The Changing Face of Quality: Fresh Pet Food is On the Rise

What the heck should I be feeding my pet? This question is more daunting than ever before. There are so many choices out there! Standing in front of a vast shelf that seems to go on forever, how can a person make an educated decision on what to feed their furry friend? And how do we know what food offers the best nutrition for our pets when every package seems to say it's the best?

Here's a simple equation that has traditionally offered the answer: high quality food=health benefits for pets. It's a no-brainer. What gets tricky is the definition of quality. How do we trust that a food is good, great, or amazing? Market growth in the pet food industry has demonstrated in the past that some pet-owners turn to price tags for an answer; ie. the higher the price, the higher the quality, right? Not so fast. Last year, the pet food industry was hit by numerous recalls resulting from feed-grade wheat gluten tainted by melamine, a substance that had been added to boost protein content. Many so-called high-quality pet foods, that were also high on price, were on the long list of affected brands.

While the pet food recalls of last year might be old news, the lessons learned from this tragedy are continually effecting changes in the pet food marketplace. Instead of just looking at price tags, more consumers are taking the time to turn the bag over to look for a better indication of quality: ingredients. After the scare from hidden ingredients that were tainted and dangerous, pet lovers now want to know exactly what is going into their pet's dish. They want an easy-to-read ingredient list containing things that they would recognize from their own kitchen cupboards. Due in large part to this industry-shaking event, fresh pet foods have begun to make a name for themselves in the industry - and it's got everything to do with people's changing perceptions of quality. This is because high-quality, human grade ingredients with no preservatives and nothing artificial are easily found in fresh food recipes - exactly what recall-weary pet owners are looking for!

Fresh food for pets comes in three forms: frozen pre-packed, home-made from scratch, and pre-mixes like Sojos. In the past, these fresh/raw pet foods have made up a small fraction of the overall market. A common misconception was that these foods were reserved for more radical pet owners, and that raw food is expensive and time-consuming, and not approved by veterinarians. These rumors are far from the truth! Fresh foods like Sojos are readily available at a fair price. Sojos mixes up in a snap and is approved by holistic veterinarians. And since the recalls, even conventional vets are coming around to the idea of feeding real, fresh food to pets. We have found that once people take the time to learn about fresh pet foods and give them a try, they never go back to processed kibble again. This has never been more true than now. Fresh pet foods are quickly becoming a key segment of the pet food market as discerning pet lovers search for a more trusted company, recognizable ingredients, and an easy way to ascertain the highest level of quality for their companion animals.

From the August 2008 Sojourner Farms Newsletter