Natural Balance Merges with Del Monte...not so good?

[jesshall]

What it does mean is that given the choice, I may choose not to select a product from China.

And I choose not to feed my dog food that's not manufactured in the USA or Canada. I understand it will take a while for the food formulas and operations to change if they do change. Again I was just trying to give people a heads up so they could change to a different food if they feel it's best for them.

 

[JLSOhio51]

And I choose not to feed my dog food that's not manufactured in the USA or Canada...

As a consumer, I think that we all must set some criteria for any of the goods and services we purchase for ourselves and our family (to include our fur kids). I would suggest, that we all remain vigilant over any goods or services, not just those from outside the USA and Canada. I can say from personal experience, that some of the same issues that concern consumers about goods from China (and elsewhere) exist in companies in the US (I have no real knowledge of Canadian companies beyond automobiles). The criteria for purchase should be applied regardless of where those goods are manufactured. If that vigilance results in purchasing only US and Canadian goods, I say go for it.

 

[Ann]

What it does mean is that given the choice, I may choose not to select a product from China.

And I choose not to feed my dog food that's not manufactured in the USA or Canada. I understand it will take a while for the food formulas and operations to change if they do change. Again I was just trying to give people a heads up so they could change to a different food if they feel it's best for them.

I don't think you are panicking, being hasty, jumping the gun, or need to "chill" at all...You are being a very responsible and wise Sheltie owner making an educated decision about your dog's diet and I appreciate your calling this to our attention.

Given the history of pet food and treats produced in China, I believe it is a very prudent choice to steer clear of any product made there for our dogs. I also agree that given the history of pet food companies bought or merged with larger corporations, it's smart to choose another food. There have been too many illnesses reported in dogs eating food from a company bought or absorbed where the formula supposedly has not changed, but clearly the quality or ingredient source has.

I don't choose to play roulette with my pets' lives. I think you're very smart to consider your options.

 

[Jess041]

I don't think you are panicking, being hasty, jumping the gun, or need to "chill" at all...You are being a very responsible and wise Sheltie owner making an educated decision about your dog's diet and I appreciate your calling this to our attention.

Given the history of pet food and treats produced in China, I believe it is a very prudent choice to steer clear of any product made there for our dogs. I also agree that given the history of pet food companies bought or merged with larger corporations, it's smart to choose another food. There have been too many illnesses reported in dogs eating food from a company bought or absorbed where the formula supposedly has not changed, but clearly the quality or ingredient source has.

I don't choose to play roulette with my pets' lives. I think you're very smart to consider your options.

I agree with Ann. I just also wanted to say, if I were in that situation (I'm not, I feed Acana), I would be researching new foods just in case they did outsource their production. Would I switch immediately? Probably not. I would be watching them like a hawk. But I think it's probably a good idea to have a back-up in mind so you don't have to scramble as soon as you find they have outsourced.

 

[JLSOhio51]

It would seem that the conversation has somewhat stalled on who has "panicked" and who has not and what constitutes a prudent pet owner. From my perspective, they important issue is about informed decision making, whatever choices are made. Choose Chinese manufactured products, or don't, but make that choice on a well reasoned and informed thought process. If the end result is based solely on "I'd rather not take that chance", that's OK too.

I asked my original question because I saw that a number of posters seemed to believe that there were (are) some inherent issues with Chinese products. To be honest, I too believed that, but I also recognized that my belief was not based on fact, but on my interpretation of things I had heard. I truly know next to nothing about dog food manufacturing even though I do know a bit about quality control in China. Hence my initial question.

This is the reason why I am concerned about this issue: In my research (online so far) several sources have suggested that problems arise in pet food, not only from the practices in the processing plant (any plant, anywhere), but also with the inclusion of something called a "premix". A "premix" in my layman's term, is an amalgamation of the long winded chemical sounding names that occur in many product ingredient lists. It seems that most pet food manufacturers add this purchased premix to their own products to complete the manufacturing process. There is evidence that it is in the premix (most seem to be from China or other over seas locations) where the recall issues originate. Am I sure that this is true, NO? But that is where I am in my research.

Every time I come across a new pet food manufacturer's product name, I look up their ingredient list to see if I see evidence of the inclusion of this "premix" (Fromm seems to be a yes, Petcurean I have not looked up yet). Once I whittle the list down to 2 - 3 candidates, I will contact the manufacturers to see which ones will provide documentation in writing concerning the use and origin of this "premix". Then I can make a choice.

 

[take4roll10]

Good afternoon, we are listening to you and would like to address some of the comments you have shared. Both Natural Balance and Del Monte are committed to providing the high quality ingredients and formulas you trust and will continue to uphold the Natural Balance philosophy of quality, ingredients and formulations. Natural Balance dry formulas, canned formulas, treats, rolls, and pouches will continue to be manufactured in the United States. Our newly introduced Delectable Delights Stews will continue to be made in Thailand by a state-of-the-art US FDA approved plant. We are also committed to continuing our robust "Buy with Confidence" program and its thorough testing process because your pet is our first priority. You may continue to contact the Natural Balance Customer Care team with questions and concerns at 800-829-4493 or [email protected].

