

With all of choices currently available, choosing the right pet food can feel like an overwhelming task. Making environmentally sustainable choices when it comes to feeding your pet is much more than just reading the label, as a large part of greening our pets food involves the ingredients in the food that we choose to feed them.
What’s on the can?
When looking for a new pet food, the first thing to do is talk to your vet. Not all animals are created equal and some have specific dietary needs, and your vet can help steer you in the right direction if this is the case. You’ll also want to pay close attention to the certification labels. The USDA organic label is good but not perfect. The USDA's standards for sustainably produced, chemical-free food is one of the best, but it gets criticized for failing to adequately define just how much ranging a free-range chicken is allowed.
From an environmental standpoint, organic pet food is better than conventional pet food. Organic food is grown without petroleum based pesticides and herbicides and the animals are raised without being pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones.
It’s also good to make sure the product is not tested on animals. If you are not sure, visit www.peta.org, as they have an extensive list of animal-friendly companies that you can choose from. If your specific food is not listed, you can call the manufacturer and ask them.
The American Association of Feed Control Officials (www.affco.org) is an advisory body that proposes regulations for the production and labeling of animal feeds, including pet food. The organization has a list of criteria for labeling and recommends certain percentages of various ingredients in pet foods. However, they have no regulatory power, they conduct no testing and do not directly suggest standards for labeling foods.
What’s in the can?
This is probably the most important aspect of what you feed your pet. Here are some things to watch out for:
Byproducts: On many labels, you’ll see meat or poultry byproducts listed. This usually means that the food contains waste materials culled from “4D” animals. 4D animals are the dead, diseased, dying, or disabled. You wouldn’t eat that, so why should your pet? Byproducts have absolutely no nutritional value and, in some cases, this food can be contaminated with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or Mad Cow Disease), which can infect cats.
Propylene glycol: Used in kibble to help keep it fresh, you can find this ingredient in antifreeze and hydraulic fluids. Studies have shown that animals that eat this on a regular basis can be at a higher risk for heart disease.
Sweeteners: Like people, pets are getting fatter and fatter thanks to added sweeteners. Corn syrup, fructose, sorbitol, sugar and cane molasses can cause obesity, hypoglycemia, diabetes and tooth decay. If your pet food contains these ingredients, it can be hard to get him/her off it, as they can be highly addictive. Studies have also shown that pets can develop allergies to certain additives.
Colours and Dyes: These really don’t need be in pet food at all. In most cases, dyes are used in cheaper foods to hide the grey colour of low quality meats. If you see FD&C Blue 2 and Red 40 on the label, avoid at all costs. These are possible carcinogens and can irritate the stomach and throat.
Other unwanted ingredients: Cellulose and wheat have no nutritional value and are usually found in cheap pet food. For dog owners, be wary of grape pomace, as grapes can be toxic to dogs in some cases. Stay away from butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BTA), as they haveboth been linked to cancer. Choose foods that are naturally preserved with vitamins C and E, rather than BHA and BHT.
My cats love products from Fromm Family Foods (www. frommfamily.com), and I like it because they offer foods that have no wheat or corn for balanced diets (cats do not need this in their diets), and there are no artificial or industrial preservatives. Merrick Pet Care (www. merrickpetcare.com) offers a lower-protein option, as too much protein can be problematic for cats. They use human grade ingredients and their products contain no artificial preservatives or fillers. For dogs, Innova (www.naturapet.com) offers a variety of organic meals that are high in omega-6 and essential oils.
Produced here in Canada, Orijen (www.orijen.ca) and Acana (www. championpetfoods.com/acana) use free-run chicken and free-range wild boar, bison and pork. Newman’s Own Organic Pet Food (www. newmansownorganics.com) and Wenaewe (www.wenaewe.com.uy) are also great options. When looking for these products in Toronto, Annex Pet Supplies offers a great selection of healthy, wholesome treats, plus organic and natural brands of dog and cat food.
Where does the can go?
Packaging makes up one third of the trash in the world’s waste stream. The cans, bags and plastic containers that our pet’s foods come in are heading straight to landfills and, in most cases, won’t biodegrade for hundreds of years. When you shop, be mindful of the recycling numbers on those plastic containers. Plastics labeled 1, 2 and 4 are better choices than 3, 6 and 7 type plastics. When it comes to cardboard, make sure you check for a recycling symbol. Not all of these are created equal, as some of them are lined with metal or plastic to help keep the food fresh.
Candice Batista
~ is a green lifestyle expert, journalist and TV host. www.candicebatista.com
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