Almost every day we receive a complaint about some foreign matter in a piece of kibble. No matter the brand. No matter the manufacturer. No matter the country of origin. Consumers are finding foreign matter in the kibble.
All pet food manufacturers and all pet food brands are aware that foreign matter will be found in their food from time-to-time. It is unavoidable. Let me repeat – it is unavoidable.
A small piece of plastic from a conveyor belt breaks loose and gets stuck in a piece of warm, soft kibble. A poultry feather was not completely crushed and pokes out of a piece of kibble. A small piece of a plastic bag that was holding frozen (or not frozen) raw meat gets stuck to that piece of meat and, lo and behold, is found in a piece of kibble.
Every pet food manufacturer strives toward perfect kibble. There is no perfect kibble. There is very good, nay, excellent kibble. But there is no perfect kibble.
Consumers do not want to hear this. Retailers and distributors do not want to explain this to the consumer. But, at one point or another, the conversation will have to take place. For most retailers and distributors, the easiest conversation is, “I am sorry. Here is a free replacement bag of food.” I cannot say that I disagree with this approach. The chances of that consumer finding another piece of foreign material in a piece of kibble are very small.
I do not check the kibble I feed my dogs very carefully (shame on me). There is no telling how much foreign material my dogs have eaten over the years. They seem to be doing OK.
So, if you or one of your consumers find a piece of foreign material in a piece of kibble, please let us know. Perhaps we can identify the source of that foreign material and take measures to stop, or at least reduce, that source of foreign material. But, do not be surprised that this happened, and rest assured, it will happen again. And, the more kibble you sell, the more foreign matter that will be found.
Foreign matter in kibble is inevitable. It is part of the pet food industry. Sell more kibble, discover more foreign material!