The thing that stands out the most to me in this press release is their wording. They say "manufacturing will continue in the U.S." From my understanding, manufacturing just means where they put the ingredients together. It does not say what country the ingredients come from. That is a misconception with labels. Consumers see the "made in USA" stamp and assume that means the ingredients are sourced in America and manufactured as well. That is not necessarily the case. The ingredients can come from outside the US, but as long as they are manufactured here, they can get that label. At least, that is my understanding.

If ingredients from China are your concern (they would be my concern), then you can call the company and ask where their ingredients are sourced from. I would not touch ingredients from China with a two foot stick. Not after the ongoing chicken treat issue.

You can also stock up on his food in the mean time. If they do make any changes, it won't be for a few months. That is what I did with California Natural. I still fed it after the buy-out, but only until I couldn't get bags from prior to the buy-out.

 

[BarbV]

I've lived in the corporate world all my working life. My companychanged hands 6 times over, going for a 100% owned Canadian company, to ultimately being Japanese owned. Granted it was service based not product based, but in my experience, whenever these takeovers happens, decisions regarding manufacturing and distribution don't happen overnight.

I think everyone is correct to be cognizant of where there food is manufactured. Personally, I'm a "Made in Canada" bigot. That doesn't mean that all food made overseas or elsewhere is automatically suspect, but it does bear watching.

 

[BarbV]

I've lived in the corporate world all my working life. My companychanged hands 6 times over, going for a 100% owned Canadian company, to ultimately being Japanese owned. Granted it was service based not product based, but in my experience, whenever these takeovers happens, decisions regarding manufacturing and distribution don't happen overnight.

I think everyone is correct to be cognizant of where there food is manufactured. Personally, I'm a "Made in Canada" bigot. That doesn't mean that all food made overseas or elsewhere is automatically suspect, but it does bear watching.

It also does not mean not mean that all food made in Canada is perfect either. We've had our share of food scares on human grade foods.

I concur with JSLOhio51 in one area.....all to say that its wrong to say that everything coming out of China is bad. It is actually detrimental to our worldwide economy to take that position. You would be surprised at the number of non-food goods that you purchase that are made in China but inexpensive, and that's why you buy them. And the reverse is true....the amount of trade between North America and China has positively impacted the GDP of Canada and the US.

Back to food....I agree 100% that its prudent to investigate your sources. I don't 100% agree that everything China is bad. I tend to lean on if the final manufacturer is North American based, then they have done due diligence in their product source.

In my store, the single most controversial product I sell is Smokehouse. I debated no longer carrying it because the raw material comes from China, but is processed in the US. Interesting, its one of my biggest sellers. I guess, maybe, because there is no history of dogs getting sick. I thought about discontinuing it, when the glycerine scare came up awhile ago, but it seemed to be proven safe with this product.

All I'm saying is its every pet parent's responsibility to be prudent. But I also believe that 99.9% of corporations that produce our product - whether pet or human, share that prudency. It's not in their long term best interest to sacrifice long term sales for short term margin.

Just saying.

 

[JLSOhio51]

I think everyone is correct to be cognizant of where there food is manufactured...

That doesn't mean that all food made overseas or elsewhere is automatically suspect, but it does bear watching...

.....all to say that its wrong to say that everything coming out of China is bad...

....I agree 100% that its prudent to investigate your sources. I don't 100% agree that everything China is bad...

All I'm saying is its every pet parent's responsibility to be prudent...

BarbV:

Forgive the way that I parsed your comments, however, I just wanted to emphasize those specific parts. I agree totally with your comments and you have captured my points very succinctly.

I applaud any pet owner who does due diligence and decides to use a product (or not use a product) for whatever reason he/she sees fit. That is the right and responsibility of each pet owner. My only concern is that those who simply dismiss (or include) use of a product "just because" are likely doing themselves (and their pet) a disservice. I am generally a "buy American" kind of guy, but that doesn't mean that I do not scrutinize American made products with the same careful eye that I use on foreign made materials. Once that scrutiny is complete, it doesn't matter why I choose a particular product. In any case, the decision will have been made with a sound decision making process employed.

 

[BarbV]

BarbV:

Forgive the way that I parsed your comments, however, I just wanted to emphasize those specific parts. I agree totally with your comments and you have captured my points very succinctly.

I applaud any pet owner who does due diligence and decides to use a product (or not use a product) for whatever reason he/she sees fit. That is the right and responsibility of each pet owner. My only concern is that those who simply dismiss (or include) use of a product "just because" are likely doing themselves (and their pet) a disservice. I am generally a "buy American" kind of guy, but that doesn't mean that I do not scrutinize American made products with the same careful eye that I use on foreign made materials. Once that scrutiny is complete, it doesn't matter why I choose a particular product. In any case, the decision will have been made with a sound decision making process employed.

I think we are on the same page.

I also applaud all pet parents who are on top of the news, and then do the research to determine what is best for their pets. Better safe than sorry, for sure.

But there has been so many issues lately that is creating a severe discomfort (paranoia) anytime a change occurs in their preferred dog food brand.

It's fascinating to me that how knowledgeable we are on our dog food sources.....but do you know where your chicken comes from at
the supermarket????? Do you know if they changed suppliers? I know that I'm personally better informed on my dog food sources than I am on my own! Scary thought!

But I'm still breathing. And Del Monte supplies me with people food too. So I'm just going to watch and monitor for now.

My only other option is to lose faith in the dog food industry entirely and start doing 100% home cooked.