I have followed these "Wellness" posts off and on, please forgive me for not reading all of them, and maybe missing what I am about to ask. I have one cat in the beginning of CRF, so he is 100% moist canned now. I have been feeding Chicken Wellness and Naures Variety Praire Chicken with good results. However, I went to a new pet store recently, and when I inquired as to whether they carried Wellness canned, I was told Elmer Glue bought the company out a couple months ago, and as a result she will not carry their food anymore, she suspects they will eventually change the ingredients. Has anyone heard this, and what are your thoughts? Thank you.
EEEEEKKKK!!! No wonder there is so much goop at the top of the cans now - merging products! (just kidding)
I sure hope that isn't right. I googled it & didn't see anything, but they may be trying to keep it secret. Usually there is something on the internet about mergers & buyouts in the business news. I'll keep looking because I don't like the idea of that!
Oh, 4leggers, if you decide to stay with their canned food, the Turkey has the lowest phosphorous level, which is important for CRF kitties. I think the beef & salmon is low too, can't remember where it falls on the scale, and Chicken is just slightly higher then Turkey.
OMG - We have to find out about this Elmer's Glue merger.
I sure would like to know.
Maybe that's why they're in Petsmart and Co. :-\
Back in January on the Itchmo main page somebody posted that Eagle Pack was bought by Elmer's...
http://www.itchmo.com/tyson-foods-partners-with-kemin-industries-to-develop-palatants-for-pet-food-4491#comment-109022
I wonder if the casien used in the Elmer's glue and pet foods is giving fuel to this or if they really have acquired a pet food company...
strange bedfellows. Damn, I'll be pissed if this is true. The only other one we using regularly is Instinct, which is getting out of my price range now, so they only get it several times a week. >:(
Hopefully one of our ace researchers will be able to find out if this is true. Menusux? we need you.
Wanted to add that there is less and less enthusiasm for Wellness at my house over the past couple of months.
I did some searching last night & came up with nothing linking the 2 companies, even at the "parent company" level. This lists some of the pies they have their hand in at Elmers:
http://www.hoovers.com/elmer's-products/--ID__121503--/free-co-profile.xhtml
One article I read says Elmer's has no milk products in it, it's all manufactured chemicals, so not sure if the casien connection is true. I'm all Elmered out, maybe someone else can take a stab at it!
I looked, too, this morning, Petslave, when I read the post. Even looked at Old Mother Hubbard, found nothing.
Is there another company that own's Elmer's that would have acquired a pfc?
And this indicates that Elmer's quit using casien after WWII:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/210688/unique_uses_for_elmers_glue.html
"The Borden Co. purchased the Casein Co. in 1929, because the Casein Co. happened to be the leading manufacturer of glues made from casein, which is a milk by-product. In 1932, Borden had introduced Casco Glue, the first nonfood consumer product. Borden expanded into synthetic resin glues that did not use casein after World War II. What we know today as Elmer's Glue-All first appeared under the name Cascorez, and was packaged in two-ounce glass jars with wooden applicators. Sales for his household product did not really start to take off until 1951, when Elsie's husband, Elmer was chosen for the product's new marketing symbol. It wasn't until 1952, that Elmer's Glue-All had been repackaged into the familiar plastic squeeze bottle with that orange applicator top."
Also found reference that they bought Eagle Brand Foods, not Eagle Pack pet foods - not related that I can find....
and this on PetAg & Bordens:
http://www.animalnetwork.com/ppn/detail.aspx?aid=25942&cid=4074&search=
"1930s
PetAg begins producing companion animal nutritional supplements. Founded in the 1930s as a division of Borden, Inc., PetAg invented the category of neonatal or newborn nutrition.
"The pet industry has dramatically evolved over the years,' says Darlene Frudakis, president and chief operating officer of PetAg. "Consumers have become much more health conscious for both themselves and their pets.'"
And, it looks like PetAg develops further:
http://www.agr.state.il.us/marketing/news/September_2007/September2007MarketingPerspectives.html
I"n 1986, PetAg began a new chapter in its history as a separate company independent of Borden. At that point it expanded into new markets both domestically and internationally, and began to make strategic acquisitions. In 1991, we acquired Rawhide Brand?, a leading line of dog chews."
"Our newest innovative introductions of Rawhide Brand? Dog Chews include the Fresh Bark Dental Mint Chew to answer the specific dental needs of dogs. Rawhide Brand? is a perennial favorite of dogs and dog owners. Rawhide Brand? Dog Chews provide variety, innovative patented processes including marinade flavors, and added nutriceuticals such as Glucosamine. The patented Safety Knot? bone design is hand crafted to prolong the chewing process. These high quality, healthy products are perhaps the most popular ultra premium dog chews. Pet owners stay loyal to Rawhide Brand? and Chunky Chew? products because they know these are the safest and longest lasting dog chews for breeds of all sizes. "
http://www.petag.com/index.asp
Thankyou for all your respones.
I asked my husband if he recalls whether the owner of the pet store mentioned "Bordens", or just "Elmer Glue". He thinks she may have mentioned Bordens, however we were both so focused on "Elmer Glue" we can't recall. Owner seemed like she knew what she was talking about as far as them being bought out, she also seemed very in tune to what she found acceptable. Will question her further when we return.
Petslave, thank you. I tried to get him to eat Wellness Turkey, but he refused. I will check out the phosphorus levels for Logic canned, which is what I want to rotate him to (although, I about fell off my chair looking at my receipt for three cans of that). Thankfully he does well on Natures Variety Praire, he will not eat the instinct.
I searched high and low and all over the place and have concluded that I don't even possess a pinky nail size of talent that menusux has :-\
Help.......we need menusux for this one.
Although I did laugh my head off at petslave's "so much goop at the top of the cans....merging products" ;D
AHAH! So the Eagle Pack connection is correct! Hope it doesn't go that way for OMH too.
Kind of like Clorox buying Burt's Bees natural health & beauty aids. Gross.
Thanks for all the sleuthing, and Kathy gets the gold star for best finds.....
Double gold star, Kathy. Good find and looks like time for an email
direct to OMH.
Did you know Wellness cat food has only been around since 2000? I thought it was a lot longer than that. Interesting info about the co. on their website:
http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/about_history.html
Still kathy.....your find was wonderful and I am just one of many who is very grateful :D
I have to agree with everyone else, Kathy, thanks for finding this, it's very interesting.
Kathy - I was just trying to find business info about OMH and also ran across that goliath link. What do you think their reference to Manufacturing Leather Goods means?
I tried to find another business link, but haven't found one yet. Hope that was a mistake in their writeup - not sure if I want to buy pet food from a leather manufacturer either!
Petslave - it's OK if companies diversify - Clorox bought EverClean litter at least 8 yrs ago. Still the only litter my cats really like, even though it's been reincarnated several times. But I do have a real problem with food - especially anything associated with Mars; a privately held company that doesn't report to anyone. Solid Gold (uses Diamond for dry) and Weruva are the only commercial foods I feed and have any confidence in since last year. Just an opinion based on way to much time on the net since 3/07 and losing a beloved Maltese to Nutro last year.
