Naturally preserved petfoods have been a strong growth segment of the petfood market for over a decade. While one can argue whether this was for the benefit of the pet or merely a marketing ploy, it certainly created a market niche. Since that time, natural product offerings have exploded.
While we know a great deal more today about the extensive procedures required to ensure naturally preserved petfoods are shelf stable, the technology itself has improved very little. But, it's not for lack of trying. There are several new compounds (i.e. herbal extracts) that have shown promise as natural antioxidants yet no ingredient has been found good enough to fully replace mixed tocopherols in naturally preserved petfoods.
