HUMAN-GRADE vs FEED-GRADE DOG FOOD
YOU LOVE YOUR DOG
You love your dog right? Of course you do and you want to provide your canine companion with the very best of everything — including meeting their mealtime needs with healthy dog food options.
To do that, you need to know what healthy dog food options really are. The question might seem confusing — but let’s keep it simple.
Are dogs that eat human-grade dog food healthier? The simple answer is that the most beneficial food for your dog is one that is crafted from fresh, whole foods. If it is human-grade dog food, all the better.
In case you’re still confused, let’s look closer.
WHAT ARE WHOLE FOODS?
When we talk about whole foods, we mean foods that are minimally processed and as close to their natural state as possible.
For a dog, a whole foods diet can include vegetables and grains, but the majority of protein should come from minimally processed meat. Meat is the key protein source for your dog, because dogs need taurine which is only found in meat protein.
Most dog foods are not great examples of whole foods. That’s because the majority of dry and canned foods are highly processed. Processed foods offer less nutrition, lower quality ingredients, and are harder on your dog’s digestive system.
Yes, there may be meat in dry dog food — but factory processing strips away the natural taurine found in any meat ingredients and adds tons of carbs and starches.
Yes, canned dog food has meat ingredients, but much of the protein content comes from animal by-products, as well as unhealthy artificial gums and thickeners to give it that “jelly” texture.
You love your dog right? Of course you do and you want to provide your canine companion with the very best of everything — including meeting their mealtime needs with healthy dog food options.
To do that, you need to know what healthy dog food options really are. The question might seem confusing — but let’s keep it simple.
Are dogs that eat human-grade dog food healthier? The simple answer is that the most beneficial food for your dog is one that is crafted from fresh, whole foods. If it is human-grade dog food, all the better.
In case you’re still confused, let’s look closer.
When we talk about whole foods, we mean foods that are minimally processed and as close to their natural state as possible.
For a dog, a whole foods diet can include vegetables and grains, but the majority of protein should come from minimally processed meat. Meat is the key protein source for your dog, because dogs need taurine which is only found in meat protein.
Most dog foods are not great examples of whole foods. That’s because the majority of dry and canned foods are highly processed. Processed foods offer less nutrition, lower quality ingredients, and are harder on your dog’s digestive system.
Yes, there may be meat in dry dog food — but factory processing strips away the natural taurine found in any meat ingredients and adds tons of carbs and starches.
Yes, canned dog food has meat ingredients, but much of the protein content comes from animal by-products, as well as unhealthy artificial gums and thickeners to give it that “jelly” texture.
WHAT DOES HUMAN-GRADE DOG FOOD MEAN?
It may be surprising, but not all dog food is human grade. In the past, most dog foods were feed-grade, not human-grade. Feed-grade dog food does not have to be edible for humans, and cannot be legally sold as human food because they are legally allowed to contain ingredients proven harmful to humans.
Human-grade dog food means it’s dog food made with ingredients that are safe for you and I to eat. Human-grade dog foods are attuned to doggy tastes — so it’s not that you would eat it. But the key is that you could safely do so.
Human-grade dog foods must be suitable and safe for human consumption AND be manufactured in an inspected kitchen that produces only human grade food, using processes deemed safe for human-grade food.
Keep this in mind: If a food is not made of 100% human-grade ingredients, and manufactured and handled up to human-grade standards, the seller CANNOT say that their dog food is all human-grade on the package.
WHAT IF A DOG FOOD SAYS IT USES HUMAN GRADE INGREDIENTS?
Human-grade ingredients are not enough. Just because a dog food recipe uses one or two ingredients that are “human-grade”, that does NOT mean the finished dog food is safe for human consumption.
If a dog food doesn’t have a completely human-grade recipe and process, it’s not a human-grade dog-food. According to The Pet Food Industry, the use of the term ‘human grade’ applies to the product as a whole.
Every ingredient must be human-grade, and “finished food must be stored, handled, processed and transported in a manner that is consistent with current good manufacturing processes.
ARE DOGS THAT EAT HUMAN-GRADE DOG FOOD HEALTHIER?
The differences between human-grade dog foods and feed-grade dog foods are staggering if the health and safety of your pet are important to you.
Human-grade dog food is safer than feed-grade dog food because feed-grade foods are legally allowed to include contaminants. Not only can feed-grade dog foods contain ingredients that humans wouldn’t want to eat, they are legally allowed to include ingredients that are unsafe. Consider these 4 examples:
1. Vegetables that have been overexposed to pesticides.
2. Sick animals that have been over exposed to drugs.
3. Contaminated, expired, or meats from unidentified animals.
4. Meat by-products including organs, blood, fat, tendons, and bone.
If ingredients like these are unsafe for humans to eat, they are not likely safe for OUR human companions to eat, either.
It may be surprising, but not all dog food is human grade. In the past, most dog foods were feed-grade, not human-grade. Feed-grade dog food does not have to be edible for humans, and cannot be legally sold as human food because they are legally allowed to contain ingredients proven harmful to humans.
Human-grade dog food means it’s dog food made with ingredients that are safe for you and I to eat. Human-grade dog foods are attuned to doggy tastes — so it’s not that you would eat it. But the key is that you could safely do so.
Human-grade dog foods must be suitable and safe for human consumption AND be manufactured in an inspected kitchen that produces only human grade food, using processes deemed safe for human-grade food.
Keep this in mind: If a food is not made of 100% human-grade ingredients, and manufactured and handled up to human-grade standards, the seller CANNOT say that their dog food is all human-grade on the package.
WHAT IF A DOG FOOD SAYS IT USES HUMAN GRADE INGREDIENTS?
Human-grade ingredients are not enough. Just because a dog food recipe uses one or two ingredients that are “human-grade”, that does NOT mean the finished dog food is safe for human consumption.
If a dog food doesn’t have a completely human-grade recipe and process, it’s not a human-grade dog-food. According to The Pet Food Industry, the use of the term ‘human grade’ applies to the product as a whole.
Every ingredient must be human-grade, and “finished food must be stored, handled, processed and transported in a manner that is consistent with current good manufacturing processes.
ARE DOGS THAT EAT HUMAN-GRADE DOG FOOD HEALTHIER?
The differences between human-grade dog foods and feed-grade dog foods are staggering if the health and safety of your pet are important to you.
Human-grade dog food is safer than feed-grade dog food because feed-grade foods are legally allowed to include contaminants. Not only can feed-grade dog foods contain ingredients that humans wouldn’t want to eat, they are legally allowed to include ingredients that are unsafe. Consider these 4 examples:
1. Vegetables that have been overexposed to pesticides.
2. Sick animals that have been over exposed to drugs.
3. Contaminated, expired, or meats from unidentified animals.
4. Meat by-products including organs, blood, fat, tendons, and bone.
If ingredients like these are unsafe for humans to eat, they are not likely safe for OUR human companions to eat, either.