Thanks for listing this info here too, Kathy. I was going to post a link but couldn'r remember what thread it was in. I think someone on the other thread asked this, but what does it mean that Wellness is now a "Realized" instead of Current Investment?
A little off-topic, but does anyone know who makes the Wellness dry foods? I just realized today I don't know that one.
Thank you everyone - I've been keeping an eye on this discussion.
Interesting discussion here.
Have also been following the ownership issue on "What's Killing Our Pets" after learning about Wellness' equity parter from a independent pet food company owner.
http://itchmoforums.com/news-recall-related/whats-killing-our-pets-are-there-toxins-in-pet-food-poor-nutrients-t1531.810.html
5CatMom
=^..^=
THAT'S the post I was looking for - thanks for posting it both places 5CatMom!
It would be interesting to know more about this investment partnership. Doesn't sound as scary as an outright buyout, but I know nothing about these business practices so don't know what it all means.
This is a job description on the Wellness website - some of it could be taken as a good changes, some questionable:
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/aboutus_positions.html#position_j
"Co-Manufacturing Manager
We are currently recruiting for an experienced Co-Manufacturing Manager to join our R&D/Manufacturing team in Tewksbury, MA as we take the company to the next level of growth. In this position, you will report to the Vice President of R&D and be responsible for managing the manufacturing processes at each of our co-manufacturing partners' facilities. Responsibilities include:
Partner and advise co-manufacturing partners on cost, volume, yield or quality improvements
Track and analyze the cost of products manufactured including volume and yield analysis
Select and source vendors for raw ingredients based on quality, availability and pricing
Develop long term raw material souring strategies and partners. Develop innovative strategies to remove costs from raw materials by expanding sourcing opportunities.
Determine supplier capabilities and fit to meet company's product, packaging, quality and cost requirements
Resolve supplier related issues around cost and quality
Act as an advisor with co-manufacturing partners on technical or manufacturing solutions to ensure adherence to company's manufacturing standards
Lead cross-functional teams to search for, visit and qualify new co-manufacturing partners
Liaison with cross-functional teams during new product development processes
Develop projected products costs for annual corporate budgeting purposes and manage to budget "
http://www.petproductnews.com/headlines/2008/08/15/catterton-sells-wellness-pet-food-in-400-million-deal.aspx
Catterton Sells Wellness Pet Food in $400 Million Deal
Thanks, YesBiscuit! I think. :-[ ??? :o
The plot thickens...
Hmmmm...wonder where they got the $$$$ for the Asia expansion.
This does not sound like a good development. I have no idea what I will feed now if their food goes down in quality. I'm not sure I want to even wait to find out if it does change, too many risks to my dear pets' lives.
This ain't good.
How long until the whole Wellness operation goes offshore?
"Catterton Partners has sold Wellness Pet Food, a provider of natural pet food products, to a strategic buyer, earning 7x its investment and a 60 percent gross internal rate of return, sources close the transaction told Buyouts.
The buyout shop, headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., bought Wellness Pet Food for $45 million in equity in January 2004. It recently sold the Tewksbury, Mass.-based company for about $400 million to Berwind Group, a conglomerate that owns Elmer's brand glue and Eagle Pack Pet Foods, among other products. The company, whose brands include All Wellness and Old Mother Hubbard, expanded its sales force and its product lines under Catterton's tenure, more than tripling its revenue to approximately $150 million."
http://www.pehub.com/wordpress/?p=2935
>:(
5CatMom
=^..^=
petslave I hope the food doesn't change but you know what happens from a sale - wow this company made $150 mil. in a year - lets see how we can cheapen the ingredients/substitute quality food for lesser cwap and still make an even bigger profit. My dog refused this food over a month ago and I returned what I had to the store. Don't know if the formula was different at that time but I go by her - if she refuses it and used to eat it with no problems - back it goes to the store or if 1/2 can left out to the garbage it goes. She will now only eat Organix canned dog food for canned. If she refuses that I will be in same spot your in with the wellness as I'm sure a lot of others on here would be if they change and cheapen it.
JustMe - I missed that about the Asia expansion. Was that in the link posted by YesBiscuit?
Groan.........
Petslave,
No. I read it last year on the PFI mag.
http://www.petfoodindustry.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=11622&ItemId=11622
It could be good news since Berwind is a "buy & hold" company.
Seems I read that Wellness was using like 11 manufacturing companies...
This Berwind ownership could put them in a position to manufacture their own foods.. Berwind has to know the larger profit margin comes with the self-manufactured products instead of "co-manufacturing".
I wonder if the former owner (startup) is prevented from starting another company?
Time will tell if this particular buyout is good or bad. But in general, my thinking is that if say my husband and I own a pet food company, the buck stops with us. We are personally involved, personally responsible, take pride in our work, etc. Sure we want to make a profit but we also want a good quality product and might be willing to accept certain short term losses with the idea that profits will be restored in future. In the case of a conglomerate owning a PFC, the only people involved in the company are investors - lots of them. And the only reason they invested was to turn a profit. No sense of personal responsibility or pride in the quality of the product - they want a return on their investment. In order to consider accepting short term losses with the hope that profits will return in future, all the investors have to be convinced to lose money - not an easy task. So decisions will be made accordingly.
How come these companies are "income funds"? Are human-food companies "income funds" like PFco's?
On a side note, I've put a hold on Joel Bakan's book, "The Corporation" after watching a portion of the filmed documentary on Friday night:
http://www.newint.org/columns/media/film/2004/07/01/corporation/
Don't forget Wellness used to make their own dry,then started having it done elsewhere supposedly so they could concentrate on the nutritional formulas instead of the daily problems with manufacturing. I doubt if they are going to want to go backwards.
Dear OMH:
News of your sale has made it to many concerned food consumers on the internet.
http://www.petproductnews.com/headlines/2008/08/15/catterton-sells-wellness-pet-food-in-400-million-deal.aspx
We want to know what this sale means in terms of manufacturing facilities, ingredient suppliers, and the quality of OMH Wellness
products. For example, how long between changing ingredient suppliers will the public be made aware of any changes? How long
before labels reflect new changes, if any, to actual pet food formulations? Could that take as long as six months? When will new
AAFCO compliance data be available to current Wellness consumers that are presently relying on the March 2006 documents sent by
OMH over the past year, 2008, regarding your food formulations? What other staff changes have occurred at OMH in the wake of this sale?
Thank you for your earliest response to these questions. An early response will enable the consumer to gauge whether they wish to continue using Wellness products based on company policy and responsiveness to the Wellness pet food consumer.
Sent Sunday, August 17, 2008.
Quote from: Offy on August 17, 2008, 06:03:08 AM
It could be good news since Berwind is a "buy & hold" company.
Seems I read that Wellness was using like 11 manufacturing companies...
This Berwind ownership could put them in a position to manufacture their own foods.. Berwind has to know the larger profit margin comes with the self-manufactured products instead of "co-manufacturing".
