At the end of last month, two U.S. companies filed a lawsuit against Nestle's famous brand Purina PetCare, accusing it of conducting deceptive marketing in the market and selling products labeled as "natural" and "free of artificial preservatives." Cat food was found to contain chemical preservatives.

Plaintiffs GMO Free USA and Clean Label Project provided a laboratory test that showed Purina's Some cat foods contain glyphosate and ethoxyquin, an artificial preservative that may cause cancer.

The complaint alleges that Purina took advantage of pet owners’ preference for pet food that is marketed as “natural,” and consumers generally believe that natural means products that are free of pesticides and artificial ingredients. "The incidence of chronic disease continues to rise, not just in humans but in pets as well. As people become more aware of the link between synthetic chemicals and chronic health problems, Purina is capitalizing on consumers' desire for truly natural, non-toxic pets Food preferences mislead the market, so consumers must be held accountable for this marketing behavior. Consumers have the right to know the true ingredients of the food they buy for themselves, their families, and their pets.” Relevant research found that Bayer. -Glyphosate in Bayer-Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup has been linked to cancer, liver and kidney disease, and other adverse symptoms. There are currently about 125,000 lawsuits filed against Bayer-Monsanto around the world, alleging that Roundup causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Monsanto developed ethoxyquin as a pesticide as early as the 1950s. It is also a synthetic antioxidant, so it is also used as a preservative to prevent rancidity of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. But studies have shown that ethoxyquin can have adverse effects on the liver and be toxic to living cells and genetic material.

A report on ethoxyquin published by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2004 pointed out: In experimental animals, the main target organs affected by ethoxyquin are the liver and kidneys. Simply put, it damages the liver. kidney.

It is important to note that this study only lasted 90 days, and there are currently no studies on the cumulative effects of ethoxyquin ingestion in dogs for more than 90 days. Puppies, working dogs, and pregnant bitches often eat more than the average dog.

These cat food ingredients may contain chemical preservatives

As mentioned earlier, ethoxyquin not only preserves freshness, but it is also a pesticide! Therefore, ethoxyquin is not approved as a direct food additive in food for human consumption and is only allowed as a preservative for spices such as chili powder, but ethoxyquin is more commonly found in pet food.

The allowed content of ethoxyquin in human food is 0.5 to 5ppm, while pets are smaller than humans, but the allowed content in pet food reaches 75ppm.

This is a controversial additive. Over the years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received reports of ethoxyquin harming the liver and other health issues. The FDA asked Monsanto, one of the major manufacturers of ethoxyquin, to conduct a study on this food, and the latter reported that experiments in rats confirmed that excessive intake of ethoxyquin may alter liver enzyme indicators.

An independent report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said dogs were more sensitive to the toxicity of ethoxyquin than the rats used by Monsanto in the study. They found that over a 90-day feeding period, the dogs' liver enzymes increased by 4mg/kg/day. This equates to 160 ppm, which is just over twice the upper limit of ethoxyquin allowed in pet food.

Industry insiders revealed that if cat food and dog food contain fish meal, it must contain ethoxyquin. Because when transporting fishmeal, the use of ethoxyquin is required by law.

But because ethoxyquin is not added directly to pet food at this time, the Association of American Feed Controllers (AAFCO) does not require manufacturers to include it on the ingredient list.

Not only that, poultry feed may also contain ethoxyquin, so other ingredients, including chicken, beef meal and artificial animal fats, are sometimes preserved with ethoxyquin. Therefore, it is best to change the same cat food after eating it for about 90 days and choose different sources of protein ingredients.

Two other common chemical preservatives, BHA and BHT, have been linked to cancer in experimental animals. Researchers also suspect that BHT can cause developmental defects and thyroid changes.

There is also TBHQ, or tert-butylhydroquinone, an antioxidant derived from butane, which is also used in the manufacture of varnishes and paints. TBHQ has been found to cause stomach tumors and has also been linked to many other forms of cancer.

Truly natural cat food should use natural preservatives, such as vitamin E and vitamin C. However, although natural preservatives are less toxic than synthetic preservatives, their shelf life is lower than the latter.

Among them, when vitamin E is used for preservation, it is called mixed tocopherols. They are isomers of vitamin E extracted from vegetable oils and restaurant fats. The most effective tocopherol is gamma-tocopherol, which is extracted from grains and oils.

Rosemary extract and citric acid (or fruits containing citric acid such as cranberries, blueberries and apples) can also be antioxidants and achieve antiseptic effects. These are recognized as safe food preservation ingredients for use in the human and pet food industries.

Whether you feed dry food or canned food, you must know that the so-called "shelf life" is actually the best time to eat It is important to note that this date only applies to unopened food.

Once opened, food loses nutritional value at an accelerated rate and fat begins to oxidize. And every time it is opened, the rate of decay will increase.

So, how to choose and preserve dry food for cats and dogs? First, it’s definitely less harmful to eat foods that use natural preservatives rather than synthetic chemicals.

However, correspondingly, the anti-corrosion time is also reduced accordingly.

How long pet food can be stored after opening depends in part on the source of the fat. If it is beef food, pet food industry consultant Steve Brown recommends eating it within 3 weeks; if it is chicken or poultry, the stability is even worse, and it is best to eat it within 2 weeks.

Therefore, although large-package pet food is usually cheaper, small bags are relatively safer. It is recommended to purchase small bags of cat food and dog food if conditions permit.