A pet food brand made by a Morinville-based manufacturer earned the distinction of Pet Food of the Year from a U.S.-based research institute.
The Orijen brand made by Champion Petfoods earned the nod from the Glycemic Research Institute, a U.S.-based organization that does nutrition testing. It’s the second consecutive year the Orijen brand has received the award.
“It really validates what we do here because … our view on what pet food should be and how we go about making pet food is very different than what the industry is accustomed to,” said Peter Muhlenfeld, Champion’s marketing manager.
While its brands are popular within the boutique pet food niche, Champion is tiny compared to the multinationals that dominate the pet food industry, Muhlenfeld said.
The company describes its approach as “biologically appropriate foods from fresh regional ingredients.” Its high protein foods use fresh meat, mostly raised in Alberta, and leaves out grains and vegetable oils.
The latest award will get a mention on the Orijen label, Muhlenfeld said.
“It helps us to really validate our philosophy and that our foods are achieving what we set out to achieve,” Muhlenfeld said.
The Glycemic Research Institute is based in Washington, D.C. The organization is independent and receives no funding from the pet food industry or from individual companies, said clinical studies co-ordinator Don Chlysta.
More people are reading pet food labels since a series of recalls rocked the pet food industry in 2007, said Nadia Potochniak, owner of The Bone & Biscuit specialty shop in St. Albert. This increased awareness of quality has helped boost the popularity of Champion’s brand.
“What’s really neat about them, which stands them out from every other company, is the ingredients are brought in fresh,” Potochniak said.
Awards listed on labels carry some weight in the marketplace but buyers are mostly concerned about quality, she said.
“A lot of people like the local [aspect] and the quality of the food itself.”
