Against The Grain Pet Nutrition personally and thoroughly researches each and every product for safety and wholesomeness before offering it to you. Here's how we recognize premium foods.
- Read the label on the bag or can
- Discover the source of the ingredients
- Find out who actually manufactures the product
- Investigate the storage policies at distribution centers
- Allow our own "in-house taste testers" to give the final stamp of approval
It all starts by reading the ingredient label. To many consumers, labels are complicated, especially at the end where the long line of added vitamins, minerals and preservatives can be found. After years of studying pet foods we understand the terminology and know what should or should not be in your pet's food.
| What we believe SHOULD be there:
Human Grade Ingredients or
Certified Organic Ingredients
Meat as the First Ingredient
Named Proteins and Fats
Only whole grains, if any
Added Taurine
Meets AAFCO Specifications
|
What should NOT be there:
Meat By-Products, Tallow
Animal Digests, Beef & Bone Meal
Grain as the First Ingredient
Generic, Un-named Proteins & Fats
Grain fragments, Brewers Rice
Corn or Wheat Gluten Meals
Rice or Soy Protein
Menadione (Synthetic Vitamin K)
BHA, BHT or Ethoxyquin
Artificial Colors or Flavors
Sweeteners or Propylene Glycol
|
Discovering the Source of Ingredients
Susan Thixton has a wonderful website called "Truth About Pet Food." The web address is www.truthaboutpetfood.com. After losing a pet in 2007 because of tainted pet food, she has made it her mission to uncover the truth. She contacts manufacturers to get details about where they get their ingredients and who actually manufactures the product. The information is published on her website.
Pet Food Producers
Either a company produces its own products in their company-owned facility or they contract it with a larger company. For example, Diamond not only makes Diamond food, but also manufactures "private label" pet food in their plants. Due to the aflatoxin recalls in 2005 specific to Diamond, some pet owners remain cautious about buying food produced by Diamond. For those of you who want to know exactly where your pet's food is made, which brands have its own facilities, how they are inspected and certified, ATG makes every effort to discover this information.
Distribution Center Storage
It does no good to produce a high quality food then put it on a truck to a distribution center that does not store the products properly. Dry pet food, in particular, needs to be kept at a consistent low humidity temperature to prevent mold from forming. ATG stores your pet's food in a climate-controlled facility and expects the same from our distributors.
In House Taste Testers
Meet "The Test Team".
*Against The Grain only recommends products to you that we have and do use with our own pets. If you know of a healthy pet food, treat or supplement you believe we should sell, email us the name of it. Your opinions are important to us. We will research the product and you could see it in our store soon.
**ATG also takes special orders for products that we do not keep in stock, provided they contain wholesome, safe ingredients.
Against The Grain Pet Nutrition is a company that does things differently. We are a small business that is excited about offering pet owners better choices in pet nutrition. We believe that choosing appropriate pet food (be it commercial, raw or home prepared) is the most important factor in any pet's preventative health, convalescence and longevity. Our name - Against The Grain - reflects our strong passion to provide pet owners with the knowledge to make healthy decisions about pet care even if we go ‘against the grain' of popular thinking.
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