What are artificial additives?
Artificial additives are substances that are added to dog food to improve or change certain properties. They have no nutritional function and are usually only used to improve the appearance, taste or shelf life of the food. Artificial additives include, for example
- Colorants: they are intended to make the food more attractive to the eye or to compensate for natural color loss. Examples are E 102 (tartrazine), E 110 (yellow-orange S) or E 124 (cochineal red A).
- Preservatives: They are intended to protect the food from spoiling and extend its shelf life. Examples are E 200 (sorbic acid), E 202 (potassium sorbate) or E 250 (sodium nitrite).
- Flavor enhancers: They are intended to make the food more palatable or mask unpleasant tastes. Examples are E 621 (monosodium glutamate), E 627 (sodium guanylate) or E 631 (sodium inosinate).
- Antioxidants: They are intended to protect the food from rancidity and maintain its quality. Examples are E 300 (ascorbic acid), E 320 (butylhydroxyanisole) or E 321 (butylhydroxytoluene).
What are the advantages of artificial additives?
Artificial additives have several advantages for dog food manufacturers and consumers. For example, they can
- reduce costs by allowing them to use cheaper raw materials or produce less food.
- make storage easier by extending the shelf life of the food or protecting it from pests.
- increase acceptance by making the feed more appetizing or more varied.
What are the disadvantages of artificial additives?
Artificial additives also have some disadvantages for your dog's health and well-being. For example, they can
- Trigger allergies by irritating or overwhelming the immune system.
- Cause intolerances by disrupting digestion or burdening the kidneys.
- Promote diseases by damaging the liver or causing cancer.
What should you look out for when buying dog food?
If you want to give your dog a good food, you should pay attention to a few things:
- Read the ingredients list carefully and avoid food with lots of artificial additives. The more natural the food is, the better it is for your dog.
- Pay attention to the quality of the ingredients and choose food with a high meat content and without sugar or grain.
- Compare prices and don't be fooled by cheap offers. Good food has its price, but it is worth it for your dog's health.
