Rotating Brands And Recalls...

[MissMolly08]

I've seen many people talk about rotating brands in case of recalls... I'm wondering though, do you make sure the foods are actually made by different companies too?

We are on a semi-tight budget so we've been rotating 4health, FF classics, Pro Plan true nature and I was thinking about adding Merrick in there for one better brand but I just read something about them being bought out by Purina... Well Purina also makes the FF and Pro Plan so if there's a recall...couldn't that affect all 3 of those?

 

[jcat]

I'm wondering though, do you make sure the foods are actually made by different companies too?

It's extremely complicated, because many of the smaller (niche) brand producers actually use the same plants to have their food made, i.e., they don't have their own production facilities. That's why a number of different unconnected brands can be affected by a recall. Conversely, a large producer may have facilities spread throughout the country, and a recall will only list certain lots produced at a particular plant on specific dates and sold in a limited number of states.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

This is a slight tangent, but I thought I'd add that you should always make sure you look at the "Best By' date on the undersides of cans and on dry food bags -- especially if a company has bought out another one in the most recent year or two. It's just not safe to use cans or bags of food with expired "Best By" dates on them.

I discovered that this week through personal experience when buying some Merrick LID food online that there is the chance that distribution centers for online pet stores need to make sure they have caught up with culling any older batches of food with expired "Best By" dates before being shipped out. We got some cans with an expired "Best By" date when I'd ordered online, and I'd fed my cat a few of them before I was soon wondering why she was getting sick in the litter box. Duh, I finally looked at the undersides of the cans to find out that they were OLD cans. They were even the old formula of food from a few years ago!

In contacting the online pet store, I found out that it was the distribution center which was the shipper here, not the pet store, and working together we were able to get the distribution center to get up-to-date with their cat food cans. I just wonder if this lapse at the distribution warehouse had anything to do with the buyout of Merrick to Purina - (don't know) -shrug-

 

[MissMolly08]

It's extremely complicated, because many of the smaller (niche) brand producers actually use the same plants to have their food made, i.e., they don't have their own production facilities. That's why a number of different unconnected brands can be affected by a recall. Conversely, a large producer may have facilities spread throughout the country, and a recall will only list certain lots produced at a particular plant on specific dates and sold in a limited number of states.

Yea, I've seen that. That's why I was curious how much it really helps when it comes to recalls. As far as I have read, the 4health is made by the same company that makes Diamond pet foods so at least that one doesn't appear to be Purina but I'm not 100% sure that Diamond has their own manufacturing plants... (It appears by the link you posted that they do). I guess with the bigger companies though, like you said, it'd be pretty rare for EVERY can of ProPlan and/or FF to be recalled...it may just be certain batches...

 

[MissMolly08]

This is a slight tangent, but I thought I'd add that you should always make sure you look at the "Best By' date on the undersides of cans and on dry food bags -- especially if a company has bought out another one in the most recent year or two. It's just not safe to use cans or bags of food with expired "Best By" dates on them.

I discovered that this week through personal experience when buying some Merrick LID food online that there is the chance that distribution centers for online pet stores need to make sure they have caught up with culling any older batches of food with expired "Best By" dates before being shipped out. We got some cans with an expired "Best By" date when I'd ordered online, and I'd fed my cat a few of them before I was soon wondering why she was getting sick in the litter box. Duh, I finally looked at the undersides of the cans to find out that they were OLD cans. They were even the old formula of food from a few years ago!

In contacting the online pet store, I found out that it was the distribution center which was the shipper here, not the pet store, and working together we were able to get the distribution center to get up-to-date with their cat food cans. I just wonder if this lapse at the distribution warehouse had anything to do with the buyout of Merrick to Purina - (don't know) -shrug-

I will definitely keep that in mind if I order online at all. Right now I've just been buying single cans from the pet store and I check the dates when I buy. We have a lot of options to shop here, fortunately. There's a Petsmart, Petco, Pet Valu, Tractor Supply and 2 smaller pet stores all within 15 minutes of us.

 

[orange&white]

You never know. Most recalls involve small lots produced in one plant. Those usually involve bacteria or a piece of metal/plastic/non-food material from poor hygiene or manufacturing plant procedures, rather than a widely-used, common ingredient. The melamine recall of 2007 involved tainted wheat gluten. Since wheat gluten was used in hundreds of dog and cat food labels, canned and dry, by both small and large pet feed producers, it was almost hard to find a brand that wasn't tainted.

I would rotate brands and companies more for the reason of the vitamin/mineral additives. Purina may have a general "standard" supplement mix than another company. Unfortunately there are no label requirements for listing various vitamins included in the food. Processed foods just have to "meet minimums".

 

[ScarlettGatsby]

I've wondered about this same question lol.
My cat is super picky and it's been hard to find food she likes at all. Right now she's eating Merrick and Fromm, and she has been eating some trader Joe's but I think I'm going to remove it from the rotation. I think I may have found a flavor of Tiki Cat she likes (we will see if she eats it a second time). I think Fromm, Merrick and Tiki cat seem like they wouldn't share any recalls but who knows. I don't even know how I would begin to look up information about production plants!

 

[MissMolly08]

You never know. Most recalls involve small lots produced in one plant. Those usually involve bacteria or a piece of metal/plastic/non-food material from poor hygiene or manufacturing plant procedures, rather than a widely-used, common ingredient. The melamine recall of 2007 involved tainted wheat gluten. Since wheat gluten was used in hundreds of dog and cat food labels, canned and dry, by both small and large pet feed producers, it was almost hard to find a brand that wasn't tainted.

I would rotate brands and companies more for the reason of the vitamin/mineral additives. Purina may have a general "standard" supplement mix than another company. Unfortunately there are no label requirements for listing various vitamins included in the food. Processed foods just have to "meet minimums".

That does make sense about the vitamin mixes. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find much in my price range that is NOT related to Purina in some way. They seem to have a monopoly on the grocery store priced foods

 

[ScarlettGatsby]

Dave's, Trader Joe's, and Authority are all pretty affordable and seem to be good food. I'm honestly not sure if they are related to Purina or not lol.

I've been wanting to try Dave's but too scared to order a case and Ivy hate it.

 

[MissMolly08]

Dave's, Trader Joe's, and Authority are all pretty affordable and seem to be good food. I'm honestly not sure if they are related to Purina or not lol.

I've been wanting to try Dave's but too scared to order a case and Ivy hate it.

Thank you. I have read about Dave's but feel the same way about ordering a case. We don't have Trader Joe's here but I actually do have 2 cans of Authority I haven't tried with her yet.