Good Australian Kibble

[megan_]

The Orijen cat food issue has opened my eyes - I didn't realise Orijen was classified as fresh food so got irradiated.

Regardless of what caused the issue, I'd rather feed my dog kibble that hasn't been subjected to this process. He is fed a RAW diet 90% of the time, but I occasionally give him kibble as a top up when we have a high exercise day. I have been using Orijen but does anyone have suggestions for a local, good quality (no wheat etc) kibble?

Thanks,

Megan

[Azurite]

This is something I'm also thinking about now. I'm feeding Orijen (make that was) at the moment. But now I think I might have to look at an Australian brand. Trouble is they just don't seem to be of the same quality. I'd like to know if Eagle Pack is irradiated or not. I was feeding BARF but one of my dogs can no longer tolerate it since developing insulinoma.

[Anna H]

Advance is Australian... not sure of any others

[goldielover]

I switched my girls from EP to Artemis a while ago... it's a great quality food and is not exposed to irradiation either: http://www.artemispetfood.com.au/

[Azurite]

Thanks for the suggestions. I had totally forgotten about Artemis. I was considering it before I settled on Orijen. Might have to give it ago.

[outatime]

I switched my girls from EP to Artemis a while ago... it's a great quality food and is not exposed to irradiation either: http://www.artemispetfood.com.au/

so EP is irradiated?

[goldielover]

I'm not sure if EP is irradiated, outatime. I switched for other reasons. Be worth checking with them to be certain.

[Tzu_lover]

I have been using Orijen but does anyone have suggestions for a local, good quality (no wheat etc) kibble?

There are none

If Orijen is irradated,does this mean that every imported food is?

[Teebs]

I am sure we got a letter from nutrience saying theirs isnt irradated, i will try to check at work today and see if i can find it

[squeak]

Hills Science is now made in Australia. I understand that some people don't think it's quality is that great, but it might be an option for you if you only feed kibble occasionally.

[Cavandra]

Having recently investigated importing a range of pet products including holistic brand food, I found that ALL imported food stuffs are irradiated before being released, it is a customs requirement.

[Nekhbet]

I dont understand how irradiating a product 'contaminates' it with a neurotoxin I may not be a nuclear physicist but that sounds iffy to me. Unless an already existing contaminant is somehow activated by it.

I'm looking for info into the entire irradiation process at the moment its a little hard to find

[Nekhbet]

ah haaa found the australian "E-Beam' Process

A more recent food irradiation tactic uses an “e beam” from a particle accelerator, but this only penetrates food up to an inch and a half, and larger/thicker food items (like steak) often require extra – and more expensive – x-rays. Titan Corp, which came up with the “e beam” idea from its ongoing Star Wars research, receives a whopping 80% of its revenue from U.S. taxpayers through DOE and the Pentagon. Like many public schools, the University of Wisconsin is currently conducting Star Wars research involving creation of hypernetic DNA-based computers, holds $53,000 worth of Titan stock in its Trust Fund (www.uwsa.edu/tfunds), and is most likely serving irradiated food to students, staff, and faculty through its various corporate-supplied cafeterias. It remains questionable whether any of these related activities actually fulfill the university’s founding mandate to “improve the human condition.”

The number of microbes that are killed by a radiation dose depends entirely upon the time and length of exposure – with 100% mortality rarely achieved. Irradiation – like chlorine - does not necessarily destroy spores, cysts, viruses, prions or other naturally resistant pathogens. It also does not physically remove the manure, urine, pus, vomit, toxins, tumors, and other waste on food - nor can it prevent future contamination from dirty utensils, cutting surfaces, unwashed hands, etc. Of course, the “collateral damage” to “nontarget organisms” is already painfully apparent – as witnessed by the health impact on government workers in DC forced to handle irradiated mail in the wake of the post 9/11 anthrax attacks. Media reports indicate that over 100 U.S. Postal Service employees and over 250 Congressional and Executive Branch staffers have suffered a wide variety of irradiation symptoms – from bloody noses and chronic headaches to skin lesions and tingling sensations.

Unlike normal cooking, when food is nuked numerous chemical bonds are ruptured, leaving behind a trail of free radicals, ions, and other radiolytic byproducts. Some of these compounds are already known to be dangerous to human health when ingested - such as formaldehyde, octane, formic acid, butane, methyl propane, and benzene. Others are only identified as “unique radiolytic products” (URPs) – cyclobutanones such as 2-DCB being an example – and these are not found naturally anywhere on earth except in irradiated foodstuffs. There has been no federal safety testing and little scientific investigation of URPs. They are known to persist for up to a decade in food, and some experts fear that is long enough to trigger cancers and birth defects.

Irradiation also destroys a whole array of vitamins, enzymes, healthy bacteria, essential fatty acids, and other nutritional elements found naturally in whole foods. The free radicals produced by irradiation are really “thug chemicals,” rupturing cell membranes, mutating others, and destroying vitamins. For instance, up to 91% of vitamin B 6 in beef, 80% of vitamin A in eggs, 50% of Vitamin A in carrot juice, 37% of Vitamin B 1 in oats, and 30% of Vitamin C in potatoes is lost with irradiation. Corporate agribusiness is quick to counter that processing and cooking also destroy vitamins, but do we really want to accelerate this downward spiral in nutritional value? Needless to say, the food giants have a vested interest in fortifying the same foods they degrade and marketing nutritional supplements. An estimated 40% of people in the U.S. already pop vitamins pills. Surveys have shown that irradiation reduces and distorts flavor, too – even IBP, one of the nation’s biggest meatpackers, had serious concerns about the fact that irradiation “noticeably” altered the color and taste of meat (New York Times, 12/4/1997). Unfortunately, though, many U.S. consumers have been so desensitized by junk food that their palates would probably no longer appreciate such subtleties.

Titan was the company that built the australian irradiation factories

this is from Here

ETA I also saw that tropical and imported fruit cops this treatment ... no more imports for me

Edited November 24, 2008 by Nekhbet

[k9katz]

Having recently investigated importing a range of pet products including holistic brand food, I found that ALL imported food stuffs are irradiated before being released, it is a customs requirement.

I am sorry Cavandra but this is simply NOT true. Yes there are a lot of customs requirements that need to be met to import pet foods and all importers hold current import permits that clearly set out these requirements, the permits along with all relevent documentation and health certificates have to be presented with each and every shipment. There is an awful lot of speculation going on here as to what foods are and are not irradiated when being imported into Australia. I suggest that to be absolutely sure, you contact the relevent pet food importer and ask the question.

[ellz]

I don't know about Orijen or EP or any of those but an Australian made kibble that I HIGHLY recommend is Great Barko.

Manufactured in Australia by the Laucke Mills in South Australia. My dogs all do very well on it, probably TOO well in some cases and not one of them, not even the fussiest ever turns their nose up at it.

[Miss Helena]

This is scary! I feed EP holistic and hate the thought of it being irradiated. I'm going to investigate further....

[MolassesLass]

Keeping in mind I only feed dry food in addition to BARF, I feed Cobber and it's Australian made.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Unfortunately due to the irradiation requirements of Australian Quarantine Inspection Services (AQIS) this is why Nutro is no longer available here.

It is A.Q.I.S, not Customs who are overall involved in what can be imported.

[JulesP]

Why would some be nuked but not others???

[Miss Helena]

I think it's to do with how "cooked" the food is?

I've sent both AQIS and Eagle Pack emails asking about irradiation....yet to hear back