Was it Natura that was talking about building a new plant?  I remember hearing about one of the pf companies building a new plant but I'm not sure who it was right now.

Too many months of reading & trying to remember stuff......this old brain is on tilt right now......duh.......

My other thought was MF........they have a lot of plants around the country.......did they have this is in the works prior to the black days of March?  Needless to say, that changed everything for them.......which it well should.

Offy:

Good find.  I Googled NPP & they make dog food under the name National.  I've never heard of it or seen it anywhere.

http://www.nationaldogfood.com/www/products.html

I think the pf companies who make the really good food should get together, buy the plant & make their own.  Then we wouldn't have to worry about which plants are making the food. 

Dream on, girl.......

Went into local  grocery store (giant eagle) today, looked down pet food aisle, no one in aisle but they did add a freezer. they are now selling Freshpet select rolls and containers that are called Bites
                                            kathy

those rolls IMHO are JUNK .. they claim brown rice but the label says brewers ....


I have a feeling I know which Company bought that plant and it wasnt natura

I have to disagree with you. Raw diets are still very new and lets not forget that most vets either do not recommend them or are skeptical where feeding raw is concerned.  Then there are some people who get grossed out at just the thought of it. I presume it was not untill after your cat had succumbed due to feeding commercial pet food that you made the switch to raw? The majority of pet owners do not usually make a connection between health problems in their pets and the food they eat untill something drastic happens, if even then. Also you have to take into consideration the cost factor. Many households with pets feed what they can afford, unfortunately that usually means a supermarket brand. We are a society that has been spoiled by convenience which in turn guarantees there will always be commercial pet foods.

Empty pet food isles.. that I have found to be a good sales pitch to your grocer to provide organic meats, poultry etc. and more organic products overall.

They need to pick those sales $'s back up and it's up to the consumer to help them find out how.. if the pet food companies won't listen, I think the grocers would be happy to assist us and get those lost $ and then some..

How about even pitching them on the idea of a "local market"  & "organic market" section in produce?

Publix called me today, and I will be hearing from them again next week.

PFCs leave me feeling powerless.

The grocer left me feeling much, much better and they were responsive.

I think this is one way for those of us concerned about the quality of pet foods (and our foods) to get more $ away from commercial pfcs (or, some changes) and the power back to the consumer.   (Leverage the grocery stores against the pfcs).


One side note. I don't think pet owners are aware that homecooking can be more cost efficient than commercial. For .8lb of organic ground pork with one organic egg for the cats, I had a burger for myself and 12 pet food dishes of pet meals.  If those 12 meals are .50 per can... well, the math says transitioning to homecooked is worth it. With accelerating costs of pet foods, this makes homecooking a more logical option. Doing meals for oneself and your pets at the same time is easier and cheaper.  (Now to get the kids converted LOL) Dogs have to be easier than cats and cheaper too to plan their meals and yours around the same ingredients. Time efficient and less of a chore at that.

As a cat owner, I'm not convinced that raw and their metabolic system is a good thing, unless the raw is organic & high quality. So, I'm not saying raw is the way to go. Homemade is the way to go for those that can. What I am saying is that this seems to be a way to make it a) easier to get ingredients for homemade b) bring about change in commercial pet foods c) help grocers bring up sales dollars from the losses they suffered from the pathetic, scandalous and greedy attitudes of commercial pet food companies.

Leveraging the grocers against the pfcs by encouraging them to provide a means for pet owners to buy ingredients at their store for both home made pet food (whether cooked or raw) is a good way IMO to force change in the commercial pet food industry.

I know homemade pet food (whether raw or cooked) may not be an option for shelters or some consumers.

It is possible though IMO to get enough pet owners doing homemade to bring about real positive nutritional changes in commercial pet foods.

If the grocers hadn't realized a loss in commercial pet food sales, this wouldn't work.

We know the upscale pet food companies are also suffering production & quality issues from the influx of consumers abandoning the commercial pet foods on the grocer shelves.  That leaves us all hurting and the pfcs stubbornly avoiding changes.

The grocers also are aware that they don't carry those upscale commercial pet foods. 

They're in a lose lose situation there. They can a)make it easier to buy ingredients for homemade pet food (cha ching) and/or b) sell upscale commercial pet foods (cha ching). A grocer is going to see that positive and something to do faster apparently than the pfcs. The downside to b) again is the same as it is now.. sales vs production volume and quality control.

If the consumers that can can make the grocers understand they are missing a major dollar market and respond to that need it will be easier to do homemade. I really think that will bring about the changes in commercial to help us all - even the "lower" scale brands.

To be honest, IMO the commercial pet foods are pricing themselves out of customers too.. especially if a pet owner is fixing a meal for themselves and their pets at the same time from the same grocer.

I don't see commercial pet foods going away.

I do see a way to bring about change in the nutrition & science they use in  products and impacting the health of our animals.

We've been screwed by them and will continue to be screwed (vet bills and the pain of losing our animals to hyperthyroid, renal, liver and other damages) from the callous greed of the stubborn attitude of "money is worth more than the nutrition of your pet" business plans and "we're regulated" pied piper songs.