Nutro Press Release Regarding Zinc and Copper Levels in Natural Choice

A: NUTRO™ products are safe and conform to the standards set by the FDA, USDA and AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials). The claims regarding the safety of Nutro pet food in a recent report posted on the Pet Food Product Safety Alliance website are unfounded.

In order for a food to provide all the essential nutrition for a pet, it must exceed the minimum requirements for all essential nutrients. AAFCO has established Nutrient Profiles which identify these minimum dietary levels for all essential nutrients in canine pet food products.

Specifically, these guidelines indicate that pet foods formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of dogs contain no less than 120 mg/kg dry matter and no more than 1,000 mg/kg dry matter of zinc in order to ensure that the requirements for zinc in dogs are met. Based on these guidelines, the 260- 400 mg/kg diet levels of Zinc found in Nutro™ Natural Choice Chicken, Meal, Rice and Oatmeal Formula (which converts to approximately 288-444 mg/kg dry matter) are well within AAFCO recommended levels. Like zinc, levels of copper in Nutro are necessarily above the minimum AAFCO requirements and do not exceed maximum requirements; they are well within recommended levels.

The report is correct in stating that there is a small minority of dogs that are sensitive to copper. These dogs are relatively few and need to be carefully managed with the assistance of a Veterinarian. This would be the same as with any dog that has special, specific needs which make it unique from the general canine population. Furthermore, copper is a critical factor in a dog’s antioxidant defense system and so it would not be prudent to restrict copper in the general population, as that would mean that a large group of dogs would not receive their required levels.

In addition to meeting a dog’s nutritional requirements, many Nutro™ products incorporate the scientific knowledge of the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition which has researched the role of key nutrients in delivering optimal skin and coat health and consequently have levels of zinc, copper and other nutrients that are higher than industry minimums. These nutrients serve as key drivers in maintaining skin and coat health and help to make Nutro™ products nutritionally sound.

Dr. Tiffany L Bierer
Health Sciences and Nutrition Manager
Mars Petcare US, Inc

Nutro Food Update

Zinc Toxicity Suspected in Recent Nutro Food Complaints

A comment posted on this blog alerted me to a recent update on Nutro dry dog food. Complaints about Nutro food were first reported by Consumer Affairs in June of 2008. As previously stated in the SecurePet blog Nutro has maintained their pet food is 100% safe. In response to these complaints the Pet Food Products Safety Alliance (Pfpsa.org) conducted their own tests on Natural Choice Chicken Meal, Rice, and Oatmeal Formula and Nutro Max Puppy. Samples of these products were sent of to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab to be tested for e-coli, salmonella, and listeria, which all tested non-detected. The samples were then forwarded to the Analytical Sciences Laboratory, University of Idaho, to be tested for aflatoxin and a variety of minerals and metals. Aflatoxin was non-detected on both samples at 100 ppb.

However, the samples did reveal a number of substances with higher levels than AAFCO recommendations. The two samples scored 2 and 3 times higher than AAFCO recommendations for copper and zinc. And there are certain breeds of dogs who are highly sensitive to copper.

According to the Pet Food Safety Alliance:

The samples believed to be Nutro dry dog food tested positive for zinc at levels of 260 ppm (ug/g) and 400 ppm as fed. Assuming 10% moisture content as fed, vs. dry matter as calculated by AAFCO, the 400 ppm sample is over 4 times the recommended amount, and at half the maximum amount allowed. This would come to on the order of 40 times the amount of zinc recommended for human dietary requirements.

The symptoms of canine zinc toxicosis described in this report by the College of Veterinary Medicine is consistent with the symptoms associated with feeding Nutro dry dog food.

My recommendation? Remove Nutro products from your pet food list!

Please, keep up-to-date with the latest pet food findings by visiting the Pet Food Tracker , the Pet Food Recall Facts, and the Pet Food Products Safety Alliance as often as you can. I will keep also be happy to keep you updated on my own findings.

Keep in mind that an informed consumer is a powerful consumer. Pets rely on us for their lives and health.