From Petfood Industry:

In 2007, Greg Aldrich wrote for Petfood Industry about chicken as the first ingredient in pet food. That topic is still popular today, as a recent blog from Debbie Phillips-Donaldson on meat-first focus, shows.

Aldrich wrote about whether formulating a dry pet food to make a meat the first ingredient on the panel is only a marketing ploy or if it truly imparts some enhancement to nutrition and quality. He said there is some real truth to the notion that the consumer is going to perceive that a food that is 'made with real meat' or has 'chicken as the first ingredient' is a higher quality product.

Aldrich said that, in this day of natural, raw and home-prepared pet foods, the notion of an extruded food with a high content of fresh chicken isn't a big stretch. In fact, it may actually be a bridge to the new pet food market.

Phillips-Donaldson, writing about the “new” pet food market, said that many people believe dogs are carnivores and need high levels of fresh, whole meat. She also questioned whether this focus and approach to feeding dogs is sustainable, as humans are competing with dogs and cats for all that meat. She asked, “Will we run out of meat?”

Chicken first: marketing ploy or quality enhancement?

Chicken as the first ingredient on the ingredient panel of a dry extruded kibble has become more commonplace in the past several years. Chicken as the first ingredient on the ingredient panel of a dry extruded kibble has become more commonplace in the past several years. Why chicken?

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