I wonder if the former owner (startup) is prevented from starting another company?
Offy, I hope you're right, that would be the best situation to have them start manufacturing their own foods and get it out of Menu Foods (at least the canned). It's interesting that Berwind purchased Wellness for roughly 2.5 times revenues, which is almost unheard of for a pet food company. Most acquisitions are formula based on times earnings. Wellness doesn't have a ton of assets, because they outsource their production, so Berwind is paying for "good will" which is the consumer's confidence and continued purchases. For this type of huge investment on their part I would think they would not want to rock the boat and keep the consumers confidence going especially since they understand the pet food industry with their former purchase of Eagle Pack, and would only plan on improving their relations with the consumers to build the company. It's not like Wellness was a "distressed" company or insolvent where they absolutely have to cut costs for its survival, or they wouldn't have purchased it.
Somebody else do me a big favor and send off an intelligent "contact us" email to OMH and ask
if they intend to continue the policy of only using human grade ingredients in Wellness products
and see what response you get.
http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/talktous_emailus.html
Dear Sir or Madam:
I have been using Wellness canned cat food for over a year now and my vet and I are pleased with the health and over all good looks of my cats.
I do however have a concern that I hope you can address. I discontinued the use of another brand of food after the company was sold and they made changes to the formula that did not meet with my veterinarian's approval.
My concern with Wellness is that the use of Human Grade ingredients has or will eventually change. I thank you for your time and I await your prompt reply.
Great sensible email, Peg. Hope we get a response.
I will keep you "posted" ;)
Quote from: 3catkidneyfailure on August 17, 2008, 12:58:11 PM
Somebody else do me a big favor and send off an intelligent "contact us" email to OMH and ask
if they intend to continue the policy of only using human grade ingredients in Wellness products
and see what response you get.
http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/talktous_emailus.html
I'll send off an email to Berwind and ask them their intentions, too, since they're calling the shots now....I will also invite them to visit Itchmo and state directly.....
I have sent Eagle Pack an email regarding this issue. See the response in the Berwind/Eagle Pack post. I sure hope this company keeps up the quality....but just in case I have already been doing some research into other brands of kibble. I don't want to switch but may not have a choice if things go in the wrong direction.
Thanks, Chef G.
http://itchmoforums.com/your-problems-with-pet-food/berwindeagle-pack-t5876.0.html
cross-posted from Berwind/Eagle Pack:
Berwind Ownership In Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Inc.
Thanks you for your question. Eagle Pack Pet Foods is a leader in the holistic and natural pet food markets. Our growth continues because of the high quality of our ingredients and overall quality of our foods.
Berwind is a capital investment company that invests for the long-term growth in a variety of companies they consider reputable and that produce excellent products. Because they invest for the long term it is in their best interests to continue supporting the quality of the companies they buy to protect their long-term investment.
Berwind's investment will allow us to continue to give us enhanced buying power for ingredients, some of which are in short supply, and to continue to keep our warehouse and manufacturing facilities at state of the art levels.
Looks like one needs to make their emails very specific in terms of questions asked and see if the specific questions get answered:
Dear Old Mother Hubbard:
Having learned this weekend that OMH and Wellness have been sold and being
a long time customer, I would like to know if:
1. there will be any changes to the Wellness cat formulas described in the March
6, 2006 Wellness Feline Adult Maintenance AAFCO Nutrient Profile Claim
Substantiation for canned Chicken and canned Turkey? If so, what changes?
2. whether Wellness plans to continue to use only human grade ingredients.
3. whether your suppliers of ingredients will be U.S. sourced or from other countries
of origin. If from other countries of origin, specifically which ingredients or supplements?
Thank you for responding to my inquiry promptly.
Tried from yet another email identity.
Can I hope that Berwind will take some FF non gluten products into their lab and try to make a healthier version that tastes like/smells like FF for my FF addict and soothe a distraught Cat mommie's mind (one who would abandon FF in a heart beat if the furkid would co-operate)
Hope so, Offy. I'm just worried what they'll do to Wellness in order to up those corporate profit margins.
I sent an email to a general email alias at Berwind this past Sunday, stating my concerns about their purchase of Wellness and the possible implications for pet owners. By Wednesday I received an email response from Chanda Leary-Contu, Marketing Communications Manager at Wellness, stating my email was forwarded to her for reply. She thanked me for taking the time to write an email to them with my questions, and asked if she could call me to discuss my questions in person with her. We set up a time and then spoke for about half an hour.
Chanda began by describing Berwind as a family owned business for many generations, much as Wellness is. She continually reassured me that they have no plans to change any ingredients, formulas, manufacturing processes or facilities, suppliers, testing protocols, staff or quality control measures currently in place. Wellness is completely committed to the highest foods and standards in the pet food industry, and always will continue to be. The CEO, Deborah Ellinger, has retired after the acquisition; the President, Michael Meyer, is now running the company and has been with the company several years. Only the Wellness Pet Food division has been sold to Berwind from OMH.
Once I began asking more specific questions regarding their manufacturing facilities, etc., Chanda asked if she could bring their Director of Quality Assurance and Consumer Affairs, Karalyn Naiburg, into the conversation so I can get specific answers. A few minutes later they both called me back. I spent another half an hour on the phone with all my questions answered; never was there a response that something was proprietary and not to be divulged; and both Chanda and Karalyn kept asking over and over again if I had any further questions for them.
Both Chanda and Karalyn are frequent visitors on Itchmo and during the recalls were visiting it daily. Also during the recalls, Wellness was swamped with phone calls regarding their foods and they hired and trained additional staff to handle all the calls promptly; they did not outsource the telemarketing of these calls. Karalyn encouraged any Itchmo members to call Consumer Affairs directly at 800.225.0904 with any questions or concerns they have.
Specifics discussed:
Wellness canned foods are made at three locations: Menu Foods in New Jersey; Menu Foods in Canada; and American Nutrition in Utah. You can tell where the canned is made by the lot codes, Menu ends with S and C; American Nutrition begins with M and W.
Wellness kibble is made at three locations: Hagen Pet Foods in New Jersey; CJ Foods in Kansas; American Nutrition in Utah.
All ingredients for canned cat foods are sourced from products grown and made in the U.S. except for the taurine, which is from China; and for the Vitamin C, which is from Europe. However, they just approved a US supplier for the Vitamin C and will be changing over soon. They do not use any rice protein concentrate; wheat gluten; rice, corn or soy in their canned foods.
They have a rigorous supplier certification process, and all suppliers are continually audited against the processes Wellness has developed.
They have a continuous quality assurance process by a third party auditor, as well as in- plant inspections of all canned foods for sanitation and pest control. Wellness tests the foods every 15 minutes while still on the production lines, including a weight check for the thermal process (heating process) to make sure it's adequate (not over heated or under heated). They test for physical, chemical and microbiological hazards as well. They employ 2 QA personnel on each line at each manufacturing facility they use.
They employ independent labs (Midwest Laboratories) to conduct quarterly testing of all products. They will soon start posting the labs results on their website.
