pet food chicken’.
If this was a human food, the “real chicken” stated on the label would mean USDA inspected and approved chicken meat. But this is not human food (and not human grade pet food), this is a feed grade pet food allowed to use ‘pet food chicken’. Pet food chicken (unless it is human grade pet food) is very different than human food chicken.
The legal definition of ‘chicken’ in pet food allows it to be sourced from USDA inspected and approved chicken (human grade) OR chicken skin and bones – little to no meat OR USDA inspected and condemned chicken. Condemned chicken is a violation of federal law. But…illegal chicken is allowed in pet food – “expressly permitted by the appropriate state or federal agency” (from the definition of feed grade – appropriate state or federal agency allowing the violation are FDA and each State Department of Agriculture). All three of these options are “Real Chicken” in pet food.
A consumer purchasing a pet food made with feed grade ingredients does not know what type of chicken is in the pet food. It could be made with chicken that abides by law (USDA inspected and approved) or it could be made with feed grade pet food chicken sourced from USDA condemned chicken that does NOT abide by law.
Is this pet food ‘the fastest growing brand in the US’ because most consumers don’t understand or even know a different definition of chicken (pet food chicken) exists?
Or is this pet food ‘the fastest growing brand’ because of the marketing of all the “Real Ingredients” – appearing to look just like prime human food ingredients? From the Nutrish website…
Remember, ‘real’ ingredients in feed grade pet food have their own legal definitions very different than human food (and very different than the images on the Nutrish website). Remember, “appropriate state or federal agencies” DO NOT enforce law with pet food and openly allow illegal ingredients. And remember that regulatory authorities DO NOT enforce laws governing pet food websites (all regulatory authorities ignore the false and misleading claims). Is this marketing of ‘real’ ingredients the reason for this pet food being the fastest growing brand? Is lack of enforcement of laws, lack of enforcement of website/marketing regulations the reason this pet food is the fastest growing?
Or is this pet food brand ‘the fastest growing brand in the US’ because of celebrity endorsement with further marketing of ‘real’ pet food ingredients?
It could be that Rachel Ray Nutrish Pet Food uses the same prime quality ingredients as they advertise…but that’s unlikely. Boneless chicken breast – as displayed on the Nutrish label – “averages $3.18 a pound nationally” (retail – according to Coupons.com). Chewy.com sells Rachel Ray Nutrish Super Premium Food for Dogs Real Chicken & Veggies Recipe for about $1.00 a pound (again – retail). The numbers don’t add up.
So what do you think? Why is this feed grade pet food the fastest growing US brand?
Until law is enforced in pet food – all laws – consumers are going to be misled by slick marketing.
Opinion: I don’t know how ANYONE at FDA or ANYONE at any State Department of Agriculture can look at themselves in the mirror knowing they allow millions of consumers to be lied to.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
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 4,000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Click Here to preview Petsumer Report. www.PetsumerReport.com
The 2017 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here
Have you read Buyer Beware? Click Here
Cooking pet food made easy, Dinner PAWsible
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
Batzion
May 5, 2017 at 11:10 am
Susan, this is somewhat off topic, but I’m posting this story about Party Animal that I pulled off Viral Nova this morning. It contains Party Animal’s full statement re the samples tainted with pentobarbital, and I honestly don’t recall if you posted it previously or not. If so, my apologies: http://www.viralnova.com/dog-food-recall/
landsharkinnc
May 5, 2017 at 11:37 am
I would give my right arm ( well maybe my left! ) to ask her if she has ever, personally SEEN the meat/veggies that go into the product she sells!! You KNOW she has not! She stands up there on that ‘food’ show of hers and talks about ‘fresh, healthy, organic, yadayadayada’ ingredients that she’s putting into what ever recipe she’s preparing — and the c**p she sells to feed a dog is not even as good as the peelings/left overs that she cooks with!
Debi
May 5, 2017 at 12:29 pm
I would give my left arm to know if she feeds this total CRAP to her dog???????
T Allen
May 5, 2017 at 12:04 pm
I posted on her website about two years ago with references and a comment about the garbage status of her food per Dog Food Advisor. Considering 5 star food is bad anything less than 5 star shouldn’t even be considered! Within about 2-3 months they were advertising a “new” improved no corn, wheat, soy version. Moved them from a 1 star to the current 2.5 to 4 depending on the food. It’s all celebrity and we need to try and educate her.
