Are supermarket pet food ingredients unclear?
New research has revealed that a staggering 95% of dog food sold in Britain’s supermarkets and Amazon’s bestseller list don’t reveal their exact ingredients. Here at Ellie’s Dog Food, we are keen to promote clean labelling of pet foods to ensure that consumers know exactly what they are feeding their pets.
Research found that there are four common trends across supermarket pet foods that leave consumers struggling to decipher pet food labels.
Mystery Meats
85% of supermarket own-label dog foods and almost two-thirds of big brand dog foods list’ meat and animal derivatives’ as an ingredient. This ambiguous term doesn’t clearly tell you what animal protein your pet is eating and could include part that are difficult for your pet to digest. At Ellie’s Dog Food, we clearly label the protein source and inclusion level of our freshly prepared meats. These meats are of a high quality and are easily digestible, meaning that a high proportion of the nutrients are available for absorption by the dog.
Confusing Carbs
Numerous pet food labels declare ‘cereals’ within their composition which could refer to a variety of grain-based ingredients. This can make it difficult for consumers when trying to select a food for their pet if they have sensitivities to certain ingredients. Our Grain Free recipes are formulated without grains and instead use a blend of sweet potato and potato which are nutritious carbohydrate sources for pets with more sensitive digestion. These are clearly labelled, making it easy to avoid your pets known allergens and prevent digestive upset.
Befuddling Fats
Another vague term that is often found on pet food labels is ‘oils and fats’ which again makes it impossible to be sure what ingredients are included and whether these have any nutritional value for the pet. Fats are essential in a dog’s diet, but at Ellie’s Dog Food we look to use high quality fats rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that are nutritious for the pet and help to support skin and coat health for example.
Vague Veggies
Over half of big brand dog food labels and two-thirds of supermarket own-label dog foods list’s ‘derivatives of vegetable origin’ as an ingredient, but this gives no insight into the sources being used. At Ellie’s Dog Food we like to shout about the variety of veggies we use across out Grain Free range, such as the Asparagus in our Grain Free Salmon with Trout, Sweet Potato & Asparagus recipe and the Carrots in out Grain Free Angus Beef with Sweet Potato & Carrot recipe!