All in all, I felt their responses were more than adequate and sincere, and they were very knowledgeable about their procedures and policies. However, each and every can of Wellness I open will still have me using a fork to look over every little bit of it before feeding; and after feeding I will watch the kittens like a hawk to make sure I don't see any unusual behavior. I don't think I will ever change my own quality assurance procedures!
Holy cow Nabiya, that is about the best response I have seen from a PFC! Wellness if you are reading this, kudos to you! Now just get rid of the taurine from China and replace it with US made taurine if possible and also get rid of MF for your two manufacturing facilities. But it definately sounds like a food one can feel more reassured about feeding your furbabes. I just wish Sophers would eat it. Maybe someday Wellness can come out with an all meat formula or at least something without all the fruits, etc and then I think Sophers might eat it.
Thank you for your inquiry re: our products. Please let me put your mind at ease regarding the future of Wellness products. To your first question, the only formulation change we have made in recent times was the removal of garlic from our canned cat diets. This action was taken in response to consumer requests. We are committed to providing wholesome, natural, and holistic diets for all our four-legged consumers. After all, it's all about the pets!
To that end, we will continue to use human grade ingredients and employ quality standards that exceed both pet and human food industry standards. We will also continue to meet AAFCO requirements for all our complete diets. If you need a nutritional analysis for any specific product you can call the Consumer Affairs Department at 1-800-225-0904 we'll be happy to send them to you.
Our ingredients are primarily sourced from the United States and Canada. We choose to source some ingredients internationally in order buy the best quality available - for example, lamb from New Zealand. Our ingredient breakdown by geography is as follows:
• U.S. and Canada: 95%+
• Australia and New Zealand: 4%
• Europe: less than 1%
• Asia: less than 1%
There are many high quality ingredients available in the U.S. However, sometimes ingredient quality is higher from other countries – such as Venison or Lamb from New Zealand and Australia; in other cases, sourcing from the U.S. isn't an available option for us (or even the vast majority of pet food companies) because, for example, supplies are limited.
Please visit our website www.wellnesspetfood.com. You will find information about the sourcing of our ingredients, our quality assurance program and additional food safety measures. If you need any additional information, please feel free to contact me at the number above and I'll be happy to speak with you.
Thanks again for contacting us.
Deb Caruso
ManagerConsumer Affairs
Wellness is on Eastern Time zone. Will also be requesting nutrient analysis.
http://itchmoforums.com/making-your-own-pet-food-and-home-remedies/anyone-heard-of-alnutrin-claims-japanese-source-of-taurine-t5988.0.html
Anyone familiar with this company?
http://www.knowwhatyoufeed.com/shop_online.html
(Scroll down to Japanese-sourced Taurine
Cannot vouch for this company or the claim of Japanese-sourced taurine, but something to investigate. Unfortunately, China anything is quite
questionable still to many pet owners.
Haven't some of the ingredients moved up or down on the labels on cat food in recent months in addition to garlic's removal? Some of the
vegetables and berries?
Certainly a more encouraging response, after two inquiries, than many other companies.
That certainly was an amazing response from Wellness! Much more informative than their canned email responses to me have been. Nabiya, whenever there is a question for a pet food company, I nominate you as the person to talk to them. ;D
It's really too bad that my cats, like many others, don't seem to like Wellness much any more, since the garlic was taken out of the formula. I have a hard time believing that it is just the absence of the garlic causing this; I wonder too if the quantities of other ingredients have been adjusted up or down. If they are indeed reading here, I hope they will take this into consideration.
Companies who continue to do business with Menu "we lied while pets died" Foods can't possibly be as good as these people make themselves sound.
Very unsure on this one, but with meats coming from the U.S., Canada, and Austrailia, does
this raise cross-contamination issues for BSE prions, especially for cats? New Zealand I think is
pretty clear of this disease. But given that pet food companies do continuous runs of different
products through the same plants, is the question raised? I'm not sure that this question doesn't
exist with all manufacturers, though. Should be covered under the human grade statement, but
you wonder.
You would like there to be no association with Menu Foods. Wellness supposedly makes something
like $150 million. Hope they're considering it seriously. Fool me once, fool me twice thing.
I do know that Wellness' procedures mandate a complete cleaning of the machinery before their product is run, so that not a trace of other food ends up in their product. They stated that during the recalls. I do not know if they clean between flavors (for example, could beef from a Wellness beef & chicken run end up in the plain chicken?) I think the question would apply to most pet foods, unfortunately.
ETA--I also know that no procedure is fail-safe, and the best procedure is only as strong as employee compliance.
Thanks for all the effort and info, 3cat & Nabiya! If it wasn't for the innate distrust I now have for all commercial pet food, I would probably cry with relief. I will keep using it but of course keep an eye out all the time, as Nabiya said.
I, too, dislike the Menu connection, but they were one of the few last year that canned there and didn't recall anything from cross-contamination (I think Newmans was another??). That must show they do clean between runs well, or were lucky. Were the New Jersey and Canada Menu plants ones with recalls? I know one or two didn't have the contamination issues, but I think that was in the West.
The lamb and venison are from NZ, which is BSE and scrapie-clean (so far). Not sure what's coming from Australia, maybe the beef? Have they had BSE in Australia so far? Only a few of their products use beef. However, prions can't be removed from any equip by standard means anyway, so no matter how well they clean the equip, if BSE beef is being processed by any company at all using the mrf's equip, everything is contaminated.
Glad somebody finally got the manufacturing information out of them. ;D That must have been some email you sent them, Nabiya. :P Good job!
So they visit here. They must be in there with the other 23,400 views of the Wellness canned thread.
There is a wealth of information on their website regarding ingredients, sourcing, and procedures . It will be great to see the actual lab tests there, like Natural Balance is doing.
I've called and written and always got the "proprietary" comment regarding who makes what and where.
I'm planning on feeding my kittens Wellness kitten and adult, so it's good to know they are paying attention to us. But I'm still going to inspect and taste everything and keep track of lot numbers.
I got similar responses to my questions that 3Cat got, so I won't post them here.
Quote from: catbird on August 21, 2008, 04:53:06 PM
I do know that Wellness' procedures mandate a complete cleaning of the machinery before their product is run, so that not a trace of other food ends up in their product. They stated that during the recalls. I do not know if they clean between flavors (for example, could beef from a Wellness beef & chicken run end up in the plain chicken?) I think the question would apply to most pet foods, unfortunately.
You could email and ask them that. It's a good question.
Regarding the taurine, from all the research everyone did last year trying to find non-China taurine, there were no non-China sources available to anyone toward the end of the year. It sounded like the last little bit from Japan had dried up and gone away, and all there was was soruced from China.
Hopefully as indicated from that Alnutrin ad, Japan has started producing it again and it will be available on a wider scale to everyone. So companies that are trying, as Wellness appears to be, can switch over to better sources as they become available. Many supplements are still China-sourced, including a lot of high grade human supplements, so this is great if they are really able to get almost everything from the US and Europe.