Gretchen Kuhns
May 5, 2017 at 12:11 pm
Doubtful that they purchase chicken at retail price – more likely wholesale which is considerably less expensive. I agree with most of the points made but that struck me as slightly misleading
Susan Thixton
May 5, 2017 at 12:13 pm
I compared retail price to retail price. I’m sure they purchase wholesale, but I couldn’t compare wholesale price of chicken to wholesale price of pet food (I don’t know the wholesale price of the pet food).
Sharon Bilotta-Testa
May 5, 2017 at 12:33 pm
Just because a product has a beautiful picture of a wholesome awesome product or because a “celebrity endorses it DOES NOT mean nor is it awesome!! I’m sure the package costs more to make then whats inside!
Lynn Marie Utecht
May 5, 2017 at 12:36 pm
It’s all celebrity. We need to educate her. If Rachel Ray only listens to money and not facts, then we have to educate her customers…
Reader
May 5, 2017 at 12:55 pm
Why? The answer is simple. Nobody can begin to imagine what really goes into PF. Somebody should post on their FB page those pictures of the 3 grades of chicken posted above. And ask, if you can’t buy human grade chicken for the price of a bag of PF, then what makes you think they’re using anything but condemned chicken in the bag?
Oh, …. and anybody who lets their DOG run around on top of their food counters (even in a commercial) doesn’t have the slightest concept of ….. healthy. Or not!
Peter
May 5, 2017 at 1:48 pm
We must examine the societal phenomena, through which the consumer simply allows the deception that is not only this brand, but innumerable others, in the way that the ingredients are pictured on the packaging and in advertising. The problem is, most every reasonable consumer must really KNOW that the pictures do not represent what is in the bag. As you say, the math doesn’t add up, and beyond that, it simply cannot add up… and even ignorant consumers cannot fail to make that connection. Why do consumers who may be demanding is every other way of their day-to-day decision-making, give pet foods, as a category, a “pass” to very openly deceive them?
Susan Thixton
May 5, 2017 at 2:06 pm
Last weekend I gave two talks to pet food consumers. The first one was mostly unknowing consumers, the second was mostly educated consumers. Of both groups – before I talked – I asked them what do these types of pictures of meat mean to them when on a pet food label – what is that image saying to you? Of the unknowing consumers – almost every person said they believed picture meant that is what is in the pet food – that’s what the picture meant. Of the educated consumers, most knew it was deception, but all felt like it SHOULD mean that is what is in the product. I’ve found that most all consumers don’t realize there are two types of ingredients (food or feed) and they believe the marketing OR they believe the marketing should be truthful (even when they recognize it is not).
VitalVet
May 6, 2017 at 1:27 pm
That unknowing “hopeful understanding” was my bet, too. It’s what Dr. Randy Wysong predicated his pet food makers law suit on.
Of course, the companies being sued are quick to defend themselves, saying, “Oh, no one would be deceived by our labels showing prime cuts of meat!”
Yeah, right. But, a real picture of what goes in the bag for protein would sure result in a whole lot less sales, now wouldn’t it?
Deb Jones
May 5, 2017 at 3:19 pm
When Rachel Ray first came out with her brand I wrote her company and pointed out menadione is not a premium ingredient and would they consider not putting it in their food…I got a very unfriendly, rude response…that is was a safe ingredient and I didn’t know anything about pet food etc. So, I have shared with anyone interested that this is a pet food not to be considered…no reason to put menadione in any dog food ever.
Amanda Hutchison
May 5, 2017 at 4:21 pm
omg!!!! will be changing my babies food ASAP!!!!
Debbie D
May 10, 2017 at 2:42 am
I recommend you feed homemade diet. forget pet foods. they are all horrible.
Regina
May 5, 2017 at 10:27 pm
Rachael Ray is a celebrity. She is a celebrity in the cooking/food arena. She sells all kinds of stuff for the kitchen, anything food-related. She is expanding her brand and raking in money from so many products. How much of her stuff is made in China??? Things are made in China because it’s cheaper do make stuff there than to pay a living wage to an American citizen.
A lot of celebrities come out with products with their names on them. Most of them are made in China, or some other cheap-labor place because the celebrity gets a bigger profit, buy cheap, sell high. Rachael Ray is just expanding the array of products she is slapping her name on. She’s earning a lot of money on “human food” products, so someone had the bright idea to hook her name onto a “food for the human’s pets”.
You won’t see her whipping up a batch of this stuff on her show!!! That food is not even “made” by Rachael Ray. Yeah, some celebrity chef is gonna ground up a bunch of corn and wheat, throw in some meaty flavor, and create these pebbles of “food” Hah!
That pet food (feed) is made by Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, who, according to their website, have been in business for 75 years. She was probably approached by them, and her name was added to get instant brand-recognition.
