St. Louis-based RIBUS Inc., the global leader in GMO-free and organic rice-based alternatives to synthetic ingredients in human food uses, has expanded into the pet business, supplying manufacturers of cat and dog treats, livestock supplements, and specialty items.

The RIBUS ingredients (Nu-RICE and Nu-FLOW) enable companies to make products with the ideal texture, strength and bulk density. RIBUS is supplying some of the largest companies in the world, and is able to bring 25 years of experience in human food applications to produce efficiencies, texture improvements, and cleaner labels for pet products globally.

RIBUS ingredients are made from rice hulls and bran from California.

“Consumers want both clean hands and clean labels for anything they give their best friends, and manufacturers want ingredients that enable them to bake, extrude or form treats, food and nutritional products easily while providing the target taste and texture,” says Steve Peirce, RIBUS president. “The RIBUS ingredients make it a win-win situation for both.”

The rice-based ingredients also serve as alternatives to magnesium stearate, monoglycerides, and silicon dioxide – all prohibited in the manufacture of organic products. Not only do the chemical names sound daunting to consumers interested in “clean labels,” but RIBUS’ pronounceable alternatives are available as certified organic, enabling manufacturers to make organic products.