Following the pet food scandal of 2007 when household pets were poisoned by their food, pet owners have become more aware of what they are feeding their dogs and cats.

While clear labelling legislation has made it simple to understand the information printed on food packaging for humans, the same cannot always be said for the labels on pet food. A recently commissioned survey of pet owners has indicated that while 80% believe the food they feed their pets is nutritious only 40% admitted to understanding the information on the label and whether or not it meant the food was in fact a healthy option.

How can consumers ensure they are not being seduced by clever marketing?

How can pet owners have confidence that they are providing healthy, nutritious food for their cats and dogs?

The Difference between Pet and Human Nutrition

With consumers accustomed to selecting low fat options for their own diet they can be excused for believing this is the healthy option for their pet. In fact the nutritional needs of dogs and cats are very different from our own; what might be the healthy option for humans could be a nutritionally deficient option for pets.

Clever marketing tactics can fool pet owners into making unhealthy pet food choices. It is not unknown for pet food packaging to be covered in images of what might be considered healthy foodstuffs when the actual list of ingredients shows something entirely different.

It is true that examining the label does not guarantee the contents of the food – melamine was not declared as an ingredient in the contaminated pet food back in 2007, it was concealed within the wheat gluten. Careful examination of food labels does reduce the risk of feeding domestic pets with hidden ingredients by making it possible for pet owners to avoid pet foods that list generic ingredients, such as ‘meat by-products’, in favour of a properly named constituent.

As with human food labelling, ingredients in pet food are listed in order of weight. The first ingredient listed will be the major component of the food.

When Premium can be the Economic Choice

Whilst pet and human nutritional needs may be different there are similarities in that better quality food provides more nutrients. This means a lower quantity is required to extract the same nutritional value.

For pet owners concerned about feeding their pets a healthy diet, premium pet foods could actually be the best option for the pet and the family finances.