Caru Pet Food natural stew ingredients verified 'human grade'

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declared that Caru Pet Food Company's Caru Natural Stews for Dogs are made with 100% human-grade ingredients. The FDA further declared that the recipes are prepared, handled and packaged in a human food facility, in accordance with quality regulations for human food.

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“This is a significant milestone for our two-year-old company,” said Adrian Pettyan, CEO and founder. “Obtaining permission to claim our stews are human grade affirms our commitment to celebrate our pets by giving them the best possible food.” Pettyan said that now pet parents will have even more reason to believe that Caru grain-free stews look, smell and taste like homemade food.
Attaining human-grade verification is another “first” for Caru. According to the company, the natural stews are the first petfood in North America to be packaged in Tetra Pak cartons. Each grain-free stew starts with USDA-inspected, antibiotic- and hormone-free meat or poultry as the first ingredient, plus selected vegetables and fruit. These recipes are formulated without wheat, gluten, corn, soy or animal by-products, and every recipe is prepared in small batches.

The Honest Kitchen renews FDA 'Human Grade' claims approval

The Honest Kitchen has renewed its formal Statement of No Objection with the US Food and Drug Association (FDA) to use the term “human grade” on all of its petfood labels. The company’s human grade foods are produced in a human food facility, not in a petfood plant, using 100% human edible ingredients.

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The Honest Kitchen, which began making human grade petfoods in 2004, first obtained an FDA statement of no objection that same year, and elected to renew with the administration in the fall of 2013. The process involves providing detailed documentation from each of The Honest Kitchen’s suppliers to verify the human edible status of every ingredient used in the company’s recipes.
“We require our vendors to provide us with a signed Human Edible Status Verification document each year, along with a Statement of Integrity, which promises that the ingredient we’re purchasing meets a specific set of criteria,” said company founder and CEO Lucy Postins. “They verify that every ingredient is non-GMO, not irradiated, not sourced from (or grown or processed in) China, and also document any applicable sustainability traits, such as organic certification, fair trade, free-range and so on.”
The company has also implemented a system of independent and internal vendor audits, as a secondary measure to ensure that their requirements are upheld throughout the ingredient production process, said the company. 

Whole Foods, American Tuna partner to offer sustainable tuna petfood

Whole Foods has partnered with vendor American Tuna to create a new sustainable petfood line from red meat tuna portions.

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American Tuna’s brand, also called American Tuna, is a line of sustainably fished tuna for human consumption and is sold in Whole Foods Markets. "Whole Foods wanted zero-food waste,” said Natalie Webster, a member of one of six fishing families that founded American Tuna, "so we came up with Deck Hand [cat food] and Whole Foods thought it was a great idea.” Deck Hand uses the red meat portion of the company's albacore and skipjack tunas left over from the processing of the human food Pole & Line brand.
In addition, any leftover tuna parts, not used for cat or human-grade food, become fish and bone meal for animal feed and no food waste is generated, as per Whole Foods’ wishes. Whole Foods began carrying Deck Hand Premium Cat Food and the human line Pole & Line in May 2014. Deck Hand comes in single 3- and 5-ounce cans and in a 3-ounce can three-pack running US$1.99. Singly, 3-ounce cans are US$0.69 and the 5-ounce cans are US$0.89.

The Honest Kitchen unveils new packaging for human-grade petfood line

The Honest Kitchen, a producer of natural, human-grade petfood products, has redesigned its packaging. The new boxes will debut at the Global Pet Expo in Florida, March 12-14, 2014, and will hit store store shelves at the end of March.

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"We wanted the packaging to evoke a very natural, culinary look and feel that plays up the beautiful ingredients we use in our human-grade foods," said Lucy Postins, The Honest Kitchen's founder and CEO. "Also, we're placing a heavy emphasis on the meat or fish source in each recipe, along with more clearly defining the life stage and differentiating the grain-free from whole-grain diets, to help streamline the shopping process and allow consumers to more easily select the recipe that's right for their pet."
The Honest Kitchen is also rolling out a smaller 2-pound trial box in their bestselling recipes: Force, Embark, Love and Keen. Each 2-pound box will make 8 pounds of real food when hydrated.
The Honest Kitchen's petfoods are dehydrated, which results in a compact, nutrient-dense finished product, according to the company. Pet owners just add warm water to make a real-food meal in three to five minutes, and because the food is so concentrated, a 10-pound box will actually yield 40 pounds of food when hydrated, and will last a 30-pound dog up to six weeks.
The company collaborated with long-time partner Bulldog Drummond (San Diego, CA) to create the new design concepts. Hand-painted illustrations of the company's ingredients and also Honest Kitchen employees' own pets, which adorn the new boxes, were created by artist Natalya Zahn, and the production and file preparation work was completed by Jen Cadam Design.