I never buy anything with a celebrity’s name branded on it. They are already a celebrity, they don’t need any more recognition (or dollars) from ME!
This is all about celebrity cashing in on their name-recognition, and getting richer every day.
Sadly, there are so many people who are celebrity-obsessed, and it makes all logic go out the window.
Christine Sauer
May 5, 2017 at 11:17 pm
Was wondering if y’all think most vets know what is really in pet food or are they as uneducated as many other consumers. I used to be clueless and would ask them questions about food and brands only to get non-commital answers. Once I started really educating myself about pet food/feed I have to say I felt a bit betrayed . Now when bringing up things I have learned, still getting non-commital responses so not sure if they know how bad it is and don’t want to let on or if they don’t know the reality. Very frustrating! Has anyone else had those experiences?
tag
May 6, 2017 at 12:59 am
I tried this food ONCE several years ago. My dogs wouldn’t touch it. I trust them. They know what is food and what isn’t. They much prefer a raw diet from grass raised animals, bone, skin included. My own garden veggies and my own eggs from pastured chickens. Rachel’s food is just another buck toss from people that don’t really give a care about our babies.
Rhonda
May 6, 2017 at 8:44 am
So what is a good brand of dog food/cat food?
lesliek
May 6, 2017 at 9:55 am
Not defending the quality of this food , it stinks like most brands do . However jumping on RR about making money from it is incorrect. They keep enough to pay for it’s production & the rest goes to animal charities. Her own dog is adopted & she was trying to raise money for other animals needing a home . I would prefer to see it done with a quality product, but at least she is trying to help . Hopefully she will continue to improve the foods ingredients if we all keep writing in .
Debbie D
May 10, 2017 at 2:44 am
So kill all the family owned pets and save the ones in need? makes no sense to me..just saying. its wrong to sell crappy food. you can raise funds in other ways. No need to give her (RR) any credit at all. Changes need to happen.
Marie
May 6, 2017 at 7:12 pm
Most dry cat and dog foods are crap. I feed mine canned foods and some raw scraps of meat, but mostly raw fruits and veggies. Do your due diligence about finding a quality dog food. There are many sites that assist in this information and educational knowledge.
Reader
May 7, 2017 at 6:47 am
Sorry, am always a little skeptical of celebrity endorsements, because marketing is such a powerful (and tempting) tool! I read the Forbes article. https://www.forbes.com/sites/meggentaylor/2016/06/20/nutrish-rachael-rays-pet-food-comes-with-a-heaping-dash-of-philanthropy/#44a22d5012c9 It is very flattering as it makes RR appear warm and fuzzy.
But to make a point, I wanted to upload the image shown in that article, of the dog eating a bowl of PF. The dish shows one side is PF, and the other side, a slice of chicken with a helping of veggies. Unfortunately wordpress (here) doesn’t allow for images to be uploaded into this space. But the picture is useful for making a point. Meaning, if a celebrity is going to be giving away money for particular causes, then the source of that income had better be plenty profitable!
So we’re left to ask. Which is a better service? To support rescues and shelters? Or to feed pets in the best possible way? You be the judge. Because I’m not sure any means always justifies the end. And to the point, I think the picture featured in the article is definitely unfair. And distorts the real message. No PF (unless all the ingredients are certified for human consumption, etc.) is that good a quality, as RR makes it look, especially when she has those dogs deceptively romping through her working kitchen, around all that food. At least, I would hope a notable celebrity chef doesn’t have dogs romping throughout her work area. But the point is this. She holds a particularly notable position in the minds of people who admire her knowledge of healthy eating. Which is fine. But why not apply those principles to healthy eating for dogs? And rescue and shelter dogs deserve no less. Though I clearly understand the principle of over population in those facilities.
RR in fact “could” use her platform to begin the education of many consumers as to the real science of PF! THAT would be a noble and intellectually philanthropic proposition. I remember Dick Van Patten (after 2007) taking the same stance in terms of offering a product he was willing to put his name on. And probably to the best of his understanding, the product may have taken higher safeguards than average, though it subsequently came to be recalled regarding a few of the recipes. What I think is more the case, is that the family of, and the celebrity involved here, of those various franchises (Patten, Newman, RR) are channeling opportunity from a niche market, by trading on their already established reputations. We (as consumers) should be more exacting in our expectation of these people and their companies.
