This wasn’t the last time we saw a massive recall of pet food. In 2007, Scientists found that some manufacturers had added melamine to dog food in order to increase protein levels. Tragically, melamine proved toxic to our furry friends, which resulted in thousands of pet deaths.
As a result, manufacturers pushed grain-free diets in hopes to resolve the issues and lessen the risks. The logic being that grain-free diets would a) increase the protein levels for our canines and b) eliminate the need for potentially-toxic grains. Then, through some creative yet deceptive marketing, consumers were told that all pet foods containing grains caused “sensitivities and food allergens.”
Which, to be fair, isn’t fully inaccurate. Today, research shows that the most prominent allergens come from sourcing poor quality beef, dairy, chicken, corn, and wheat. As expected, with all new research and information that is circulated, pet parents became gravely concerned not only with grains, but also with genetically-modified grains (wheat, corn, and soy) in their pet’s food. Turning to grain-free diets was the way to eliminate food allergens and increased protein levels. However, most pet owners didn’t realize that these grain-free brands of food also had extremely high levels of carbohydrates in the food. Why? Manufacturers replaced wheat, corn, and soy with white potatoes, tapioca and sweet potatoes.
