EDITORIALS - JANUARY 2011


January 26, 2011 – from Leslie Crane Rugg
Holy cow… We ARE eating dog food!

The latest food scandal isn’t about dog food. It’s about human food. I’m sure the Chihuahua didn’t have a clue, but Taco Bell executives must have known and condoned what goes into their basic big seller.

According to CNN, a class action lawsuit has been filed, accusing Taco Bell of false advertising for calling the contents of its beef tacos “seasoned ground beef.” All you savvy consumers get an A+ if you guess what’s coming. CNN reports that the only 35% of the so-called meat in a Taco Bell taco is actual beef. So what do we have? Taco meat or taco meat surprise?

The whopping majority is comprised of water, isolated oat product, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, oats, soy lecithin, sugar, spices, maltodextrin, soybean oil, garlic powder, autolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, caramel color, cocoa powder, silicon dioxide, natural flavors, yeast, modified corn starch, natural smoke flavor, salt, sodium phosphate, less than 2% of beef broth, potassium phosphate, potassium lactate, plus caramel color and natural smoke flavor.

Anybody want to compare those ingredients with kibble?

Come to think of it, why is it more cost-effective (cheaper) to create this chemical mixture than to use a decent cut of ground beef – which has inherently high moisture – and add some fresh chili and garlic? I’d rather know my local fast food joint has fresh ingredients combined on the spot than think about the meat filling processed in some central warehouse and distributed all across the country in giant tubes… 

And with the way we feed our beef cattle, forcing an unnatural corn-based diet on them that requires constant antibiotics to counteract the side-effects, maybe Taco Bell should come up with a total oat substitute that just looks like taco meat. An oat formula might just be healthier! There’s your million-dollar idea, Taco Bell: oat tacos!



January 25, 2011 – from Leslie Crane Rugg
Nutritional Keys on the Front of the Package

Truth in advertising will assume new prominence in consumer consciousness, thanks to our First Lady’s programs to counteract childhood obesity. Soon, processed foods will display basic nutritional facts on the front of their packaging in the form of a “Nutritional
Key.”

Move over, Cap’n. Adjust the volume of your roar, Tony. Remove leaves from your trees, elves. The marketing designs that lure kids into being sugarholics are about to be sidelined by the Nutritional Key icon.

Different from the USDA Certified Organic seal that merely functions as an identifier, the Nutritional Key includes specific product information about calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar content as well as potassium, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, iron and protein content. The days of relegating vital health-related facts to the back of a box, bag, or can are over.

Dog food manufacturers, are you paying attention? You may be next. And at the very least, the average shopper will learn to search for the vital information that will keep the family pet healthier too.



January 15, 2011 - from Eva Saks
Table Scraps

Should a dog eat table scraps? There is a simple answer to this question.
Should a dog eat dog food? Another simple answer.
Should a dog eat pre-made raw food? Just as simple.

And it's the same answer to all the questions:

It depends on the ingredients!!!