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It's Important! 'Best By' Dates On Pet Foods
An article recently posted on the Consumerist website provides pet owners with a very good lesson. The article explains the story of a pet owner whose little Yorkie became ill from eating expired pet food - 3 years expired - all recently purchased - unknowingly - from PetCo.
An article recently posted on the Consumerist website provides pet owners with a very good lesson. The article explains the story of a pet owner whose little Yorkie became ill from eating expired pet food - 3 years expired - all recently purchased - unknowingly - from PetCo.
What happened to this pet owner (and pet) can easily happen to anyone. How many times have you purchased something and never looked at the expiration date?
With pet foods and treats, usually on the side or back of the bag or can, you will find a ‘Best by’ date stamped on the product. Most pet food manufacturers that I have spoken with tell me that this date does NOT mean the pet food will expire - it means that the most optimal nutrition of the food or treat has expired.
Shelf life is one of the questions I ask manufacturers about and provide in Petsumer Report. It varies greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. The shelf life of dry pet foods can vary from 4 months to 3 years - canned and/or pouched products vary from 1 year to 5 years. Treats usually have the same shelf life as the manufacturer’s dry food - but just to keep things confusing, that can vary too. The ‘Best By’ date provided on the food - does NOT tell you how old the product is - it does NOT tell you when the food was manufactured. It only tells you the date that particular manufacturer has determined the food no longer provides the pet with the proper nutrition. While some ingredients in the food might still provide adequate nutrition - other ingredients have faded over time.
Pet foods that are naturally preserved begin to lose nutritional value almost immediately. A drawback - but the ONLY drawback to a naturally preserved pet food. The challenge is to purchase a dog food or cat food (and treats) that are very fresh. Pet food manufacturers are not required to put the date the dog food or cat food was made on the label. Again, only the date that particular pet food manufacturer has determined the food is no longer ‘best’.
Here’s how you can make sure your pet is only eating fresh food - providing the best that product offers. Make a phone call to the pet food manufacturer and ask them what the shelf life is for the dry food or the canned/pouched food. As an example - ABC Pet Food Company tells you the shelf life of Premium ABC Dry food is 18 months and the shelf life of Premium ABC Canned/Pouch food is 2 years. With that information, check the ‘Best by’ date on the pet food. Let’s say the ‘Best by’ date on the dry dog food you are considering says June 2008. Knowing that ABC Pet Food Company told you 18 months was the shelf life, you would know the food was made in January 2007 (Shelf life 18 months minus from June 2008 equals Jan. 2007). If ‘today’ is October 20, 2007 - you would know this pet food is now 10 months old.
With a canned food - the ABC canned cat food best by date is also June 2008. This would tell you that this can was made in June 2006 and thus it would be 14 months old in October 2007.
Using my above example, I would not purchase a pet food that is already ten months old. Ideally, a dry pet food should be less than four months old when you purchase it - and you should use the food within two months. Again, with a naturally preserved pet food, the nutritional value begins to deteriorate quickly. The fresher the food - the better. Try to purchase and use the food within six months of manufacturing. Store your pet’s food in a air tight container, in a dark, cool pantry. With canned pet foods, the quality of nutrition is protected by the canning process. Any unused portion of the can must be covered, stored in the refrigerator, and used within a couple of days.
Call your pet food’s manufacturer and ask them the shelf life of dry foods and canned foods. I know it’s a chore, just one more thing you have to do and look out for - but it is very important. You want what you pay for - quality nutrition for your pet - and a fresh product will provide that (of course you have to pay attention to ingredients too - but that is a whole different subject!). Get yourself into the habit of looking at the ‘Best By’ date BEFORE you purchase the pet food and or treat. Your effort will not only provide your pet with better nutrition - getting yourself into the habit of looking at the expiration date could just save you from an experience similar to the pet owner mentioned in the beginning of this article - and a sick pet.