While there are certain heavy metals that are widely recognized as contaminants in pet food, there are other less known contaminants that pose equal threat to pet health (link here).
CNN, Clean Label Project, Wall Street Journal, and others report alarming levels of multiple contaminants in dry kibble, and significant increases in chronic disease attributed to ultra processed kibble. (See References below)
- Phthalate (DEHP) is a synthetic chemical used in plastics. It affects hormone production which can lead to diabetes, obesity, and reproductive issues. Levels in kibble were found to be 11-22% higher than fresh pet foods.
- Acrylamide is a carcinogen produced when food is heated above 248F (well below the temperatures used in kibble extrusion). Levels in kibble were found to be 24-31 times higher than fresh pet foods.
- Bisphenol A (BPA) is a component of many plastics and has been linked to a variety of health issues affecting metabolism, immune function, metabolic disorders, and increased risk of certain cancers. While most often associated with plastic packaging, BPA is commonly found the pet food itself.
- Mycotoxins are toxins produced by fungi, most commonly found in grains. Food ingredients with levels too high for human food are sold as pet food ingredients. Health risks include liver damage, weakened immune system, and even death.
- Pesticides and Herbicides are commonly found in highly processed pet foods which use non-organic ingredients. Health issues include organ damage, weakened immune system, and certain cancers.
- Pharmaceutical residues from veterinary drugs may be in the ingredients used to make highly processed pet foods. Health issues include allergic reactions, organ failure, endocrine disruption, resistance to antibiotics, and even death.
Sources of Contaminants
Many feed ingredients commonly used in processed pet foods contain levels of contaminants significantly higher than those allowed for human food. In some cases, AAFCO and the FDA have not defined a maximum allowable limit for pet food, which allows any ingredient not passing human food standards to be used in pet food.
Fresh and frozen foods reported the lowest levels of heavy metals and contaminants of any category. This is due to the higher quality ingredients in fresh or frozen pet foods, especially those that meet human food standards. These ingredients have already been tested and approved for human consumption, are minimally processed, and subjected to low or no heat.
Summary
If it fits your budget, fresh and frozen foods offer the highest quality nutrition and the least risk of contaminants.
If you continue to feed kibble, add fresh pet food to the diet as much as possible. Any fresh is better than none, so even using fresh pet food as a topper or treat can help to reduce the exposure to contaminants.
For information about heavy metals, see THIS article.
Sources:
1. Dog food contains ‘alarming’ levels of lead, mercury and other contaminants | CNN
2. Extremely High Levels of Hard Metals Found in Dog Food – Clean Label Project
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