The 2021 List – Truth about Pet Food

[ad_1]

The 2021 List of pet foods I trust to give my own pets.

3 Important Things about the 2021 List:

  1. The ‘List’ is a list of pet foods compiled by an experienced (since 2006) pet food consumer advocate (Susan Thixton), pet foods she trusts to give to her own pets. All of these pet foods use human grade food ingredients, all of these pet foods properly test their products for safety and nutrients, many of them use organic ingredients and meats sourced from humanely raised animals. These are actual pet ‘foods’ (not pet feeds).
  2. Proceeds of the List supports pet food consumer advocacy. Susan Thixton, TruthaboutPetFood.com and AssociationforTruthinPetFood.com has been battling with the FDA, AAFCO and State pet food regulatory authorities on behalf of pet food consumers for 15 years. Briefly…we have represented the voice of pet owners at regulatory meetings (2 per year) since 2011. We have filed two FDA Citizen Petitions in effort to end illegal pet food ingredients. We have continuously tried to arrange a public meeting with FDA and pet owners (they keep refusing us). We continue to challenge the legality of pet owners being refused public access to ingredient definitions and pet food regulations. We have filed hundreds of Freedom of Information Act requests with FDA and State officials and provide those records to pet owners. Susan, TruthaboutPetFood.com and AssociationforTruthinPetFood.com are solely supported by pet food consumers.
  3. 10% of sales will be donated each month to a pet non-profit (a different pet charity each month). December 2020 our pet non-profit is Monkey’s House dog hospice and sanctuary. Monkey’s House gives a permanent home to senior and seriously ill dogs. As best they can – the organization uses real food (not feed) for their animals including using food to treat illnesses.

Since 2012, TruthaboutPetFood.com (and Susan Thixton) has published the List. In 2012 there were 12 pet foods included, the 2021 List contains 31 different pet food manufacturers; 17 companies selling cat food, 30 companies selling dog food. 16 manufacturers provide cooked pet foods, 15 manufacturers provide raw pet foods, 7 provide freeze dried or dehydrated, 2 provide kibble, and 1 provides canned pet food.

Click Here to order the 2021 List.

What do you (Susan Thixton) feed your pets?

I give my 2 dogs and 5 cats pet foods that are on the 2021 List and I home prepare food for them too.

Are pet foods on the 2021 List different than most pet foods?

Yes, they are significantly different than most pet foods. The pet foods on the 2021 List are verified food ingredient pet foods, most pet foods are feed ingredient pet foods.

All pet foods, regardless of style (kibble, can, dehydrated, raw, and so on) are made with one of two very different types of ingredients; human grade ingredients and/or feed grade ingredients. Human grade is food, the same quality of ingredient as in human food. Feed grade ingredients can vary in quality from human food quality to highly inferior waste ingredients. Such as: the FDA openly allows feed grade pet food ingredients to be sourced from diseased animals, condemned animal material, and decomposing animal carcasses.

And worse yet, pet owners are never informed if their pet food contains inferior waste ingredients or not. All pet food regulatory authorities allow pet food labels to mislead consumers, allowing pet food products to display images of roasted chicken or grilled steak on labels and websites when what’s in the bag or can is condemned diseased chicken or decomposing cattle.

I never give my own pets a feed ingredient pet food. There is too much unknown about feed ingredient pet foods (are the meats from condemned animals?, are the vegetables waste ingredient feed grade too?). I only give my own pets human grade ingredient pet foods.

How do you know these pet foods use food grade ingredients?

Each company on the 2021 List has provided me verification documents to prove all food ingredients are human grade. This verification includes invoices, certificates of analysis, and letters of guarantee from suppliers. As well, companies provide verification documents for organic ingredients and meats sourced from humanely raised animals.

Where are the pet foods available?

Most of the pet foods on the 2020 List are only available in the continental U.S., 7 manufacturers sell in Canada, 2 offer limited international distribution. Most are only available at local independent pet food stores or direct from the manufacturers, 2 are available in larger retail.

Click Here to order the 2021 List.

How expensive are these pet foods?

None of the pet foods on the 2020 List are inexpensive. BUT, most are not as expensive as you’d think.

Cat Foods:

Providing your cat a human grade ingredient pet food for a whole day costs almost half of 1 cup of coffee.

The cost of 1 large flavored Starbucks coffee is $4.65.

The average cost of cat foods on the 2021 List – to feed a 10 pound cat for 1 day – is $2.55. (Note, this is average – some are more expensive, some are less expensive).

Dog Foods:

Providing your dog a human grade ingredient pet food for a whole day costs about the same as one fast food lunch.

The cost of a McDonald’s Big Mac Meal is $5.99.

The average cost of dog foods on the 2021 List – to feed a 30 pound dog for 1 day – is $5.28. (Again, this is average.)

Do pet food companies pay a fee to be considered for the List?

Absolutely not. No pet food company pays to be on the List or to be considered for the List. I accept no money from any pet food manufacturer. They are accepted on The List based on their quality.

How much does the List cost?

Cost to purchase the List is variable, depending on the support you want/can afford to provide. Price varies from $10 to $100. No matter the price you purchase, the 2021 List is the same.

Why charge for the List?

TruthaboutPetFood.com and our sister website AssociationforTruthinPetFood.com (and myself personally) are 100% consumer supported. The List, Petsumer Report, and membership into our consumer association is our only income. We accept no money from pet food and no advertising. Simply put, we charge for the List to support the pet food advocacy work we do.

We actively advocate for the rights of pet owners.

How bad can some pet foods be?

The main governing body over pet food – the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – allows pet food to violate federal food safety laws. As recent as April 2019, the FDA statedwe do not believe that the use of diseased animals or animals that died otherwise than by slaughter to make animal food poses a safety concern…” This is a direct violation of U.S. food safety laws – allowed by FDA. To make matters worse, the FDA allows these illegal and dangerous ingredients in pet food with no warning or disclosure to pet owners on the pet food label or website. Existing pet food regulations require all pet food labels to look basically the same; no pet owner is told if a pet food contains cancerous tissues from a slaughtered animal rejected for use in human food, and no pet owner is told if a pet food contains meat from an animal that died in a field decomposing for days.

Inferior ingredients are not the only concern, manufacturing conditions of some pet foods can be an issue too. As example, through Freedom of Information Act request documents pet owners learned that a Mars Petcare manufacturing facility was infested with roaches. As well, FDA documents noted this manufacturing facility ‘failed to minimize deterioration of ingredients’. The FDA did not require this manufacturer to recall any product – because this lack of quality (roach infested and deteriorating) is acceptable in feed grade pet foods.

Because of FDA’s lack of regulatory oversight…

…I have become a very picky pet food consumer. For me to trust the lives of my pets with a pet food, the company must prove to me they use 100% human grade food ingredients. I also want a pet food that tests their products for safety. As I can afford it, I try to purchase pet foods that source meats from humanely raised animals and include organic ingredients.

The pet foods on the 2021 List do all of this, and more.

Click Here to order the 2021 List.

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

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 2021 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here to learn more.

[ad_2]

Source link

957 thoughts on “The 2021 List – Truth about Pet Food

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.