Hi Dr. Mike,
The first thing I look at when evaluating a food I may feed is to evaluate the company that made the food. I often start with the website. I think of it as a resume. What is my first impression?
Are there spelling and grammar errors? A few typos are Ok.. but if a pattern, that shows lack of attention to detail.
How much padding is there? All companies put a bit of spin on their products. But If I’m getting dizzy that’s a bad sign. So I look at the health claims if any. Do they jive with current nutritional knowledge? Does the company understand basic principles of science and nutrition?
Out comes my calculator. I don’t look fondly upon the company if the information provided doesn’t add up.
If the resume passes than I’ll interview. I’ll contact the company. I want to know who formulates the diets and what are their credentials. (Preferably they have a veterinary nutritionist in their employ). I’ll ask about their quality control testing. (I’ve gotten answers that ranged from detailed step by step testing that is done to a company that actually asked me what I thought they should be testing for. SCARY! ) I’ll ask for a nutritional analysis (I’ve had companies ask me what this is 🙁 )or some type of detailed nutritional information. If the company can’t give it to in a timely fashion or says it is proprietary those are a bad signs. I’ll ask about their ingredient sourcing. Is the company forthcoming or vague? (I prefer domestically sourced ingredients) Do they manufacture their food , contract out or both. (I prefer a company to have their own manufacturing plants but as we have seen that is not any type of guarantee of quality).
I like to see companies that invest in research, and conduct in house feeding trials.
Then I do a bit of sleuthing. I look for FDA warnings. I want to see how the company has handled recalls. If a company has repeated recalls and recalled only after a problem is identified in the field ( human or animal illness/death) that may be a problem. If the company downplays the problem, that is a problem. I don’t think a company with out recalls is better than one that has recalled. Maybe the company without recalls doesn’t do any post manufacturer testing to identify when/if the food is out of specifications.
I’m sure I’m forgetting some things… If the company passes then I look at the individual food they make. I’ll post later with what I look for on a label.
