Media Release:
Monday July 18, 2011
VIP assures pet owners that their pet foods are vitamin enriched.
Recently a number of articles have been published that may have caused some unnecessary concern amongst pet owners about vitamin levels in VIP pet foods.
Pet owners can feed VIP pet foods with confidence as VIP understands the pet food manufacturing and the nutritional needs of pets.
We have quality controls throughout our manufacturing process, starting with selection of high quality ingredients through to supplementing our pet foods with thiamine (Vitamin B1), careful control of cooking, packaging and storage of our products. We then regularly test thiamine levels in our finished pet foods to ensure that they meet the nutritional needs of dogs and cats.
The recent newspaper article stated that “Manufacturers can add Thiamine to counter the effects of sulphur dioxide and ensure their products are safe”, That is exactly what we do here at VIP Petfoods to make sure that pets consuming our foods receive adequate levels of this important vitamin.
When approached by the Sunday Mail we stressed that VIP adds sufficient thiamine to all our pet foods to ensure that all products manufactured by us take into account any reduction in thiamine levels caused by the addition of sulphur dioxide (SO2). SO2 is included in some meat ingredients to reduce bacterial spoilage. Here at VIP, we take steps to ensure that thiamine levels throughout the shelf life of the product meet or exceed the internationally recognised standards for this important vitamin.
Because the pet food industry understands the importance of thiamine for dogs and cats, it has long been added to many different types of pet foods. In addition to its use in pet food, sulphur dioxide is a commonly used preservative in human foods, including wine and dried fruit.
As pet owners ourselves, we believe owners should be informed about their pet’s foods. To help people make better choices, some years ago VIP Petfoods published the facts about sulphur dioxide and thiamine (Vitamin B1) on our website.
VIP Petfoods can assure all customers that our products and manufacturing systems comply with all current State and Federal legislation, so owners can continue to have full confidence in the standards and quality of the VIP range of foods for dogs and cats.
FACTS about Thiamine (Vitamin B1) and Sulphur Dioxide:
Sources of Thiamine include brewers yeast, meats, wheat germ, oatmeal, whole grains, red meats, pork, fish, poultry, kangaroo, dried beans and peas, avocado, vegetables such as spinach and cauliflower, and thiamine enriched flours and cereals.
Exposure to Sulphur Dioxide can reduce Thiamine levels in food products. As a result Sulphur Dioxide levels in food need to be carefully monitored to ensure that it retains adequate Thiamine (Vitamin B1) levels. In a similar fashion, Thiamine (Vitamin B1) levels in food can also be easily destroyed as a result of high temperatures used in the cooking and canning process.
Sulphur dioxide is a low dosage preservative used in some meat products to inhibit the growth of bacteria. VIP Petfoods adds additional Thiamine to its products in the production process to ensure that the overall Thiamine nutritional level is held at or above the level set by Association of American Feed Control Officials.
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VIP Petfoods can assure all customers that its products and manufacturing systems comply with all current State and Federal legislation.
For further information on this topic, please do not hesitate to contact VIP Petfoods consumer affairs officer on 07 55471700 or via email feedback@vippetfoods.com.au.
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