As the science of pet nutrition became clearer, better care was taken into designing food that best met pets’ needs for a complete and balanced diet, thanks in part to regulation by the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine and suggestions from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). In addition to topical formulated foods, pet parents also explored organic, holistic, natural and a return to raw diets for their pets, always looking for the best food to meet the specific needs of their pets. This explosive growth of more natural pet foods was fueled in part by a major recall in 2007 of national pet food brands.
Premium pet foods generally provide high-quality ingredients with excellent nutrition and reduced waste, and pet parents now have a choice of dry, wet, semi-moist, freeze dried, frozen and raw diets for their pets, as well as a host of supplements. Today, pet parents understand that what they feed their pets is important and that high-quality, optimal, nutritionally balanced pet food will likely promote better health for pets throughout their lives. In fact, according to a recent survey, 76 percent of pet parents say their pet’s food is very important when it comes to affecting overall health.