Genuinely Synthetic (Part 2)

I had no intention of making Genuinely Synthetic (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/genuinely-synthetic-jim-galovski-lvjxe/?trackingId=qJuT7hVMTqSk3UQh2fkyYg%3D%3D ) a two part article but the number of "side bar" and personal emails I received made me change my mind. Most of the messages were complimentary but there were a few that surprised me! For those that sent the latter ones, I appreciate the clarification on my family lineage and your thoughts on my flexibility (just kidding).

One of the questions/comments I received was for clarification on other food formats (fresh, freeze-dried, etc.). One email went like this, "I know kibble isn't the best, but are you trying to tell me that freeze-dried and fresh/frozen is just as bad?" Absolutely not!! What I said, and am saying, is that companies in those formats will tout the "fresh" ingredients they use but don't explain why they use all of the artificial and synthetic ingredients. NOBL doesn't use any and we are a freeze-dried food/treat company. While a shameless plug for my company, it is also to make the point that if we can do it without artificial and synthetic ingredients, so can anyone in freeze-dried. For further clarification, not ALL pet foods in the same format are equal. THIS is the point of all my articles; do your homework, research nutrition and ask questions of the brands you feed. Not that any of the brands will take me up on this but wouldn't it be great if all of them (any of them) would speak to their use of synthetics and artificial ingredients, provide full nutritional analysis, digestibility and essential amino acid profiles for their diets?

Another question was, "How do the different formats compare to one another?" While the NOBL website (https://noblfoods.com/pages/our-transparency ) provides several dozen "head to head" comparisons, I figured I'd put up a slide that shows the "average" essential amino acid (EAA) levels of the various formats. With the exception of NOBL, each format has a minimum of 5 brands included in the average.

There is a LOT to unpack in this chart! As it relates to the theme of "genuinely synthetic", take a look at Kibble first. They underperform at almost every level from an EAA perspective. They have the largest share of usage and the lowest cost of production as well as the lowest EAA levels. When you add in digestibility, it performs even worse. Extruded kibble averages under 80% in TOTAL digestibility (don't be tricked by manufacturers that just give you the higher fat or protein numbers).

If you look at "Fresh", they fall short against kibble when it comes to several EAAs. This format confuses me the most. In processing, the product goes through an instant quick freeze (IQF), much like freeze-dried does (or should) before sublimation. Why does "fresh" need synthetics and why do they fall short on EAAs? If you know, please send me an email.

The last grouping is freeze-dried pet food. I still stand by my previous comment that if you use quality ingredients, you don't need to supplement with synthetics. The part that is interesting to me is that NOBL outperforms the EAA averages AND costs less on a daily feeding basis than any FD food in the category. I have been approached numerous times to use synthetics to lower production costs AND to increase the selling price for profit's sake (not for pet health).

The last comment I'll share my answer to is this, "Why are you shaming pet parents for their food choices?" I'm NOT and I really hope it is clear that I am attempting to shame the pet industry at large. First and foremost, dry, extruded kibble is a better option than table scraps or remnants from the butcher's shop. It improved care and lowered the cost of pet ownership and has brought millions of pets into our homes as part of the family. "Fresh" food is great and it SHOULD be made of whole foods that are minimally processed. Yes, it is expensive and inconvenient (have you ever tried to store 2 weeks of frozen bags for an 80lb dog and then remember to thaw it over night?) but "some is better than none". I am obviously a proponent of freeze dried food. It is convenient, minimally processed and (if done properly) full of whole foods and natural ingredients. Most importantly, the lack of synthetics and artificial ingredients allow the body to operate efficiently and "cleanly". I've often used the example of air filters when it comes to natural vs synthetic ingredients. If you imagine the filter to be your dog's body, natural ingredients (and all of the cofactors) work together to build, repair and replenish your dog's cells. This is in essence, a "clean" filter. When you feed foods filled with synthetics, your dog's body will still process them. You may never notice the deficiencies or issues, but the length of time the filter "works" will be cut short and you are introducing ingredients that have known issues. For consumers, do what you can! Some whole foods (no matter how little or frequent) are better than none. For manufacturers, DO BETTER!