Posted: May 30, 2008, 10 p.m. EDT
Golden Acres Pet Food Partners, a private-label and contract manufacturer and distributor of dry pet foods based in Lancashire, England, has developed the capacity to produce carbohydrate-free, extruded dry pet food. The company expects the no-carb pet food will be especially well received in carnivore species markets, particularly cats and ferrets where the carbohydrates associated with grains found in other dry foods may factor into certain health conditions, such as obesity and diabetes.
Golden Acres’ new food features 80 percent chicken, 50 percent protein (from a single source), and no cereal or carbohydrates, the company reports. The company is staying mum on just how it achieved the product, which it believes is the world’s first, not even telling its extruder vendor, according to Ben Helms, Golden Acre’s sales and marketing director.
The carbohydrate-free food will likely appear as an option in several European lines, and Golden Acres is currently negotiating with at least one U.S. manufacturer to make the food available in the United States. Current pet food importing regulations would prevent the British company from shipping directly into the U.S.
Golden Acres offers a variety of services to pet food marketers and retailers, including product development, manufacturing, packaging, storage and distribution (wholesale and mail order).