Blue Buffalo: Yet Another Pet Food Recall Due to Excessive Vitamins and Minerals

This has happened before. Blue Buffalo’s October 8, 2010 dog food recall is just one of many in recent years, due to excessive Vitamin D or other synthetic nutrients in pet food. In 2006, Royal Canin recalled several of their foods because they also contained too much added Vitamin D. In 2009, Nutro recalled cat foods, citing the formulas contained “excessive levels of zinc.” At about the same time, 21 horses at the U.S. Open Polo Championship in Florida died from a supplement overdose of the mineral selenium. The common factor to all of these events is the use of added man-made vitamins or minerals.

With the exception of Nature’s Logic, all commercial pet food manufacturers producing dry kibble or canned food add chemically-synthesized vitamins and minerals to their foods. They do this to achieve the nutrient profiles established by The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), the primary body regulating the production of pet food. By adding man-made nutrients instead of using whole food ingredients, manufacturers can achieve the recommended levels less expensively, creating more profit for the pet food company. But their profit comes at a cost to pets.

Even companies marketing “natural” pet foods do this. While, “Natural with added vitamins, minerals, and other trace nutrients” might look like a positive benefit to most people shopping for pet food, is actually a disclaimer. It is intended to inform consumers that this particular product does not contain natural vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients, but instead contains chemically-synthesized forms. This is the only way pet food manufacturers that use man-made nutrients can use the word “natural” on their foods.

Pet parents should be aware that added synthetic vitamins and minerals in pet foods are not good for their pets. The reason AAFCO insists on the disclaimer is that chemically-synthesized nutrients actually pose a potential health threat for pets. Many are derived from substances such as coal tar or by-products of industrial metal production. They were not designed to be consumed in every meal, but instead were intended to correct deficiencies in the feed given for a limited time to food-chain animals, such as cattle. Studies showing links to adverse health effects can be found in two books published by the National Academy of Sciences: Vitamin Tolerance of Animals and Mineral Tolerance of Domestic Animals.

Whole food ingredients are the only safe sources of vitamins and minerals for pets. Nature’s Logic® natural pet foods do not have to display the AAFCO disclaimer found on all other dry and canned foods. Our foods provide pets with essential and complete nutrition, substantiated for all life stages, using only 100% natural ingredients. The company has created the first and only full-line kibble, canned, and raw frozen pet food in the world with no chemically-synthesized vitamins, minerals or other trace nutrients. For more information about Nature's Logic raw, canned, and dry foods for dogs and cats, please visit http://www.natureslogic.com/.