Honest Kitchen founder taste tests petfood ingredients, final product

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Lucy Postins, founder of the The Honest Kitchen, taste tests the ingredients in her company's dog food.

Lucy Postins, founder of The Honest Kitchen petfood company, was recently featured in an article for not only sampling each ingredient that goes into the food, but also sampling the final product. 
Postins says she tests each of the petfood recipes for food for flavor, aroma and color. All her recipes are made in a a human food facility, rather than a petfood plant, and the ingredients are sourced from the human food chain, allowing the company to achieve a "human grade" rating from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The dog food she produces includes ingredients like free-range chicken, ranch-raised beef, sweet potatoes, eggs, bananas and dandelion greens. The ingredients are blended together, then the recipe is mixed with water by the consumer. 
According to Postins: "There are a lot of people who think their pets are inferior and don't deserve quality food. But so many people are becoming educated on conventional petfood ingredients and production that they want to make a move away from that.
"By actually tasting the food ourselves I think it's a sound way of walking our own talk and helping to assure people we actually mean what we say about product integrity and quality. Some of my friends think it's an odd thing to do, but most of them have pets they love as much as - or in some cases maybe even more than - their own children so can see where I'm coming from.
"A recent 2013 survey showed 74 percent of customers saw an improvement in the well-being and energy levels of their pets from eating the products. And 70 percent saw an improvement in their pet's skin and coat while 60 percent noticed an improvement in their pets' weight. The proof really is in the pudding and our foods are good enough to eat."

Pet owner launches homemade dog food supplements line

Pet owner Fleur Bailey has created a new line of natural, homemade dog food supplements inspired by her Dalmation, “Maddie,” who lost her appetite undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma.
The Maddie’s Mash line of dog food supplements includes recipes prepared from all-natural, human-grade ingredients locally grown and raised in New York, USA. Bailey says the recipes in the Maddie’s Mash line promote healthy skin, a better immune system, stronger bones and joints, and fewer chronic digestive problems. Recipes include Maddie’s Turkey, as well as gluten-free Maddie’s Beef and Maddie’s Chicken. The meals come frozen in a 32-ounce recycled plastic container.
Maddie’s Mash products are sold through Amazon.com and on the Maddie’s Mash website. 

RECALL: The Honest Kitchen recalls Verve, Zeal, Thrive pet food products

Pet food maker The Honest Kitchen is recalling five lots of its Verve, Zeal and Thrive pet food products after learning that one of its raw ingredients suppliers recalled a batch of human-grade parsley contaminated with Salmonella. The parsely, shipped to the pet food company in 2012, was used as an ingredient in the five lots of pet food being recalled.
The recall applies to petfood manufactured between August 2012 and November 2012, sold throughout the US and Canada via retail stores, mail order and online. The lots being recalled, including item code, name, expiration date, size and lot number are:

• V4 + VR, Verve, 8/20/12 through 8/20/13, 4 lb. and 10-lb. boxes, 2332A (batches 1-3)
• VR, Verve, 11/1/12 through 11/1/13, 10-lb. box, 3062A (batches 8-9)
• TM, Thrive, 9/18/12 through 9/18/13, 1-oz. sample, 2622A (batch 3)
• Z4 + ZR, Zeal, 8/14/12 through 8/14/13, 4-lb. and 10-lb. boxes, 2272A (batches 1-5)
• ZR, Zeal, 9/21/12 through 9/21/13, 10-lb. box, 2652A (batches 1-4)
Consumers who purchased the recalled lots of Honest Kitchen Verve, Zeal or Thrive products should stop feeding the products to pets, remove the UPC (bar code) and lot code from the packaging, and discard the petfood products. Consumers can receive a replacement or refund of the affected products plus US$1 to cover postage, by mailing the UPC and lot code along with a completed reimbursement form to: The Honest Kitchen, 145 14th Street, San Diego, California 92101, Attn: Reimbursements. Refunds will be processed within five business days (plus postage time).
Consumers with questions may contact the company at +1.866.437.9729, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or via email to info@thehonestkitchen.com.
To supplement its quality control processes, The Honest Kitchen is enacting the following additional procedures:

