A smart, attentive to details independent pet store owner alerted us to a potential problem. Pet food bags with patterns of tiny holes down the side of the bags (not in plain site). So we went to a pet food store to look for the holes.
They are not easy to see, depending on the color of the bag. But we found them, along the side panel of many pet foods. (These were found on dry pet foods.)
Some bags had small sections of tiny holes, while other bags had large sections of the tiny holes.
And this bag had a different pattern.
We did some research, and found NO press release issued by any pet food manufacturer explaining the reasoning behind the holes in pet food packaging.
But we did find information from a pet food packaging supplier which states the holes are an “air release system“. The term used was “Micro-Perforations” explained as “A series of tiny holes strategically placed on the bag allows trapped air to escape the bag during the palletization process.”
We squeezed several bags, and could easily tell air was being expelled through the holes.
So many questions…
Do the holes allow air to enter the bags, potentially causing the food to expire sooner (lose nutritional value)? or cause fats in the pet foods to become rancid?
Has nutritional content of these foods with ‘micro-perforations’ been tested to assure the shelf life stated on the bags is accurate?
The pet store owner that alerted us to this issue also noticed the area of the bag with the micro-perforations tear easily. She tested the durability of the bag in the section of the holes and they opened up with light pressure.
Why has – to our knowledge – no pet food manufacturer explained the micro-perforations in pet food bags to consumers or provided any laboratory evidence that the tiny holes do not cause nutritional deterioration?
Pet owners deserve some answers.
Check your pet food bag for these tiny holes. We found them most commonly along the top part of a side panel, typically only along one side. If your pet’s food contains the micro-perforations, email the manufacturer asking for the scientific evidence (testing they have performed) that the food meets nutritional requirements through the best-by date.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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