Svenska Färskfoder is a newly started industry association for companies that produce fresh feed for dogs and cats. The new association will work to develop guidelines for fresh feed, educate actors in the field and show the benefits of fresh feed to other feed. The association will also help Swedish animal owners to find the right in the dog and cat food jungle.
Fresh feed is the feed product that most closely matches the basic requirements of dogs and cats for food - a base of raw meat that has not been heat-treated. Fresh feed is today the fastest growing segment in the feed industry and last year, 7,000 tonnes of fresh feed were produced in Sweden alone.
Fresh food is a mixture of nutritious raw meat, guts, bones and cartilage. It is the meat that we humans do not use that is taken to fresh food, which means that it does not need to be discarded. It can also contain different kinds of vegetables, rice, potatoes or cereals as well as vitamins and minerals and can be used as whole or complementary feed. Fresh food can be fresh, frozen or freeze-dried, but unlike dry food, it is not heat-treated.
Many people find that their dog or cat gets a greater well-being with fresh food with better energy, better breath, more flexible joints and more luster in the coat. They take up the nutrition from fresh food much better and get half as much stool. We also want to punch myths like that it is more expensive than other food and that it is dangerous for the dog or cat, says Carl Haglind.
The Swedish Association of Fresh Fodder Organizations organizes Sweden's fresh feed business. The association will drive and develop the fresh feed market, guide consumers in the feed issue, inform about the benefits of fresh feed and develop guidelines for handling and challenge together with authorities and initiate international collaborations. In addition, resources should be allocated to increased research on fresh feed.
In Sweden, there are currently about 15 established approved factories for the production of fresh feed. The following producers of fresh feed are members of the Swedish Fresh Food:
Bravo, Fodax, Halla Petfood, Hugo & Celine, Class, Mush, Nordic Sturko, Pondus Food, Raw for Paw, Real Fresh Food, Healthy Dog Food, Voff Science and Vom and Dog Food.