• All dehydrated leafy greens will be steamed to further protect against the possibility of Salmonella and other pathogens
• All leafy greens will receive a second test for pathogens after arrival at the company's manufacturing facility, in addition to the testing conducted internally by suppliers
• The company has discontinued its relationship with the supplier that provided the parsley used in the production of the lots being recalled

Pet treat company Lincoln Bark celebrates second anniversary

Lincoln Bark, a manufacturer of all-natural, human-grade pet treats, recently celebrated its second year in business.
The Chicago, Illinois, USA-based pet treat company was founded in 2010 by Bobby Chochran, in an effort to create healthy dog treats to entice her sick dog, Sophie, to eat. In 2010, Lincoln Bark sold treats in about 15 boutique pet shops in the US, however the company now sells its four lines of dog treats on store shelves in the US, Canada and parts of Europe, as well as online. The company has also grown from a three-person business to a 10-person business. 

Honest Kitchen pet food company founder appears on CBS' 'Food Show'

The Honest Kitchen, a maker of human-grade, dehydrated pet foods, was recently selected to be featured on CBS’ annual "Food Show."
The episode, which aired on CBS, covers recipes, food pairings, food tourism and current food trends, including a growing trend of gourmet food for pets. CBS visited The Honest Kitchen’s headquarters in San Diego, California, USA, where the pet food company’s founder, Lucy Postins, and her team tested out the human-grade foods with their pets and spoke to the importance of feeding dogs a nutritious diet.
Postins was featured alongside Wolfgang Puck and experts from Cooking Light and Saveur.

Pet supply chain caters to to organic, human-grade pet foods

Brad Kriser, owner of Feeding Pets for Life LLC, says he’s trying to attract pet owners to his pet supply chain by providing pet nutrition-conscious customers with a wide variety of all-natural, organic and human-grade pet foods and pet treats. 
Based in Chicago, Illinois, USA, and Los Angeles, California, USA, the stores feature an assortment of brands of natural dog and cat food, as well as upscale pet toys and clothing and unique items like bison-tendon treats and duck-feet snacks. 
“The Whole Foods of the pet world—that's what we want to be known as,” Kriser said.
In the stores, a sign, signed by Kriser, reads “All our foods are personally approved by me. And yes, I've tried them all.” 
“We're trying to show there's someone behind every decision,” he said.
Kriser says his least-expensive brand, Canidae, retails for US$10 for 4 pounds, while, in contrast, premium supermarket dog foods typically cost about US$7 for the same-sized bag.
Kriser says that his revenue increased by 40 percent in 2011. He is currently looking for capital to open seven more locations in 2012, including one in a new market of Denver, Colorado, USA. He hopes to eventually grow the company into a national chain with more than 100 locations.

Bloomberg reviews 'human-grade' pet foods for appearance, taste

All-natural dog food, including foods that meet Association of American Feed Control Officials' requirements to claim “human-grade,” make up 10 percent of all sales in the US$18.9 billion petfood industry, according to Packaged Facts. 

To determine what this "human-grade" dog food really tastes like to humans, Lucy Postins, founder of pet food company The Honest Kitchen, says her employees sample every ingredient when formulating a new dog food recipe. Yet, a Bloomberg Businessweek article that taste-tested the foods reveals that not all "human-grade" pet foods are really made to be palatable to both for humans and pets.
The article says that Weruva's Cirque de la Mer, which includes ingredients like tuna, pumpkin, carrots and sweet potatoes, claims "Actual Food" and "Made in a Human Food Facility" on the label, but the fine print cautions, "For Pets only." The article says that the food does taste like tuna with fresh vegetables, even to humans. The taste-tester was not as fond of Weruva's Jammin' Salmon food, however, which was said to have "stringy" chicken and "store bought" salmon, with vegetables like tomatoes, peas and sweet potatoes that were hard to taste. Michael's Soul-Stew Chicken's label claims the food contains only "USDA certified human-grade meats and farm fresh vegetables," but the taste test for humans proved the food to lack seasoning, though it includes many healthy ingredients like carrots, yams, potatos and rice, the article says. 
Other foods taste-tested were Merrick's Little Italy and Burger Pie & Sweety fries. The taste tester says both foods were edible but not very platable, and the Little Italy food looked like "nearly square gelatinous meatballs float in a gooey brown stock," while the Burger Pie & Sweety fries recipe consisted of potato chunks in a brownish meat blend.
Another food tested was The Honest Kitchen's Embark food, a dehydrated food that looks like "chopped broccoli in a recycled, biodegradable box," the taste-tester said, with fruits and vegetables such as coconut and kelp. The article says this one has hints of cage-free turkey with hints of rosemary and a spinach-celery base. The taste tester's most preferred petfood was Nature's Variety SweetSpots Sweet Potato & Molasses formula. The food, the tester says, looks like "burnt-orange frozen yogurt" in a brown box, and has a light hint of sweet potato mixed with molasses. 

