Ryan Yamka, PhD, is founder and an independent consultant with Luna Science and Nutrition. He is board certified in companion animal nutrition by the American College of Animal Sciences and a fellow with the American College of Nutrition. Yamka calls on his extensive background in pet nutrition, and multiple years developing, formulating and launching dog and cat foods as a senior executive with leading pet food companies, to address common myths and misconceptions about pet food.
What does the name tell you about the pet food? Sometimes a name can meet regulatory requirements and still not clearly describe what’s inside the package.
Learn how organic pet food claims differ from non-GMO claims, plus ones like natural, made in the USA, and the difference between US and EU pet food claims.
For US pet food labels, it helps to know the nuances of the regulatory definition for natural claims, and consider what consumers believe natural means.
‘Humanely raised’ is a new pet food claim used to differentiate premium products, but there is no regulatory definition, and some claims can be misleading.
To make pet food label claims that make your product or brand unique, you need to understand the different types and levels of claims and their requirements.
Dogs and cats don’t really require protein in their foods; they require proper levels and bioavailability of amino acids, which multiple sources can supply.
To truly understand if pet food ingredient digestibility could impact the skin and coat of a dog or cat, look at the digestibility of the complete pet food.
Scientific data doesn’t support that grain-free pet food is better than that with grains, and dogs and cats need glucose, a key component of carbohydrates.
A new study questions pet food’s sustainability and environmental impact; its results are based on flawed assumptions about pet food and its ingredients.
A new year brings new opportunities and excitement, and 2023 is bound to be the same, with several chances for advancing policy issues of importance to the U.S. animal food industry.