2024 10:28 , Fev . 17 De volta à lista

As consumers claw for luxury pet food, dogs and cats are eating as well as humans.

As consumers claw for luxury pet food, dogs and cats are eating as well as humans.

When Amy Barkham adopted her dog named Wednesday, she already knew she wanted to feed the German Shepherd-Husky mix premium dog food. She scoured websites, and read labels and reviews to select UK brands of kibble that positioned themselves as grain-free, nutritionally balanced and bursting with the goodness of top-notch ingredients, including free-range chicken and "vegetables and botanicals that match your dog's ancestral diet".

Wednesday, whom Barkham describes as "the biggest bundle of energy I have ever come across", was uninterested in the grain-free kibble her owner had searched for high and low. (She preferred to play with her plush toy pumpkin instead.) After a month, she began refusing the food entirely, dramatically losing weight during her hunger strikes.

Twenty-three-year-old Barkham wasn't sure where to turn next. These brands were already running her upwards of £50 ($63) for 15kg (33lb) bags of dry food, which lasted about five weeks. What else could her dog possibly want? Would it cost even more?

The answer: human-grade dog pet food, with quite the eye-watering price tag. And as the market offerings grow, this food is increasingly attracting both dog and cat owners.

The term "human grade" is not new. Early definitions were murky: some consumers simply equated it with better quality, or the idea that if it's good enough for humans, it must be good for their pets. Now, new standards set in the past two years in the US ,UK and Europe mean tighter regulations. "Human-grade" encompasses pet food manufactured in a manner consistent with regulations for ready-to-eat human food products.

Barkham discovered the option when she attended a dog show in London in 2022: fresh, gently-cooked dog food by the UK brand Tuggs, which includes recognisable vegetables such as broccoli and carrots as well as proteins including cod, pork, beef, chicken – even insects. She appreciated both the nutritional benefits it touted as well as its sustainability pledge. Although she struggled to envision Wednesday taking to a food containing insect protein when she had rejected kibble, Barkham rolled the dice. Wednesday loved it.

Note:from BBC com.

OUR JUTE BAGS ARE REUSED, THANKS TO CIRCULAR ECONOMY

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