Quote from: JustMe on August 21, 2008, 05:08:42 PM
Quote from: catbird on August 21, 2008, 04:53:06 PM
I do know that Wellness' procedures mandate a complete cleaning of the machinery before their product is run, so that not a trace of other food ends up in their product. They stated that during the recalls. I do not know if they clean between flavors (for example, could beef from a Wellness beef & chicken run end up in the plain chicken?) I think the question would apply to most pet foods, unfortunately.
You could email and ask them that. It's a good question.
Both women said they encourage members of Itchmo (or anyone) to call their Consumer Affairs toll free number at 800.225.0904 with any and all questions to get the straight scoop. I think you'll get more info that way and faster, too, rather than through emails.
Catbird, I'm only feeding the Wellness Kitten canned now but have used the adult grainless canned in the past. Last year and earlier this year my older cats also got very picky about some lots/flavors. I found I had to rotate it with other foods, but eventually they did eat it. I just blame this on them being picky eaters in their old age, knowing darn well if they don't eat dinner I'll jump up and put something else down right away. Sometimes I would withhold the Wellness for well over a week, and then they would start eating it again.
Completely trust commercial pet foods again? Not a chance. I will never let my guard down.....
I am not feeding any Wellness products ,however several of my neighbors are. They were the most open of all pf co's last year when called or emailed. I don't like the fact that they kept saying they were going to try to can their own & yet still use menu however.
Australian beef is BSE free. There are now a few companies with US,Canadian or Japanese taurine although they cost a lot more. I don't know if its available in large enough quantities for commercial though.
Still I think its a good thing they are monitoring the reactions to their food here.And that they are being so open. I would feel much better about it when the testing is done somewhere with better [lower] test parameters & published though.They did respond well last year about the acetaminophen problem also.
Nabiya so nice they responded to you in that way and even called back like they said they would. For some reason now my dog no longer likes the grain free and since they said they were not changing the formula I can't figure why she won't eat it. She really liked the salmon but you cant feed a lot because I'm concerned with the mercury in fish, any fish so that flavor alone wouldn't work. Maybe I'll try another can and see if she will want it now of the chicken.
Please get that testing information out there on the website by the batch, lot, can, best by dates, and
UPC code of the item purchased as soon as possible available to review before the item is opened and fed.
Looking for mycotoxin, aflatoxin, meat and vegetable and fruit bacterial contamination, heavy metals contents,
and even worried about pesticide levels -- that's the legacy of Menu Foods.
I have called them and emailed them numerous times over the last year. Some things I prefer to see in writing. They've always been very responsive to questions.
I wish everyone who experiences lack of enthusiam or refusal would call them.
Currently I've got 2 cats who are still refusing or picking at January and February big cans of food. Those 2 cats are fed in a separate room as one is a slow eater and the other eats too fast. However, usually all the other cats will eat from the same 2 cans and look for more. Mine still like the 3 ounce and 5.5 ounce cans from January and February.
Once again I ask that all who use this brand to please contribute your lot and best buy dates to the canned threads and any problems or lack of problems for the benefit of all.
Nabiya and 3Cat,
Thank you for all your efforts in contacting Wellness and posting their responses. My cat who needs low phosphorus has always liked Wellness Chicken (one of the foods I rotate with). I feel relieved that I can go back and use it as a rotation. However, I will also be cautious with all foods that I feed.
Thanks!
I emailed Chanda at Wellness this morning about an hour ago with more questions. Here are my questions:
1. During our conversation the other day, Karalyn mentioned that the canned cat foods have manufacturing codes that allow us to determine what plant they were made at. I had written down that the codes ending in S and C were made by Menu in New Jersey and Canada , and the codes beginning with M and W were made by American Nutrition in Utah . However, after looking at some codes, some products have both beginning with W and ending with S. For example:
Wellness Chicken 12.5 oz can
29 Jan 11
7WCCS1 05:06
Wellness Turkey 12.5 oz can
29 Jan 11
7 WTKS1 01:59
Can you please get further clarification for me on how to read these codes? Using these as an example, where were they produced?
2. During your manufacturing process, is the equipment used completely cleaned in between batches of the canned cat food? For example, some cats are highly intolerant of fish. So if the salmon was produced on the equipment, and the next batch is chicken, how do you prevent any fish from being mixed in with the chicken batch?
Chanda already emailed back, here are her responses:
1. Both of the examples above are Menu products. American Nutrition is "MW" together at the beginning of a can code, for example MW8.
2. As far as cross-contamination, we do provide cleanouts to prevent cross-contamination. In addition, the very first part of the run is discarded to ensure any water left over in the line is flushed out.
The cleaning process in the can water-cooling canals is apparently done with an industrial strength
chlorine and water solution.
http://itchmoforums.com/news-recall-related/simmons-pet-food-inc-receives-warning-letter-from-fda-t5894.0.html
I wonder what the food processing machinery cleaning process is done with? I
hate to be bombarding the company with questions, but I wonder if they'd answer that.
And, Wellness can thank Menu for the paranoid pet owners who want to know all this stuff...
We had many months of hell before, during & after the recall to start examining with microscopes the pet food industry, what they do, don't do, supposed to do, claim they do & don't really do, and the phrasing they use to avoid directly answering but pat us on our previously empty & now "off the chart" heads.
And, most of all, we all know it was IAMS who forced Menu to make the problems public & recall -
Why didn't the other companies know? If they did, why didn't they force the issues too?
So, no, I'm not real thrilled with Menu being the manufacturer & not pushing to get my cats off FF to Wellness.. I was happy to see the answers on codes...
How do we order to get the AN/where is the retailer that sells the ones mfg by Am Nutrition???
Okay, petslave posted with MW codes in the thread...
http://itchmoforums.com/cat-food-experiences-by-brand/wellness-canned-t1156.0.html;msg73730#msg73730
http://www.anibrands.com/about.htm
The company was founded in 1972 as Animal Nutrition, Inc. by Jack Behnken, a Pennsylvania native and Penn State Engineering graduate. Jack had previously worked for the Kellogg company and had a wealth of knowledge in cereal manufacturing systems. Mel Carey, a Michigan native and former production manager for the Keebler Company, joined Jack to provide production and packaging expertise. Jack provided the plant engineering expertise and began making regional sales calls while Mel provided production and packaging oversight as well as the quality assurance and formulation functions.
In 1977, the company expanded with the purchase of an adjacent property and the name was changed to American Nutrition, Inc. to better express the firm's broadening markets and growth plans.
To date, American Nutrition has added four additional manufacturing facilities employing over 250 individuals throughout the country with plans for continued growth.
American Nutrition produces a full line of dry, baked and wet pet foods and treats and offers contract manufacturing, private label manufacturing and many packaging alternatives.
Not sure this is any guarantee either. I know there's a Miller Beef supplier in Logan, Utah, about 80 miles away, but where are the four other plants?
There is no perfect commercial manufacturing system.
