Food for thought – our nutritional philosophy

Pets bring such joy to your lives – and to ours. They’re part of the family, so it’s only natural to want the best for them. That’s why for over 85 years, we’ve dedicated ourselves to creating nutritious, high quality pet foods to help cats and dogs live healthier, happier, longer lives.

As leaders in pet nutrition, we have seen how proper feeding can actually help extend a pet’s healthy years. And, with our 400 strong global team of PURINA® nutritionists, scientists, vets and animal behaviourists, we are on a mission to raise the bar for pet nutrition even higher. But just how are we going to do this? Let’s get started.

We don’t strive to meet standards – we aim to surpass them

It might surprise you, but pet food is subject to stricter formulation standards than most human food. This is because it makes up 100% of a pet’s diet, so it has to be packed with all the nutrients they need to stay happy and healthy. That’s why pet foods often use the term ‘complete and balanced’.

As a long-time member of the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) and because we are pet lovers and owners ourselves, we take great care and pride in every product we make. Which is why many of our pet foods don’t just meet industry standard requirements - they exceed them.

Our difference is in the detail

Choosing the right food for your pet can be a daunting task. Will it provide all of the nutrients he needs? What tests have been done to ensure it’s ‘safe’? Will he like the taste? We understand these concerns – after all, most of us have pets of our own.

We want every pet owner to feel confident in the quality of our products. So we often go the extra mile to ensure that our foods are safe, nutritious and delicious. That’s why our quality and assurance process has over 50 steps. Because to us, like you, nothing should be overlooked when it comes to the health and happiness of pets!

Read on to discover some more of the steps we take to ensure our products live up to the highest standards.

Getting the balance just right

We know that you want to provide your pet with a balanced, nutritious diet that does them a world of good. But we also know that it’s pointless producing industry-leading nutrition if pets won’t eat it or if they do, don’t enjoy eating it –or it’s so difficult to digest that it doesn’t deliver the nutrients they need.

So if when developing our pet foods a cat turns her nose up at it, or our food disagrees with a dog’s digestion, we go straight back to the drawing board. It’s because of our passion for pets and the joy they bring to peoples’ lives that drives us to deliver nutrition that could do more.

We do our homework

When it comes to pet care, it’s not enough for us to take the industry’s word for things – we want to discover the facts for ourselves. Which is how we’ve grown to become a global leader in pet nutrition studies.

From finding out what contributes to excessive weight gain in pets, to studying the effects of new trends and discoveries in human nutrition, we’ve try and cover it all. It's all part of our mission to enrich the lives of pets and the people who love them, and help pets live long, happy and healthy lives.

We look at the bigger picture

We know that the best ingredients don’t just ‘work’ alone; they support and enhance one another. And as a result, a cleverly-matched nutrient blend is far more digestible and effective than a single ingredient.

So instead of focusing on single ingredients, we look at the bigger picture - how can different combinations of nutrients benefit a pet’s health? Adopting this approach has led to many breakthrough discoveries, including the role that whole grain cereals can play both as a complement to protein sources (like animal protein, fish and soy), and in promoting digestive health.