[Britster]

Science Diet's "The Truth About Pet Food Ingredients"

The Science Diet website now has a page titled "The Truth About Pet Food Ingredients Pet Food Myths Answered with Facts". Here's what Science Diets says and of course I have some follow up...

The Science Diet webpage starts off like this...

"The TRUTH about pet nutrition." They go on to say "It's important to understand what is myth or fact when making choices about what you feed your pet." I agree Science Diet, it IS important for pet parents to understand what is myth or fact when making choices about pet food. So, let's see what Science Diet's myths and truths are...

"Myth 1: Corn is just filler."
"Fact: A filler is an ingredient providing no nutritional purpose. Corn is NOT a filler. Corn is a nutritionally superior grain compared with others used in pet food. It contains nutrients not found in other grains and includes:
• Essential fatty acids for healthy skin and coat
• Beta-carotene, vitamin E and lutein - nature's antioxidants
• Highly digestible carbohydrates for energy
• Quality proteins for muscle and tissue growth
You'll be interested to know that protein in corn is more digestible than rice, wheat, barley or sorghum."

Ok...I agree...with the sentence "a filler is an ingredient providing no nutritional purpose". Corn isn't a filler. BUT, corn is a cheaper protein source as compared to high quality (Grade A) meat. BUT, corn is highly prone to deadly mycotoxins which even in small amounts can cause tremendous health risks over time. BUT 70% of U.S. corn is genetically modified (GM) AND studies have linked GM corn to kidney and liver damage in animals.

"Myth 2 By-products are low-quality ingredients.
Fact: A by-product is something produced when making something else. For example, a by-product of soybean processing is vitamin E. Other food by-products include vegetable oils, beef bouillon and gelatin. Also, Hill's:
• Selects those by-products that allow it to add nutrient-rich organ meats
• Avoids excess minerals from bones found in less expensive meats"

Ok...I agree with part of this too...by-products are produced when making something else. For example a by-product of the processing of human meat are cut away cancerous tissues and injection sites, diseased organs, downer animals and other waste that FDA Compliance Policies allow pet food to utilize without petsumer knowledge. Science Diet's response to Myth 2 does say it selects nutrient-rich organ meats but it does not state if these organ meat by-products are USDA Grade A or if their organ meat by-products are rejected for use in human food.

Read the rest:
Science Diet's "The Truth About Pet Food Ingredients"