Halo advised to stop certain pet food advertisement claims

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has recommended that pet food manufacturer Halo, Purely for Pets modify or discontinue certain Internet advertising claims that state or suggest competing pet foods are unsafe, unhealthy or made with unsafe ingredients.
Competing petfood manufacturer Hill's Pet Nutrition challenged Halo’s advertising claims before the National Advertising Division. Challenges included Halo's claims that chicken meal and other pet food ingredients used in competing products are not as high of quality as its own ingredients, and claims that competing pet foods should not be fed to pets because they are not of human grade.
In its decision, the National Advertising Division said that, contrary to the arguments of advertiser Halo, a specific competitor does not need to be identified in a claim for it to be considered comparative to a competitor. The decision also said that as the advertiser, Halo is responsible for all reasonable interpretations of its claims.  The National Advertising Division said Halo voluntarily agreed to discontinue the claims challenged, and the group warned Halo of any such future claims.

Founder of pet food company the Honest Kitchen discusses success

Lucy Postins, founder of the pet food company the Honest Kitchen, was recently profiled in an article on FastCompany.com, discussing how she began her pet food company and the drivers of the Honest Kitchen's success in the pet food market.
Postins says she feels one of the reasons for her human-grade whole-food pet food company's success is "disruptive innovation." Postins says this means creating a product that changes the status quo and gives consumers a new option that they may not have realized they needed, based on an old product that may have seemed fine. The challenge in this, she says, is with communicating the need to consumers. "I think one of the main tasks for the innovator is often the communication. Since you’re creating a product that meets a new need, there’s work involved in explaining exactly what you’ve created and how it’s better than what people are in the habit of using. The great thing with this task, of course, is that you’re telling a story that’s true and meaningful, as opposed to coming up with gimmicky messaging to try and differentiate yourself. "With our products, once we put them to market, we found consumers were choosing to use them for a really wide array of reasons, so it’s been challenging to articulate our messaging in a way that’s concise but sufficiently explanatory, to every type of consumer who’s interested in the food," she says. When asked about competing against name-brand pet food manufacturers, Postins says: "It sounds strange to say, but when I look back I don’t feel we have really struggled hugely. From the outset, we didn’t have a major plan for aggressive growth; the Honest Kitchen has grown in an organic way and charted its own course on many levels so we’ve evolved without the pressure to be a certain size at a certain time. That means we have been able to stay true to our roots and allowed our values to thrive. In turn, that’s further fueled our growth because it’s deepened our connections with our customers who then feel inspired enough to tell others." The most notable challenges Postins says she has faced as an entrepreneur were regulatory challenges from the US Food and Drug Administration and from state departments of agriculture challenging the "human-grade" petfood claims. Postins says the company's human-grade status differentiates it from other petfood manufacturers in that the pet food is produced in a human food facility, on the same equipment used to produce various foods that people eat. "We’re extremely selective when it comes to our suppliers, too. We’ve worked with many of the same producers since we began in 2002 and insist that all suppliers sign an annual 'Vendor Pledge' to provide assurance of the quality and integrity of the ingredients we buy. We won’t use GMO or irradiated ingredients, and don’t accept any ingredients from China," says Postins. "I think 'pets before profits' is the most important value that sits at the core of our daily decision-making; it means thinking about what’s right for the animal who is going to eat the food, often at the expense of the bottom line," Postins says. "Switching to 100% free-range, antibiotic-free and humanely raised chicken in our food made no sense from a fiscal standpoint, but has ultimately been good for business because it’s healthier for the pets who eat it – as well as having a positive impact on the planet and on animal welfare as a whole.  

