I got this off another forum while I was doing a search. You can find the original post here:
Talk to me about TOTW - Puppy & Dog Forums
But I thought I'd repost part of it here anyway.
Quote:
Some of the better foods don't contain Ethoxyquin which is used as a preservative for fish meal and fats. I wrote to TOTW and this was their reply:
Thank you for your inquiry. By law, it is required that anything that is added in the manufacturing of the food must be listed on the ingredient panel. If there are preservatives added to any of the ingredients prior to the manufacturer purchasing them, they do not have to be listed on the label.
Taste of the Wild Pet Foods does not add ethoxyquin to any of the formulas.
Fish meal is required by law to be preserved with ethoxyquin. Ethoxyquin is most effective at preventing rancidity in the highly volatile fish meal. Rancidity in ingredients can lead to severe illness.
Most of the ethoxyquin is destroyed in the cooking process, requiring other preservatives to be used. Tests for ethoxyquin are run routinely on Taste of the Wild products. The results are typically less than 5ppm. The amount allowed, and considered to be safe, by the FDA is 75ppm.
Fish meal is an important ingredient that provides quality amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients are important for all aspects of a healthy life, including great skin and coat, control of inflammation and a strong immune system.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brookshire
I also wrote to Solid Gold, the food my dogs eat is Barking at the moon:
The natural flavor is spray dried beef liver applied to the outside of the kibble.
The fish meal we use is preserved with a natural, tocopherol based preservative called Natur-Ox.
Best regards,
Solid Gold
and Orijen:
He is correct most fish meal is preserved with ethoxyquin. This I believe is a regulation by either the USDA or the U.S. Coast Guard.
We do not have our fish meal made for us in the U.S. It is specifically produced to our specifications and preserved with mixed tocopherals.
If you have any other questions please write.
Have a great day.
Clark
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It seems all US dog food companies with fish meal would have to have ethoxyquin. And if they didn't, they would have to go through a lot of trouble to make sure there was no ethoxyquin (go through companies with written permission by the government to not have to use it), so you would think they would be shouting it from the rooftops as an advertising move. I guess it just depends on whether you think the cooking process eliminates enough of the preservative.
For me, I'll stick with Orijen. I figure it's better safe than sorry. Plus, Addie loves it, and there's no reason to mess with a good thing.