I'd just like to know the food I bought and was planning to feed was:
1. tested for mycotoxins, including aflatoxin
2. reached a minimum of 160 degrees or higher in processing to kill off salmonella, e-coli, and listeria
3. screened for all known toxins so nothing is off the "radar screen"
4. levels of vitamin, mineral, and metal contents
5. meets or exceeds the AAFCO nutrient profiles, although I'd rather the NRC's were used, as
AAFCO has proved so inadequate and careless a regulator.
6. uses 100 percent human grade ingredients as a possible protection from BSE, among other things.
7. contains absolutely no products of the rendering industry in any form.
The company that does at least that and lets the public know that with publicly viewable testing results on what the consumer buys is a better candidate.
Nabiya and 3Cat, thanks for the Wellness info.
Wellness is more forthcoming now than they were in the past. When I called them last year, everything was "proprietary". So I complained to my independent retailer, and she had Wellness call me. Still, they were less than forthcoming.
Hopefully, Wellness now "gets it".
WRT testing by PF companies, I'll never forget how convincingly Natural Balance described their testing process, last year. Unfortunately, it wasn't true. They weren't testing anything, and had no QA/QC personnel.
If Wellness plans to post test results online, that would certainly be a step in the right direction.
5CatMom
=^..^=
Looks like I just re-examined the home-cooking drawing board :o
Quote from: 3catkidneyfailure on August 22, 2008, 12:12:00 PM
Looks like I just re-examined the home-cooking drawing board :o
What? ???
Well, I guess I'll put off making a concerted effort to get on Wellness even if it's made at American Nutrition...
http://thepetfoodlist.com/forums/index.php?action=printpage;topic=238.0
Houston we had a credibility issue.... sigh.
BIG time had a credibility issue:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/bluebuffalo204_07.html
ANI makes their kibble, not their canned.
ETA: :-[ Guess they make both.
Didn't petslave post the lot codes on canned that are the ANI codes Nabiya was given?
http://itchmoforums.com/cat-food-experiences-by-brand/wellness-canned-t1156.0.html;msg73730#msg73730
Quote from: Offy on August 22, 2008, 02:08:21 PM
Didn't petslave post the lot codes on canned that are the ANI codes Nabiya was given?
http://itchmoforums.com/cat-food-experiences-by-brand/wellness-canned-t1156.0.html;msg73730#msg73730
You're right Offy. :-[ I just re-read Nabiya's post. Please disregard my post.
I have some old M and W cans. Wondered where they were from. Aaaargh!!!
Oh good, so now when people say "how can you feed your pets foods made by Menu" I can say, I don't, it's made by ANI, you know, the company that is even worse than Menu because they were putting RPC in foods without company knowledge. All the big Wellness cans I've seen in W Washington are MW cans. Haven't checked the small cans but will next time I go to the store.
I'm surprised the ANI-made Wellness escaped adultration last year. But if I remember right, there are PF companies that do all their own ingredient purchases and just use the mfr to make the foods, and then there are PF co's that let the mfr do all of it, including buying ingredients for them. Does anyone remember if that is right?
Eric, I meant wanting to see all those testing results and never seeing them is what started me
on home-cooking.
Thanks, everyone, for the ANI history lesson. One has to wonder about substitutions without
notice and various consumer incident reports of projectile vomitting. Mainecoonpeg's five and
others. Peg's food was tested for known toxins, but I don't believe protein content. Is that correct?
http://itchmoforums.com/pet-food-testing/wellness-feline-canned-part-ii-t4895.0.html;msg64680#msg64680
http://itchmoforums.com/pet-food-testing/wellness-feline-canned-part-i-t4894.0.html;msg64679#msg64679
Maybe, Peg, it was the protein content.
We should look back at the vomiting incidents to see if there is any pattern with mfr locations, now that we know the codes better. Didn't someone compile those on the Wellness thread?
http://itchmoforums.com/cat-food-experiences-by-brand/wellness-canned-feline-summaries-t5003.0.html;msg66064#msg66064
Lists the codes for vomitting batches, I believe. (Thank you, JustMe)
Nabiya, page 5 this thread:
1. During our conversation the other day, Karalyn mentioned that the canned cat foods have manufacturing codes that allow us to determine what plant they were made at. I had written down that the codes ending in S and C were made by Menu in New Jersey and Canada , and the codes beginning with M and W were made by American Nutrition in Utah . However, after looking at some codes, some products have both beginning with W and ending with S. For example:
Wellness Chicken 12.5 oz can
29 Jan 11
7WCCS1 05:06
Wellness Turkey 12.5 oz can
29 Jan 11
7 WTKS1 01:59
Can you please get further clarification for me on how to read these codes? Using these as an example, where were they produced?
Chanda already emailed back, here are her responses:
1. Both of the examples above are Menu products. American Nutrition is "MW" together at the beginning of a can code, for example MW8
Just a quick count of the monthly summaries, those that have codes, indicates that the clear winner causing vomitting in cats was:
1. codes ending in S
2. followed by codes ending in C
3. no entries for codes beginning MW
I had assumed the W at the beginning stood for Wellness since 99% of the cans I have had said 7W on them, but that's just a guess.
Examples
7WTSS1 that is a 12.5 oz can of Wellness Turkey and Salmon
7WTKS1 (Wellness Turkey) 12.5
7WCHS1 (Wellness chicken & herring) 12.5
7WBCS1 Wellness beef and chicken 12.5 oz
7WKCC1 Wellness Kitten 3 oz (product of Canada)
7WTKC1 Wellness turkey 3 oz (product of Canada)
S1's are 12.5 oz cans
C1's are the 3 oz cans (say product of canada on the label)
S4 are the 5.5 oz cans
Jenny did the first couple of summaries for us.
Looks like I need to add an Item 8 to that testing results wish list, based on ANI
history:
8. Protein content analysis
Is that how you'd phrase it?
Makes logical sense that constant variation in least expensive acceptable ingredient of the day
or week substitution would explain constant batch variations, consumer experience problems
with most pet food manufacturers, not restricted to any one in particular ? So called formulation issues?
Then add in not enough constant batch safety checking seemingly and manufacturing facilities you
don't have control over. Just a thought.
3cat, that sounds about like Grandma's pound cakes as she had memory problems.. you never really knew until you cut it and tasted it what was there/not.. the most exciting was using the Stanley products linament as strawberry flavoring ;)
:D ;) :) - yuk, same principle.
Addition to codes that caused vomiting - some of my cats threw up Turkey and Chicken back in Nov 07, MW codes. (Also I think KimS had cats vomit on MW codes). So they aren't exempt.
Thanks, petslave, for adding to the picture.
If I could encourage any steps, it would be post exactly what safety tests manufacturers perform on each individual batch,
lot, can, bag, pouch by publicly viewable and searchable database on manufacturer web sites. And please don't attempt
to hide the nature of the testing by ambiguous description as some manufacturers do. Just factual test results.
3cat - what do you mean by hiding the nature of the testing? Do you have an example? I'm interested.