Natura reaches deal in class-action pet food lawsuit

A US$2,150,000 settlement was reached with Natura Pet Products Inc., Natura Pet Food Inc., Natura Manufacturing and Peter Atkins in a class-action lawsuit regarding advertising of Natura's petfood, according to a report. The lawsuit originated after claims that the company misrepresented its pet food quality as "human-grade."
The company admitted no fault, but reportedly agreed to the cost of the settlement in order to avoid a court trial. The settlement calls for the company to create a US$2,150,000 fund, from which it would pay attorneys fees, expenses up to US$60,000 to lawyers representing the Class and costs to Class members who submitted claim forms. The US District Court for the Northern District of California will hold a hearing in this case on February 17, 2012, to consider whether to approve the settlement deal.

Canadian pet food company launches dry dog food line with all fresh ingredients

CARNA4 Inc., a Canada-based petfood start-up, says it has created the first dry dog food to use real food ingredients that are all grown in the US and Canada, without vitamin and mineral pre-mixes or other additives.
The company says its dog food is made with fresh, table-grade chicken, wild salmon, eggs, whole produce and sprouted seeds, all baked to preserve authentic flavors and nutrients. The dog food, CARNA4 All Life Stages Chicken, will be available in select specialty petfood stores in California, USA, and the Midwest, USA, by the end of May. The petfood is distributed by Zeus & Co. of Chicago, Illinois, USA, and Newco Distributors of Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA.
CARNA4 Inc. was founded in 2010 by David Stauble, who previously managed a pet specialty chain's holistic pet food line, and Maria Ringo, a homeopathic medicine practitioner.
"We offer pet parents the opportunity to invest in their dog's health with a safe alternative to commercial foods that's more convenient and less expensive than raw or home cooking," said Stauble.

Dog Gone Jerky announces USDA-approved treat line made in non-petfood facility

Dog Gone Jerky Inc. announced it launched one of the first lines of dog treats made in a non-petfood manufacturing facility in California,USA that is safe for human consumption.
The treats are manufactured in a US Department of Agriculture-regulated human manufacturing facility in Newport Beach, California, USA. According to the company, the treats are made with 100% human grade, USDA-certified chicken and beef and 1% sea salt, with the exception of the Gourmet Beef Rounds that contain a collagen casing. The Dog Gone Jerky line includes Hand Carved Chicken Breast Jerky, Premium Beef Jerky and Gourmet Beef Rounds.
To order the beef jerky for dogs, call the company at +1.800.691.6031.

Evermore Pet Food owners to eat dog food during month-long campaign

On March 1, Hanna Mandelbaum and Alison Wiener, owners of Evermore Pet Food Inc., will begin a month-long campaign of eating only Evermore petfood and recipes with its ingredients.
The campaign, Evermore Me, is an effort to promote and back the company's human-grade dog food formulas, coinciding with the regional launch into the northeastern US. Mandelbaum and Wiener will document their experience and post the results on the company's website. Because Evermore is specifically formulated to meet the nutritional requirements for dogs, the two will consult with a nutritionist to ensure they are eating a balanced diet during the month.
“This is not about the shock value of eating dog food,” said Wiener. “We want to stand behind our claims by demonstrating the integrity of our products.”

The Honest Kitchen promotes variety for pet diets

The Honest Kitchen is working to dispel the idea that table scraps—and variety—are off the menu for pets with its line of natural, human-grade petfood.
"There is nothing wrong with table scraps as long as they are healthy and given in moderation," said Honest Kitchen CEO Lucy Postins. "Pets, like people, need dietary variety and seasonal foods to get a semblance of balance over the week for healthful benefits and to eliminate boredom from a monotonous diet." The Honest Kitchen provides natural petfood that meets American Association of Feed Control Officials standards. Recipes call for human-grade food and are taste-tested by company employees. The dehydrated final products include a protein (chicken, beef or fish) and a range of fruits and vegetables. No fillers, byproducts or artificial preservatives, colors or flavors are used, according to the company.
There are, however, five ingredients that should never be fed to cats or dogs, said Postins: Grapes, raisins, chocolate, macadamia nuts and onions can all be detrimental to pet health.

Castor & Pollux make Inc.'s fast-growing company list

Castor & Pollux Pet Works, based in Clackamas, Oregon, US, was named to Inc. magazine's list of fastest-growing companies again, earning the 615th spot on the 2009 Top 500/5,000 listing.
This year's rankings are based on cumulative growth over five years ending December 2008, with Castor & Pollux revenues growing 465% for the period. This is the third consecutive year the company has been named to the list, moving up from the 665th spot in 2008, and 771st ranking in 2007.
Castor & Pollux Pet Works was among the first petfood companies to comply with US Department of Agriculture National Organic Program regulations that apply to ingredients and packaging of organic human food.