Merrick Pet Care unveils all-natural treats, expanded grain-free recipes at Global Pet Expo

Merrick Pet Care Inc. will introduce a lineup of more than 60 new all-natural food and treat recipes for dogs at the 2014 Global Pet Expo being held March 12-14, at the Orange Country Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The products will include full lines of all-natural treats, humanized canned dog food recipes and expanded grain-free recipes, according to the company.

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"Many pet parents believe their dog is the best dog ever, and to honor that relationship they seek the very best for their dog, including food choices that make every mealtime special with quality, nutrition and taste," said Mark Sapir, vice president of marketing for Merrick Pet Care. "This and other insights drove us in our development of our new items that we believe surpass many of the options currently available in the marketplace."
Natural treats are experiencing significant market growth, and to meet those expanding needs Merrick Pet Care is introducing a series of all-natural treats from both the Merrick and Castor & Pollux brands. From the Merrick brand, three new grain-free, gluten-free treat lines include:

• Merrick Kitchen Bites: Oven-baked biscuits based on Merrick's classic can recipes. Real deboned meat is the number one ingredient, and biscuits also include fresh fruits and vegetables. Available in six flavors.
• Merrick Power Bites: Soft and chewy all-natural treats high in protein; several flavors contain deboned meat as the number one ingredient and have no sorbic acid. Star-shaped treats serve well for training or rewards. Available in six flavors.
• Merrick Dental Chews: All-natural dental chews come in shapes and textures to combat plaque and tartar and freshen breath. Treats contain no sorbic acid or sodium copper chlorophylin. Available in five varieties, including Flossies, Texas Toothpicks and three sizes of bones: Mini Brush Bones, L'il Brush Bones and Big Brush Bones.
From Castor & Pollux come two new treat lines, including:

• ORGANIX Jerky Chip Cookies: All-natural oven-baked cookie treats with organic whole grains and protein-rich jerky chips from chicken, salmon, beef or lamb. The cookies also contain organic fruits and vegetables such as organic peas, organic apples and organic carrots, and contain no corn, soy or wheat. Four flavors available including Oatmeal & Salmon, Oatmeal & Beef and Oatmeal & Lamb, as well as Oatmeal & Chicken which is made with 95% organic ingredients (including organic chicken) and can bear the USDA Organic logo on the front of the bag.
• Good Buddy All American Nibs: Soft and chewy all-natural treats for dogs; ideal for training and rewards. Treats are grain-free, gluten-free, without sorbic acid and many flavors have real deboned meat as the number one ingredient. Treats also contain fresh fruits and vegetables. Available in six flavors.
Merrick Pet Care is also introducing four new canned recipes for dogs. "We're recognized for our high-quality, innovative and humanized canned dog food recipes, like Wingaling, Brauts N Tots and Grammy's Pot Pie," said Sapir. "We're introducing new Merrick Chunky Cans as the next evolution of that legacy; four new recipes for dogs with big chunks of carved meat, hand-stuffed real vegetables and hearty gravy for a high level of visual appeal and aroma for pet parents, and a meaty and delicious taste for dogs."
The four grain-free Chunky Can flavors include:

• Pappy's Pot Roast Dinner: Made with big chunks of beef and hand-stuffed red jacket new potatoes and carrots in gravy.
• Carver's Delight Dinner: Made with big chunks of turkey and hand-stuffed Yukon gold potatoes and carrots in gravy.
• Big Texas Steak Tips Dinner: Made with big chunks of beef in gravy.
• Colossal Chicken Dinner: Made with big chunks of chicken and hand-stuffed peas and carrots in gravy.
The company's grain-free line, which has been expanding since 2012, is growing further in 2014. "Grain-free now accounts for 40% of all natural dog food sold in pet specialty stores, which reflects an increased demand among pet parents seeking the benefits of a grain-free diet for their pet, from allergy management to easier digestibility to healthier skin and coat," said Sapir. "We've grown our grain-free options to provide even more protein choices and life stage options."
New grain-free options throughout the company portfolio include:

• Four Merrick grain-free dry recipes for dogs: Grain-Free Real Salmon + Sweet Potato (grain-free fish recipe with 34% protein); Grain-Free Lamb + Sweet Potato (high-protein, poultry-free, grain-free lamb recipe with 30% protein); Grain-Free Puppy Recipe; and Grain-Free Healthy Weight Recipe (a nutritious and palatable recipe with a smart protein balance of lean meat plus animal and plant protein).
• Two Whole Earth Farms grain-free dry recipes for dogs: The relaunched Whole Earth Farms offers Grain-Free Recipe Beef + Lamb (poultry-free) and Grain-Free Recipe Chicken + Turkey. All seven Whole Earth Farms canned recipes are grain-free, including four loaf recipes and three new Hearty Stew Recipes.
"The mission here is to become the leader in this natural/organic premium petfood space," said CEO Greg Shearson. "We as a company believe that we're very well positioned to make that stated objective possible, and we're committed to going after it every day, in all that we do."