YesBiscuit, I thought on the Evangers Emergency Permit thread, it was hard to tell what
the manufacturer was describing as the tests performed, two or three on finished product.
We weren't talking about viewable test results, either.
Ah, gotcha. The only PFC I've heard of posting their test results is Natural Balance. Maybe there are others?
Evanger's prolly felt they HAD to hide theirs - you know, to keep it secret from "The Extortionist" hehehe :P
Nor was the frequency of the test(s) described, and I think pet parents only
care about the actual product they've purchased. Leslie sure was tough; I agree ;)
Hey maybe I should change my name to" the great fear of pf co's" ?
Quote from: petslave on August 22, 2008, 07:46:43 PM
Addition to codes that caused vomiting - some of my cats threw up Turkey and Chicken back in Nov 07, MW codes. (Also I think KimS had cats vomit on MW codes). So they aren't exempt.
petslave was the food the grain free or the other brands that your cats threw up on?
That was the canned cat food, JJ. They don't have grains in them. Sorry, forgot this isn't the Wellness cat thread!
I do feed my dogs Wellness canned dog food and haven't had any health or refusal problems with any of them - whitefish, turkey, chicken and lamb formulas, all with grain. They are also MW codes, so ANI packed.
ty petslave. My dog refused the grain free about 6 weeks ago and up til that point she was eating it, not with a great deal of gusto.
Were those the 95% meat cans JJ? I can't remember if those are complete meals or just for toppers to other meals. She may have gotten bored with them since they only have meat and thickeners in them.
petslave yes it was the 95% meat. So far not going back cause I take my cues from her as she is the canary in the coal mine - if she refuses something several times its gone. They know better than us if they sense anything out of the usual.
I received an online survey from Wellness today. Probably to gauge the consumers regarding the new ownership. I don't know though it's purpose, since it's not functioning correctly. I have sent Consumer Research at Wellness an email regarding the survey as any data they collect will be skewed if the survey isn't working correctly:
Dear Consumer Research at Wellness:
This survey is all screwed up. I answered 3 questions and it said "finished". I doubt that it only had 3 questions!
On one of the questions I answered how many pets I had, and I got an error message saying to enter a whole number. I had entered 3. That's a whole number. Now I can't complete another survey either.
So whatever statistics you are able to gather the data is all skewed. Suggest you fire Decipher inc. and get another survey company!
In any event, the data you collect is very questionable so I would suggest you cancel the survey and start all over.
----- Original Message ----
From: Wellness Pet Food <invite@decipherinc.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2008 6:01:51 AM
Subject: Wellness Pet Food Survey - We want to know what you think!
Hi WellPet Club Member:
As a valued Wellness Pet Food customer we'd like to invite you to participate in our survey! Your thoughts and opinions will help us to provide better products and services to you and your pets. The survey may take up to 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
Your opinions are safe with us! We will not try to sell you anything. Your answers will be kept confidential and will be used for research purposes only.
Don't wait, Start now! The first 300 to respond will receive a coupon for $10 off Wellness pet food!
Click on the link below to begin!
http://v2.decipherinc.com/survey/srg/srg08005?list=1&source=xq8QhoPLS6
The Pet Lovers at Wellness
I've answered a few Wellness dog food surveys/questionnaires in the past, including one about dog food packaging. It was a different company running the surveys though. In the surveys I responded to, the length of the survey depended on your answers to the questions. Example: If you purchase pet food at indie stores, the survey ended after a few questions as that particular survey was targeted to people who purchase food at big box pet supply stores. In a different survey, it continued on for page after page, question after question.
Their surveys are targeted to people who have registered for the Well Pet Club and have furnished information about their pets. They send occasional news letters and coupons.
It says the survey should take 15-20 minutes to complete. Entering my sex, age and number of cats took 30 seconds, along with the error message I received. I doubt that this is the only info they wanted to gather from me.
I just followed the link to your survey and tried a few pages. I had to put in 0 for other pets in order for it to advance to the next question. Seems like you need a digit in the other pets box. Maybe try it that way again. I ended up in a dog survey since I have dogs. LOL
Good luck.
P.S. I've never gotten to do one of their cat surveys. I always get the dog surveys.
I put 0 in for other pets, got an error message, and the survey said finished. I can't try it again, it put a cookie on my machine and now recognizes that I completed a survey.
I just tried it again. Did you get as far as the thank you message or does it end before that?
It seems to be a dog survey. If I enter no cats and 2 dogs, I'm able to advance to next questions (about dogs).
It says it's a pet food survey, not a dog food survey, so I'm going to surmise it's not working properly.
After going through multiple pages of in depth DOG questions on the survey regarding health, ages, activity levels, breeds, etc., there is no indication it is about change in ownership up until the point I stopped answering questions. I did NOT complete the survey to the end since it was not sent to me. I was just curious as to what the survey was about this time.
PFCs apparently sell more dog food than cat food.
So, cats I assume don't get as much focus/research for products.
With this survey seemingly skewed towards dog food I wonder now if the formula change was why my dog refused to eat it anymore-I was buying the grain free 95% meat canned dog food.
Funny, on this forum there are many Wellness cat food feeders. Until I started adding home-cooked I was feeding 90+ big cans a month and spending more money on the cat food than the dog food. Oh well, guess that doesn't count!
petslave oh but your money does count but not a survey that would also include cat owners. Apparently no one at this company did a test run on the survey that this company created for them to see if it was working correctly. Also to not give you a chance to continue with the test or start a new one when you go back - great company doing the survey alright IMO.
Geez. I give up. ::)
Wellness aka Berwind needs to read the Wilbur-Ellis link and the ANI warning letter..
http://itchmoforums.com/news-recall-related/is-this-fda-warning-letter-new-from-our-friends-at-wilburellis-t6082.0.html;msg83886#msg83886
I just tried the Wellness survey too, and also got 3 questions, probably just like Nabiya's. On the last question I answered, I said I had 0 dogs, 5 cats, and 1 other pets (I figured maybe a tank of fish counts as 1?) That ended the survey for me; it would not reset and locked up. Took about 30 sec. to complete these 3 questions, not the 15 min. they said it would!
I guess maybe they are surveying dog owners? It's kind of funny, since cats are notoriously more picky about food than dogs. You'd think there would be a lot of research on cat tastes.
I had the same result too....
I tried the survey yesterday and got the same result. It locked up after I answered I had one cat.
Found my survey in my spam mail box last night. Took me about 45 minutes to complete it last night. It was very detailed and there were several sections where I could write in whatever detailed information I wanted about what I want from Wellness. And I did talk about dog AND CAT FOOD in those sections. There were sections on product safety, ingredients, sourcing, new products, protein, supplements. Excellent survey. Touched on quite a bit.
If anyone uses Wellness dog food, they can PM me if they want details. I'm working today, so won't have a chance to answer until tomorrow.
I took the entire survey. It was an attempt to get info on a new product.
They were asking questions about organic dog food. They spoke mostly of
organic soy and rice, very little about meat proteins. They even asked if I
wanted pesticides and other things like artificial preservatives in the food.
