Kibble Refill Stations in Petco? – Truth about Pet Food
Pitched to pet owners as “environmentally-friendly“, Canidae pet food is offering Kibble Refill Stations at 100 Petco stores across the US. Canidae also states pet owners will “save up to 45 percent per pound on their purchases” by using the Refill Station.
The following is Canidae’s instruction video:
The potential problems…
When pet food is manufactured, each batch is assigned a lot number. All ingredients added to that batch of pet food are also assigned the lot number of the food they are used in. Should a pet become sick believed to be linked to a pet food, the lot number is significantly important for regulatory authorities to trace the cause of the illness even back to a single ingredient in the food.
However, the Canidae website does not confirm that pet owners are provided with the lot number of the kibble they are purchasing at the Refill Station. The Canidae website also doesn’t provide any information regarding a best by date for the kibble purchased at the Refill Station. What if a manufacturing problem occurred, how would regulatory investigate without this information?
We also wondered if the Kibble Refill Station would be thoroughly cleaned in between batches? Could mold and/or bacteria build up inside the pet food storage area of the Refill Station over time? Is the kibble dumped into a bin inside of the Refill Station when refilling the Station is required? Is that bin airtight?
Also, pet owners refill their reusable bag each time they purchase pet food…are pet owners instructed to wash that reusable bag in between purchases? Could mold and/or bacteria build up inside the reusable bag contaminating each new refill?
While the concept of this Refill Station might have good intentions, we believe Canidae and Petco should provide pet owners with much more information than they have. Good intentions do not guarantee pet owners a safe pet food.
Wishing you and your pet the best –
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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