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May 03, 2022
The Honest Kitchen Completes In-Home AAFCO Feeding Trials to Substantiate the Nutritional Benefits of its Human-Grade Food for Dog
SAN DIEGO (May 3, 2022) - The Honest Kitchen, the pioneer in human-grade pet food, has successfully completed in-home, comprehensive AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) Feeding Trials*, which substantiate the nutritional adequacy of the brand’s human-grade offerings. Unlike traditional kennel-based AAFCO feeding trials, The Honest Kitchen successfully completed its AAFCO trials on active adult performance dogs living at home with their own families. A total of three trials were conducted, spanning six months each, and included eight dogs per trial. Each trial was conducted by a third-party veterinary group, proficient in both AAFCO standards and The Honest Kitchen’s products. The Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated grain-free chicken recipe, dehydrated whole-grain chicken recipe and clusters grain-free chicken recipe for dogs were fed exclusively for the duration of the trial.
"We've been committed to crafting the most nutritious, safe, high-quality recipes available for pets since The Honest Kitchen first began making human-grade pet food in 2002", stated The Honest Kitchen's Founder & Chief Integrity Officer, Lucy Postins. "Being able to conduct a feeding trial that goes far above and beyond the basic AAFCO protocol, with dogs living in the comfort of their own familiar surroundings means we've not only been able to prove the health-sustaining benefits of our foods in a scientific manner, but also do it in a conscientious, humane way, which is of paramount importance to me personally, and to the brand."
In addition to meeting AAFCO’s standards for measuring nutritional adequacy throughout the three respective trials, The Honest Kitchen performed a broad array of additional blood work labs and testing, and expanded standards to ensure the research was more comprehensive, accounting for overall health and wellbeing:
- Rather than following the traditional protocol of performing the feeding trials at a kennel facility on a group of dogs of the same breed, the dogs in The Honest Kitchen’s trials were from several different breeds and remained living in their own homes for the duration of the trials, for the comfort and wellbeing of the dogs.
- Three veterinary examinations, weigh-ins, body condition scoring and muscle condition scoring were performed at the beginning, middle and end of each trial (rather than at only the end of each trial, which is the AAFCO standard).
- Expanding on the four required post-trial blood parameters (hemoglobin, packed cell volume, albumin and serum alkaline phosphatase), The Honest Kitchen completed a total of 86 different blood work analyses including complete blood counts, serum chemistry blood panels, plasma amino acid profiles, whole blood taurine levels and cardiac biomarker parameters. The Honest Kitchen also required these to be collected three different times (at the beginning, middle and end of each trial), versus only at the end.
- Echocardiograms were also performed on every dog eating The Honest Kitchen’s grain free recipes at the beginning of the trial and after 6 months, and were evaluated by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist. Cardiovascular analysis is not part of the requirement for a typical AAFCO feeding trial.
- A weekly stool check was conducted for each of the dogs in its trial.
- The dogs’ owners also provided feedback on their dogs’ overall wellbeing, energy levels and performance in their sporting activities.
- All dogs were up-to-date on vaccines and flea/tick preventatives, in good health, had no concurrent medical conditions and were not on any medications
“The Honest Kitchen is known for its high quality standards, and the rigorous research completed during these feeding studies is no exception,” said Dr. Leilani Alvarez, Veterinary Advisor* at The Honest Kitchen. “Whole blood and plasma taurine levels are important markers for cardiac health and echocardiograms further help to confirm that the heart is functioning normally. The results of these in-home feeding trials demonstrate that The Honest Kitchen’s diets are safe for cardiac health and overall wellbeing.”
The Honest Kitchen launched the world’s first human-grade food for dogs in 2002, ultimately creating an entirely new category of pet foods that meet human food quality and sa to provide pets with the best possible nutrition. Today, the company continues to raise the bar on pet food with a full line of wet, dry and dehydrated complete and balanced human-grade foods for dogs and cats that are made with human-grade ingredients in a human food facility, as well as treats, toppers, hydration boosters and a best-selling digestive supplement.
With over 170 offerings available, pet owners can shop via Amazon and Chewy, as well as over 6,000 retail locations, including independent pet supply stores and Petco, Pet Supplies Plus, and various health food stores such as Sprouts and select Whole Foods.
*AAFCO does not approve, certify or otherwise endorse pet foods. There is no AAFCO-approved pet food. Most state feed laws and regulations reference to the AAFCO Official Publication as part of nutritional adequacy labeling for pet products. AAFCO has established guidelines for a science-based feeding trial, but they do not provide oversight, guidance or approval on the trial.
*Leilani Alvarez, DVM, DACVSMR is the Director of Integrative & Rehabilitative Medicine at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center in NY. The views, advice and opinions expressed by Dr. Leilani Alvarez regarding The Honest Kitchen’s products are her own and may not be representative of the views and opinions of her employer, The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, or any other affiliated party.
About The Honest Kitchen
The Honest Kitchen was founded by Lucy Postins in 2002 in San Diego, CA with a mission to help as many pets as possible get on the road to good health, through good food. They produce a full line of Human Grade complete & balanced foods for pets including dry, dehydrated, and wet foods; as well as treats; toppers; hydration boosters; and a best-selling digestive supplement. The Honest Kitchen was the first-ever Human Grade pet food, meaning the finished product meets human food production standards (unlike conventional pet food which is Feed Grade). Each Honest Kitchen product is made with uncompromising quality & safety standards by a company of pet lovers. For more information, please visit www.thehonestkitchen.com.
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