The Pet Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Read This: Homemade vs. Commercial Food EXPOSED

Selecting the best diet for your pet is an important decision when it comes to the health and well-being of your companion. The discussion between homemade vs. commercial pet food is ongoing, and both offer advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we will take an evidence-based, in-depth approach to compare homemade pet food to commercial pet food to help pet owners make a clear, fact-driven decision.

Commercial pet foods are manufactured to meet nutrition standards. In the United States, most commercial pet food is formulated on standards developed by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), which also provides balanced nutrition for animals at all life stages. Commercial pet foods are typically tested and must prove nutritional adequacy.While home-prepared pet food offers ingredient control, it is often difficult to validate nutrient adequacy. Several studies have also shown that many home-prepared diets can be deficient in nutrients, especially if they are not made with a veterinary nutritionist overseeing the formulation. For example, a study that looked at several homemade raw diets compared to AAFCO standards showed that the homemade raw diets were nutritionally imbalanced.
Homemade Diets: There can be increased costs in preparing homemade meals. For example, homemade chicken-based diets cost $2.59/kg for 1000kcal; beef-based diets are about $3.73/kg for 1000kcal.
Commercial Dry Foods: Dry foods are typically cheaper. Dry, super premium formulations come with costs closer to $0.94/kg for 1000kcal, while premium dry food is about $0.54 and standard dry food is about $0.55.
Commercial Wet Foods: Wet foods tend to be the most expensive and have values up to $8.83/kg for 1000kcal.
Keep in mind that homemade diets add costs for the time spent preparing the diet, the energy required to prepare the diet, and storage if necessary.
The commercial pet food industry has experienced several safety issues. One noteworthy event occurred in 2007 when the industry issued a large recall for several commercial pet foods containing melamine, resulting in numerous pet releases and deaths. Ultimately, the pet food recall identified weaknesses in the supply chain and encouraged additional quality control processes that demonstrate industry compliance.
Homemade diets remove the risk associated with exposure to industrial contaminants, but may have risks associated with improper preparation and handling. Homemade diets may have harmful bacteria if the foods are not stored or cooked correctly, and they may lack balanced formulations for proper nutrition.

Commercial Pet Food: The production of commercial pet food accounts for 20-30% of the environmental impacts from animal production. Even dry pet foods account for approximately 1.1% to 2.9% of global greenhouse gas emissions;

Homemade Pet Food: The environmental impact of homemade diets depends on where you get your ingredients from. Locally sourced, sustainable ingredients will have less environmental impact than imported ingredients. But note, cooking with energy and the impact of transportation and storage also add to the footprint.

Commercial Pet Food: Conceptually simple and designed to meet established nutritional requirements, but can have unknown ingredients and are produced with a large environmental footprint.
Homemade Pet Food: Provides control of ingredients and can be made to meet specific dietary needs, but will require careful planning to develop a complete and balanced diet, and can be very time-consuming and more expensive.
Pet owners need to consider their pet's individual health needs, their ability to provide complete and balanced meals, and should seek veterinary advice on comparing homemade versus commercial pet food alternatives.

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