They offered an area at the end of the survey to introduce yourself and tell
them what you like/dislike about their product. I doubt they will listen to my
rant.
Well, since you posted what it was about, HD. ;D
Mine was geered to my responses to previous sections and had multiple sections asking me which protein sources I wanted, organic meats, organic poultry. Organic soy was asked about once, never mentioned again (based on my responses, I assume). Grains versus grain-free was mentioned.
I hope they do produce organic dog food. I'd definitely buy it if it meets my requirements, organic poultry/organic meats.
Only got to answer like 3 questions...once I said "0" dogs the survery ended. I sent Wellness a nice email stating that if they want my opinion that's one thing, but telling me they "have reached their quota" certainly says my opinion does not matter!! My duaghter has been using Wellness canned for about a year now, but is in the process of changing. I have been using Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken Meal and Rice for almost 2 years...and am in the process of switching. This whole Berwind takeover does not sit well with me at all. Time to change foods before it effects the health of our pets!!
Wellness is definitely changing its marketing strategies. Just recently it showed up in my local co-op grocery!
catbird wonder how much they paid your local co-op to carry the food and put it on the shelf? Long time ago asked in a grocery store why they didn't carry certain brands and they said it depended on how much the mfr. paid to have their product on the shelf. Always someone paying someone off seems like.....
catbird, we've had it at the local natural food co-ops up here for as long as I've been shopping at them. Not sure if that's what your store is, but it's probably more of a change in what the store decided to carry vs. Wellness expanding.
It's usually more expensive at there than at the pet food or feed stores, but they had the dog food on sale recently and I stocked up on cases with my bulk discount for 1.49 for the big cans! The cat food is way more expensive and they never have the big cans, darn it!
Quote from: Nabiya on August 30, 2008, 10:06:56 AM
It says it's a pet food survey, not a dog food survey, so I'm going to surmise it's not working properly.
I finally received a reply to my email regarding the Wellness Pet Food survey. The response was from a research manager at www.srg.com, the survey company. They apologized for "the technical difficulties" I experienced, and gave me a link to a Wellness coupon.
I recently checked the Wellness corporate site and see an announcement about having a distribution partner in Hong Kong now for their products:
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/pr_9-10-2008.html
Not much on the Internet about ROG Trading Company Ltd., their new partner, except they also distribute Canidae. The news release from Wellness says they are a distributor, and not a manufacturer.
I went into my local pet store that carries Wellness, there was a big sign posted by the Wellness canned food stating that regretfully, beginning October 1st, Wellness prices are going up 14%. I forget the exact words, but the price increase was coming from Wellness not the store. Sounds like the new owners of Wellness are beginning to make some changes. This is not the pet store which originally made me wonder about Wellness, as they dropped their line, this is a pet store that continued to stock all varieties of Wellness.
Thanks for posting that. Just great. Guess I'll have to add even more home-made food to the menu around here. I can't afford a price increase. I did notice the feed store finally raised the dog food to $2.09 a can from 1.99, but I'm sure it will go up even more.
petslave it is or was 1.99 for all except the salmon was 2.49 a can. Had to switch off as my dog ate it before and now won't touch any of it. If I could return opened cans to the store now....Do not new owners no matter what company they obtain look for ways to increase their bottom line and cut costs. If the new owners change the ingredients to cheaper ones the pets will show the effects as they are our canaries in the coal mine still.
Just an aside ~ Sassy couldn't tolerate the wellness at all. I ended up putting her back on science diet (what they put her on at MSU) and her poop is firming up and the smell is way better than it was. So, I'm wondering if the changes the new owners are making have something to do with this or if it's just Sassy.
It's just getting scary to try and find something that agrees with the cats that is safe and healthy and affordable. Doesn't seem like that should be all that hard . . .
It does sound like more and more cats that ate the food before are refusing it now. And JJ's dog. So something must be going on. I haven't seen too much change in the April lots I'm feeding the cats right now, other than a bigger number of unground flax seed.
All my cats and dogs are still eating it and doing OK on it (knock on wood, always). Maybe it has to do with the plants since mine are made at an American Nutrition plant out west. Or maybe I just have undiscriminating pets. Anyway, it's the only one size fits all food I can feed around here at a decent price. So if the quality declines or the price goes way up, not sure what I'll do. Go all home cooked I guess!
I'm not happy to see this price increase at all. My cats still eat the Wellness although they don't totally clean their plates like they did when I first fed it to them.
I'm not happy either. All my dogs and cats are on this.
Another discussion about pricing.
http://itchmoforums.com/off-topic-no-politics/will-there-be-any-pet-food-shortages-not-recall-related-t6610.0.html
This is slightly off-topic, but relates to something said a couple of posts up. As I've posted elsewhere, no one at my house seems to like Wellness much any more, since I started getting lots made after 1/1/08. A couple of days ago, DH found a couple of cans of Wellness Chicken at the back of the stack, from older lots. He asked if he should feed them to Linley, since Linley was refusing Wellness these days, or if we should just give them to a shelter. I told him to go ahead and try.
Linley, who has been picking at most of his wet foods lately, devoured this older Wellness like he was starving. Too bad I had only 2 cans.
As a meowmie to 6 indoor cats, one basement cat and 4 garage cats, the response to any grain free Wellness is nowhere near what it used to be. Raising a price on something that seems to be changed doesn't go well with me. If the price needs to be raised for quality ingredients, then maybe that's okay. I don't think the quality is the same anymore.
I have about 10 cases of Wellness which I will attempt to have them finish, although I've thrown out a lot lately. Cooking is actually less expensive for me and I know what I'm putting in there.
I still like the other small manufacturers that I use and will continue to use.
My disappointment and my cats' disappointment is overwhelming and I'm not going to take chances because one company decides to be a megameanufacturer.
How can we tell which cans were from 2008? I have several cans that I just purchased, and the store had just gotten a new supply in, but obviously there's no way to tell how long they sat in the warehouse before that. The best by date is 29 April 2011 and the product code is 7WTKS4. On the label, the only ingredient difference from the cans I purchased in summer 2007 is a few minor things in a different order and the garlic has been phased out. So far KD doesn't seem to notice the difference.
Wellness canned has a 3 year shelf-life according to their web site.
29 April 2011 cans were manufactured April 29, 2008
Thanks JustMe - I guess I'm lucky then that KD still likes it. :)
My cats have been sporadic with this. Some lots they like, some they don't like. Some lots only 1 cat doesn't like, and the others like. Drives me batty trying to figure it out.
JustMe I feel for ya trying to figure it out. With my dog I just go by her - if she ate it with gusto before and one day just ups and won't eat any variety I do not buy it anymore. Only one I've had her enjoy or like eating is Organix canned on a regular basis (sorry off topic on the Wellness).
Back on topic now.
Berwind is a private investment management company.
This doesn't sit well with me. Investment management companies put profits before pets and people.
http://www.berwind.com/
We need real pet food companies owned and operated by real people.
on another board I am a member a picture of a weird plastic piece was posted... found in a wellness can