With an eye on the food allergy community as a unique group of consumers since 2008, we're on a quest to find and share ways to continue enjoying the good things in life.


29 August 2012

Food Allergy Friendly Pet Food: Yay or nay?

photo courtesy of cthumane.org
My recent post about dog biscuits possibly containing or being cross-contaminated with peanut butter raised two issues: 
  1. Lack of regulation of allergen labeling on non-food items and food not intended for human consumption, such as pet food. This is one of my soapbox issues. Just buying shampoo can be tricky!
  2. Consumer interest in allergen-free pet food. Is it time for dedicated facilities for pet food?
I've discussed the allergen labeling issue previously, so let's talk a little bit about consumer interest in allergen-free pet food. Pet foods are known to contain fish, milk, peanuts, wheat, and probably other food allergens. We have a cat and I do check the ingredients every time I purchase cat food. I do not have information about the manufacturing facility. Where do people stand on the issue of food allergens and pet food? Below are a bunch of questions on that subject; I would love your reaction to some or all of them. Please share your two cents!
  • Has your pet had an allergic reaction to food?
  • Have you or any family or friends had an allergic reaction to your pet's food?
  • Do you check the ingredients on your pet's food? 
  • How concerned are you about your allergens-to-avoid being present in your pet's food? 
  • Have you ever purchased allergen-free pet food? (A cursory Google search produced results for allergen-free cat and dog food.)
  • Would you like to see pet food with clearer food allergen labeling--similar to FDA's allergen labeling regulations for the big 8 on food for human consumption?
  • Are you comfortable purchasing pet food manufactured in a facility where there may be cross-contamination with your allergens-to-avoid?
  • If you could purchase pet food from a facility completely free of your allergens-to avoid, would you purchase that over other non-allergen-free pet foods? 
What do you think?

6 comments:

Erin said...

Our daughter is allergic to soy and peanut. She is allergic to cats but not dogs. One of the reasons that we haven't gotten a dog yet is because of our daughters food allergies. She has been given hives because a dog licked her. Knowing what food is safe to feed our pet so that our daughter is safe, feels like one more thing to worry about.

Jennifer Buteau said...

It is something to worry about, if a person is contact sensitive. My son is as well. I wouldn't be surprised if we begin to see pet food companies labeling for food allergens.

Mollie Morrissette said...

Well, don't count on truth in labeling when it comes to the Pet food industry. I can tell you I just had a geneticist test the DNA of the troubled chicken jerky treats that are killing dogs right now and guess what he found? Soy, peanut and pea DNA. Of course none of those ingredients were listed on the package. With no regulations and no government oversight to protect pets with allergies and the people that love them - it is buyer beware market.

Allergen Free Pets said...

A significant percentage of dogs and cats now have food intolerances and allergies thanks in large part to the poor quality, biologically inappropriate ingredients in commercial pet foods.
But fear not!
Many of the same companies that sell allergenic pet foods are now offering 'allergen-free' varieties for dogs and cats with GI issues like diarrhea, irritated skin, poor coat quality, itchy red ears, and other symptoms of food sensitivities.

Gratefulfoodie said...

Thanks Jennifer for all that you do for our food allergy community and especially today's Living With Food Allergies Blog Carnival! http://www.gratefulfoodie.com/living-with-food-allergies-blog-carnival/

dog food chicago il said...

My pups have allergy reaction for a week and I don’t know what to do? Please tell me something to cure for them. Now I am feeding them raw food.