Have you ever read the ingredients label on your dog’s food and seen ‘natural flavourings’ listed? That sure sounds nice, but what does it really imply – especially for your pet?
Pet food products are flavoured using flavourings derived from animal or plant sources to enhance the taste of these meals and encourage pets to eat more. Examples include chicken broth, beef extract or even light herbs like parsley. The three ingredients above are flavourings for use in making sure picky eaters get all the nutrition they need.
However, “natural” does not always equate to easy. The definition of the term is also differently governed by jurisdiction and it can describe a variety of ingredients. More innocent ambiguities like natural chicken flavour (reduced and blended taste of cooking down a real chicken) or natural vegetable flavour (dehydrated carrot or pea).
Pros:
Encourages healthful eating by making pet food more appetising.
Frequently originating from actual, identifiable sources.
Less likely to contain artificial additives. For more information on Natural Flavourings, visit a site like foodieflavours.com/collections/natural-flavourings
Cons:
Natural is a vague term if your pet has allergies – always check for specifics.
Some natural flavourings could still be heavily processed and so pet owners would do well to look beyond the buzzwords. For greater transparency and ease of understanding, brands need to be transparent and if it is justifiable, do question them. After all that, our furry family members are entitled to have food they will love and can count on to keep them healthy!