Paul
October 6, 2018 at 11:36 pm
So what should I feed my dog? Im sure I’m not alone in saying I can not afford to feed him $200 worth of food every month. He is a black lab and is right under 100lbs he loves the Rachel ray food/feed. He looks and acts healthy and when I got him from the pound they were feeding him junk that went right through him, and his poop looks much healthier now. I feed him 2 cups twice a day with treats and he runs a few miles every day with me…. Pike the pound dog is my best friend, and I want him to be healthy and happy so any suggestions that are realistic and affordable are appreciated
Concerned
October 7, 2018 at 11:58 am
There isn’t a single “brand name” of a commercial PF that will save the day! Rotation is really the key.
Kibble is 50% filler. When filler is made from toxic ingredients, garbage from the retail supply chain, moldy, rotting, heavily GMO’d (i.e. corn) then your money is wasted anyway. At the very least, a large (and very beautiful) dog like a Lab will become arthritic (due to inflammation) along with other ailments. Avoid carcinogenic additives (coloring, flavoring, preservatives like ethoxyquin), also undefined by-products, vague meat meal!! Hard to recommend something, when it’s unclear what you’re already feeding. Very hard to dissuade owners from major Mega-Brands anyway. GOOGLE Mega-brands to discover what pet owners are experiencing. Peas and legumes are NOT acceptable filler substitutes. Avoid “Grain Free” (and rice) if you can. Move towards a trusted Family run business (but not the “excessively over-priced” one you are assuming. Do a search on that label).
So start with incremental steps. On TAPF there’s a search feature. Search on what you’re already feeding. Identify those red flags. Avoid them in the next product you choose. The Petsumer Report,gives all kinds of details. Decide what ingredients you can live with or not. Nothing is perfect. Obtain the 2018 List (to find out why) they are the only brands Susan would feed. If doesn’t mean you have to use them, just why they are better products than others.
If I’m going to use a commercial PF, I prefer strictly “Limited Ingredient” product. Which means a smaller range of ingredients are problematic.
When it comes to PROTEIN, the rule must be USDA Inspected and Approved.
Manufactured in a Plant which is under inspection and oversight. Call the manufacture to verify their standards in an email. Manufacturers can say whatever they want over the phone, and on a website, but not on the package label, or when they sign-off on it. Takes time, but well worth the effort, considering your dog’s lifetime.
Finally fresh meat (fit for human consumption) is always better! Costco has incredibly affordable options. I use their Stew Meat chunks (trimmings of good cuts). Very, very minimally baked. Invest in a Supplement (with proper Vit / Min / Calcium ratio) for dogs!! Cottage Cheese and eggs have good protein (not expensive). Fish, like sardines canned salmon, good too.
You can also use a completely balanced RAW food diet (like Northwest Natural). For $25, a bag of nuggets lasts me 30 days. Rotate it, just don’t mix it in with kibble. But you can serve 2 meals a day (one RAW and the other kibble).
Al Fagundes
June 27, 2020 at 6:36 pm
We were out of town and I had to get some dog food for my shih tzu. We went to a store and looked over the pet food and selected rachel rae brand of pre cooked food, because our dog likes .list food. We got back to the hotel and I opened the package …it did not smell that.great but I put it down and she ate a little ..then backed away and threw up and was sick for a couple of days. The vet we took her to said do not get that brand because it is not good for dogs. She got medication and I got her food at a restaurant were we usually ate..they were very nice an understood the problem with cheap foreign dog food. I read the label and it was made in Thailand..and what was left in the container the next day did not smell good, what looked like meat was hard and could not break it. No wonder my dog quit eating that stuff. I wrote the company however they never answered my letter. I told our friends not to buy that brand.
Jean vinson
September 17, 2020 at 3:47 pm
I was appalled when I realized that the Nutrish Beef stew that I was feeding my dog was made in China. Says so in tiny print on each box.
Susan
December 23, 2020 at 3:39 pm
I usually feed my dog the same thing I’m cooking for my family but I take out a portion for her before adding in onion, garlic and other things not good for dogs. Sometimes my dog won’t eat that either, I’ve tried every product at the store but she’s old so I’ll give her whatever she will eat sometimes just so she will eat. Yes, I’ve gotten her pizza a couple of times. She’s 16 years old and healthy except for her teeth.
With regard to the RR Nutrish food, my friend gave me a few containers of it because his mom had accidentally bought it instead of cat food. I offered it to my dog and although she didn’t eat more than a couple of bites, the food looked like real chicken. I literaly tear up food for my mini weenie into tiny pieces and the chicken in this food felt like the real thing. I didn’t notice any foul smell about it either even after it sat our for a couple of hours. I ended up feeding the remainder of it that I had stored in the fridge (mixed up with kibble) to the other dogs and they wolfed it down.
I don’t know how good the quality of the meat/poultry is…. I eat only plant based foods so I couldn’t try it for myself.