[Patricia A]

Hi Aimee and C4Cats,
It’s absolutely mind blowing how I’m just now noticing these selling ploys. Someone hired in their company to brainstorm words before each ingredient to send subliminal messages to our brains conjuring up images of superior nutrition if fed to our dogs. It’s the same with our food. I always wondered if I should buy “sweet” corn in the grocery store as opposed to “unsweet”. lol Yes, now I can’t “unsee” as you said Aimee. I did write an email to Stella n Chewy’s regarding that taurine statement and that I will no longer be purchasing .
Now still leaves me with a full bag and half of another with their grain free chicken kibble . Trouble is all three were doing very well on this as a base and again with home cooked when appropriate, some freeze dried toppings, boiled eggs in morning etc. It just dawned on me that the grain free came out due to deaths related to mold in grain products. So of course that made all us pet owners feel safe with NO grain in dog food. But now of course it’s back to adding grains because of the DCM controversy. I then look at all claiming they are done and going the way of PPP. So many ingredients listed that told me crap for our dogs’ for SO LONG that hard to get that out of my head. Tufts comes out with this statement regarding human grade food is no different then feed grad.
At the very top of their post Tufts discusses the pet food classification of “Human Grade“. Below is the full quote of this section, Tufts attempting to minimize the significance of human grade pet food.

“Human grade” is much more about the plant the food is processed in than where the food came from. For instance, chicken, whether for people or cats, comes from the same bird. It’s just that “human grade” chicken is processed in a plant or kitchen licensed to produce food for people, while chicken that gets put into pet food — which could include breast or thighs, but also nutrient-packed internal organs and the parts you pick off to make soup — goes to plants that manufacture pet food. All these ingredients work together to meet your cat’s nutrient needs. Just as important, they are pleasing to cats’ taste buds.
More to the point, products marketed as “human grade” are not necessarily higher quality nor better options in any other way. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) sets the standards for the levels of nutrients that should be in cat food, and that’s a separate issue from the origin of the food’s ingredients.
We should note that “human grade” food for cats tends to be relatively expensive compared to regular cat food. There’s no need to purchase it, either for your cat’s health or enjoyment of meals.”
But Thixton says this: Feed Grade. The FDA allows feed grade pet products (and feed livestock products) to utilize very inferior ingredients, in fact – some ingredients allowed in feed are illegal per federal law but still allowed by FDA. Evidence of this is FDA’s own words – in a response to our (Association for Truth in Pet Food) request of the Agency to stop allowing illegal ingredients in pet foods. The FDA stated: “we do not believe the the use of diseased animals or animals that died otherwise than by slaughter to make animal food poses a safety concern and we intend to continue to exercise enforcement discretion where appropriate.”

Per the FDA’s own disclosure, feed/feed grade pet foods are allowed to contain diseased animals or animals that died otherwise than by slaughter. All of which – by the way – is a violation of federal food safety laws (illegal, but allowed by all pet food regulatory authorities).

Human Grade. While feed grade pet foods are allowed to use diseased and non-slaughtered animal material, human grade pet foods are required to:
So do I feed human grade or unsee that feed grade can be diseased animals in my dogs’ food?
Also a question about Purina. Do ALL foods manufactured by Purina meet WSAVA standards. And if not why they make a food that they KNOW doesn’t hold the standards of WSAVA and could cause ill health to our pets? I think I mentioned that I”m a caregiver to my mom with Dementia. I’m getting really stressed overtime I look at a dog nutrition forum and read their strong opinions relating to what to feed and then I feel like I’m feeding all wrong even though my dogs’ are doing well with what I’ve been feeding. So should I ignore all that’s wrong with Stella n Chewy’s posts and continue with all the legumes and peas BUT added taurine or should I look for another? Thank you both. Just want to stop over thinking AND this research is causing me more stress.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Patricia A.