For your pet to live a long and healthy life, they need a
complete and balanced diet, a regime that meets
all the
nutritional requirements in the necessary proportions. To ensure all products in the
ADVANCE range
meet all nutritional requirements, a thorough testing process is implemented during the development stage.
This stringent testing is maintained even after the products are available on the shelves of the specialist
pet food outlet.
Dietary requirements of pets
The components of food that provide the energy and materials for the processes of growth, body maintenance,
activity and reproduction are called nutrients. These nutrients include
proteins,
fats,
minerals,
vitamins,
carbohydrates and
water. Most foods contain a mixture of some or all of these, so a careful combination of
different foodstuffs will provide a suitable diet for your pet. As well as the essential nutrients there are
also other important dietary considerations:
- Food must be palatable – what's left in the bowl is of no nutritional value.
- Food must be sufficiently concentrated so that your pet eats enough to meet its particular nutrient needs.
- Absorption into the body is only possible if the nutrients are in a digestible form.
- The diet must be safe, which means it should be free of toxins, harmful bacteria and parasites.
So, how do you know that what you're feeding your pets is nutritionally complete and balanced? How can you be
certain that you're fulfilling all the above requirements? Without the help of a research laboratory or having
a degree in nutrition you can't be sure. However, you can be certain if you’re feeding a super premium pet food.
Testing
It’s not just high quality ingredients and advanced manufacturing processes that make super premium pet foods –
it also involves meticulous testing procedures. MARS Petcare Australia Pty Ltd is committed
to delivering the high quality standards demanded by our customers, as well as meeting the nutritional guidelines
of both the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and our own nutritionists at the
Waltham Centre
for Pet Nutrition (WCPN) in the UK.
One...
Maintaining the highest standards of quality and nutrition is achieved by implementing a three-step process, starting
with laboratory analysis. The MFANZ Research and Development team studies new and existing pet food products and compares
their findings with recognised nutrient profiles from Waltham and AAFCO. Laboratory analysis ensures that nutrients are
present in the correct ratio to the energy content of the diet and also in the correct ratio to other nutrients. The
analysis will also verify that nutrients present meet life stage and lifestyle requirements, that is growth, adult
maintenance, reproduction, senior, light and working.
Two...
Once a pet food recipe is defined it undergoes palatability (acceptance/consumption) and digestibility testing through
non-invasive trials within special feeding facilities. These trials determine the actual feeding performance of the
product.
Where step one will indicate if the necessary nutrients are present in the pet food, step two gives a better indication
of the availability
macronutrients such as protein, fat and carbohydrate and how efficiently they are being utilised
by the animal.
For example, a panel of animals may be put on a 10-day feeding trial. Faeces (stools) are collected from days 4 to 10
and are analysed for protein, fat, moisture and ash content. These results are then compared against the same parameters
within the diet fed to determine what levels the animal has utilised. The faeces are also graded on a system of one to
five – one being too hard and five being diarrhoea. Recipes are formulated to target grade 2 faeces (Refer to
"Faecal Grading System") These types of trials indicate product palatability and the quality of the raw materials being
used – the better the raw material, the better they are utilised by the animal resulting in fewer and firmer stools.
Three...
The last stage in testing is where the diet is fed for the life stage for which it was designed. These tests ensure that
foods meet feeding procedures and nutritional levels established by AAFCO for:
- Growth
- Adult maintenance
- Gestation and Lactation
For instance, growing puppies need two to three times as much energy as adults as well as strictly controlled
calcium and
phosphorus levels, and a prepared pet food for this life stage must deliver accordingly.
Trials for life stage feeding of
ADVANCE products are conducted here in Australia. This is because, for best results, it
is important to trial within the country in which they will be used.
Adult maintenance trials may take six months to complete. A full veterinary examination is also conducted to ensure the pets
used in the trial are healthy. Food intakes and body weights are recorded throughout the trial period along with other
important indicators such as
oral health,
skin and coat health,
body condition and
faecal quality. At the conclusion of the
trial a blood sample is taken to detect any nutritional deficiencies or excesses. As a further measure to assess palatability,
in home feeding trials are conducted as we have access to approximately 8,000 households throughout Australia. This ensures we
get a true reflection of pets' acceptance and preference of the
ADVANCE product range.
Some MFANZ pet food products may take up to three years to develop because of this rigorous three-step testing process.
Follow-up Testing
Further quality checks are continuously undertaken on raw materials to ensure the
ADVANCE range of pet foods
is made using only ingredients that meet pre determined quality standards. There is also regular sampling of the finished product at the
point of manufacture as well as random samples of products from the shelves of our specialist ADVANCE retailers. ADVANCE pet foods are
closely monitored by stringent quality systems. Only one recipe specification exists for each variety ensuring that the highest
quality products are consistently delivered to our customers. Products manufactured are only released for sale once chemical analysis
have validated that they meet the ADVANCE standard quality specifications. This stringent testing ensures that all
ADVANCE products deliver:
- Lastest nutritional innovation
- Product consistency
- Highest quality ingredients
- Australian made products best suited for Australian pets