I can't post the article, obviously (I think it's only available on-site to members or something-I am not a member-I just get the magazine) but I thought it was interesting. I can post a few points it made-I don't agree or disagree with these, necessarily. I just thought it interesting.
First of all it seems that veterinarians were their main source of information. Eight "experts" in dog and cat nutrition at 7 top vet schools (all but one have received funding from the pet food industry). According to these experts "There's no scientific evidence that any food is better than the next" and most experts said they haven't seen inexpensive food make a pet sick with the exception of a zinc deficiency in the 80s. Half said they had seen pets become ill from eating homemade food. These experts also said that the overall nutrition profile is more important than the individual ingredients and seemed to imply that if the food says "complete and balanced" on its label then it's good enough. They say to make sure the food is AAFCO approved (or up to AAFCO standards or whatever) and most of the experts say they feed their own pets a variety of common brands that are sold at pet stores or supermarkets.
First of all it seems that veterinarians were their main source of information. Eight "experts" in dog and cat nutrition at 7 top vet schools (all but one have received funding from the pet food industry). According to these experts "There's no scientific evidence that any food is better than the next" and most experts said they haven't seen inexpensive food make a pet sick with the exception of a zinc deficiency in the 80s. Half said they had seen pets become ill from eating homemade food. These experts also said that the overall nutrition profile is more important than the individual ingredients and seemed to imply that if the food says "complete and balanced" on its label then it's good enough. They say to make sure the food is AAFCO approved (or up to AAFCO standards or whatever) and most of the experts say they feed their own pets a variety of common brands that are sold at pet stores or supermarkets.