Consumers Turn to ‘New Era’ Pet Food Companies Amid Turmoil and Confusion of Pet Food Recalls

For Immediate Release

San Diego, CA. March 26th 2007. Manufacturers of pet food styles and recipes that were previously considered ‘new age’ and ‘cutting edge’ are facing a huge surge in demand as the current pet food recall continues to unfurl. Consumers are frightened and confused, and this is prompting them to research the conventional pet food industry in detail. Their pets are their babies and it’s only natural that they want to safeguard their health and longevity by finding better food options.

A small group of manufacturers who have previously been considered ‘mavericks’ by a decades-old, traditional industry, produces diets of a different nature than those most people are familiar with. Their products are organic, natural, raw-frozen, freeze-dried dehydrated & human grade - and steps ahead in terms of quality and integrity.

”In the past two weeks, we have had to increase production to meet the growing demand from concerned pet owners” explained Lucy Postins, director of marketing and nutritionist for The Honest Kitchen, a San Diego manufacturer of dehydrated raw, human-edible grade products for cats and dogs. “Of course, we never could have foreseen a catastrophe of this gravity looming on the horizon for other members of the industry” she continued, “But at the same time, there has been this undercurrent of distrust and distaste about some of the major players who’ve been in the business for years.”

Ever since the first scandals about road-kill, euthanized pets (see link, below) and all sorts of other disgraceful substances making their way into the pet food chain years ago, there has been a sense of suspicion, and a small group of companies emerged to produce foods that are better for pets - and more trustworthy.

While the industry has slowly acknowledged these small players as ‘rising stars’ in their field over the last couple of years, they have never been considered mainstream in the products they take to market. In fact this small group constitutes only about 1% of the $14.5 billion pet food industry in the US. “One of the main differences as far as I can see”, explained Postins, “Is that these few small companies are owned and operated by ‘animal people’ not large corporations, as the big players are. It makes a difference in the way things are done.”

Many of these companies have seen a four-fold increase in business since the recall and production is being ramped up to meet demand. “We certainly don’t want to turn away new customers, so it’s vital that we take all steps necessary to manufacture our products quickly enough in the light of this massive industry shake-up” added an Honest Kitchen spokesperson. “We’ve even received calls from Wall Street investors looking to back companies who are on the other side of this horrible disaster.”

Pet stores across the nation have shelves that are half cleared because of recalled stock, and the remaining products are disappearing at an unprecedented rate, as newly educated and hyper-vigilant consumers seek out new options for their beloved companions.

Some stores are still in a state of confusion and are sweeping their shelves of every kind of canned and pouched ‘wet style’ product to be on the safe side. Others are being proactive and have contacted the manufacturers they deal with, then posted detailed notices and advise to consumers in-store and online to help the public decipher what is going on: http://www.petfoodexpress.com/petfood/default.asp?pageid=78&Section=About

FDA Information: http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/DFreport.htm The FDA CVM (Center for Veterinary Medicine) web site has information on the detection of pentobarbital (a drug used to euthanize animals) in conventional, feed-grade pet food made in rendering plants.

The Honest Kitchen was founded in 2002 and produces a line of dehydrated human grade raw diets for dogs and cats. The company is the only manufacturer in the US to have its pet foods made in a human food factory, which means they come under stringent FDA and USDA standards for processing, and 100% of the ingredients are safe even for a human to eat. The company was voted ‘Dog Food Of The Year’ for the past two consecutive years in the Puplife Annual Dog Products Awards.

Lucy Postins was voted one of the Top 25 People To Watch in the Pet Industry in 2006.
Lucy@thehonestkitchen.com
Tel: 858 483 5995