Petco Now First Major Pet Retailer That Will Refuse To Sell Food with Artificial Ingredients
In recent years, many high-quality pet food brands have started to do away with the use of synthetic preservatives in favor of natural ingredients, according to WholeDog Journal.
However, most lower quality and less expensive options continue to use harmful chemicals in their products, putting pets at risk and creating tough competition for healthier brands on pet store shelves.
These artificial ingredients are included in pet foods in order to extend their shelf life but ultimately add no real nutritional value.
Because of their low cost, dozens of these poor-nutrition options are still popular choices for owners shopping in major pet stores and grocery stores, even though a wider variety of natural choices has become available.
However, a recent business move by well-known pet industry leader, Petco, offers some good news for health-conscious pet owners.
Petco recently announced plans to do away with artificial ingredients in all of its featured pet food brands.
“When you love pets as much as we do, you always want to do more. To be better,” Petco CEO Ron Coughlin stated in a letter to the public. “That’s why we’re introducing new standards for nutrition at Petco.”
The company website now lists these updated nutrition standards, promising no more artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, beginning in May 2019.
Yummy turned his back on food with artificial ingredients long ago. Join our movement by sharing a photo of your pet with #TurningOurBacks & #PetcoSweepstakes on Instagram and you could win a year’s worth of pet food from @Petco . Learn more here: https://t.co/hB2APxOvGe pic.twitter.com/Pzrxg072FU
— Ron ???? (@RCoughlinPetco) April 10, 2019
The store is also encouraging pet owners to seriously consider what they feed their pets through the introduction of its new campaign, Cleaning House.
The campaign warns pet parents, “If it doesn’t meet our new standards, you won’t soon find it on Petco shelves.”
“We’re raising the bar and stepping out ahead of the industry. Not because it’s an easy thing to do, but because we believe it’s the right thing to do,” Coughlin said.
“Our goal is better health and wellness for the pets we all love. And setting new standards for nutrition is just the beginning.”
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