FAQs and Resources

Natura's pet foods are manufactured by one of three different methods (baking, canning or continuous extrusion cooking) and the cooking temperature can vary depending on the method. Cooking does not influence our guarantee that all of the essential nutrients are available in the appropriate amounts in the final product.

"Meals" are created through the process of rendering, which is a cooking process used to reduce the moisture and fat from animal tissue. You should look at the word that precedes the word "meal" to determine the protein source that is being used.

No. Natura cat and dog foods are not deficient in any essential nutrient. Our formulas meet or exceed the minimum requirements of the Nutrient Profiles set by AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials). Therefore, supplements are not required for normal, healthy animals consuming a Natura food. If you do wish to supplement, we recommend consulting your veterinarian, who can help you to determine the recommended way to do so.

Both probiotics and prebiotics work to enhance the normal, healthy flora or bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract. Probiotics (also known as “direct fed microbials”) are live microorganisms that are added to the kibble, after the product has cooled during the coating step of kibble production. Probiotics or “good bacteria” are thought to improve the intestinal balance of microbes by introducing more, healthy bacteria into the gut, while inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria or “bad bacteria.” This is very similar to the live cultures that are present in yogurt.

Prebiotics are typically soluble fibers (oligosaccharides) that encourage the growth of “good bacteria” in the gut. They are not bacteria themselves, unlike probiotics. Prebiotics are typically added in small quantities during the dry mix step of kibble production. Common prebiotics include certain fiber sources as well as chicory root (inulin), fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and mannanoligosaccharides (MOS).

Staying true to the Pure & Simple™ philosophy of this brand, these ingredients are not included as they might give rise to potential sensitivities and/or allergies.

Natura's pet foods are preserved with Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols -- alpha, beta, gamma and delta isomers) and Vitamin C. We do not use any chemical preservatives such as BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin.

Broths add more flavor than water and an amount of very highly digestible protein.

Natura Pet Products, the makers of Innova, EVO, California Natural, HealthWise and Karma Organic pet foods, takes pride in our long history of providing high-quality, safe nutrition that enhances the health and well being of our dogs, cats and ferrets. All ruminant based ingredients are certified free of “specific risk materials” (SRM). This means there are no head (including brain), spinal column, tonsils, intestines, or any other specific risk materials from beef or lamb in any of our formulas as these tissues have been linked to BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy).

Natura Pet Products requires that our turkey, chicken and lamb meat suppliers do not process ANY cattle in the same facility as the ingredient(s) that they supply to us. Our supplier of beef is certified by the USDA to be free of these specific risk materials.

Natura Pet Products consistently requires all of its meat suppliers to be in strict compliance with the company's highest standards of quality and food safety as well as with all government regulations.

Rather than relying on the “grade” of meat, we focus on the specific nutritional qualities of the meat. We only use meat that fits our strict specifications for protein, fat, moisture, and ash. All animals have received ante- and post- mortem inspection at approved facilities with no evidence of systemic disease of animal and human health significance. The meat meets all USDA/FDA standards for product safety.

Natura Pet Products believes strongly in the importance of nutritional testing to validate our products and to support the development of new, innovative and healthful diets. However, we have never been comfortable with the care and treatment of animals at most independent facilities. As a result, we realized that the best way to reconcile both issues was to build our own facility and manage the care and treatment of the animals ourselves.

The Belfield Pet Food Research & Development Center is a humane, non-invasive testing facility which was built near our manufacturing plant in Nebraska. All residents of the Belfield Center have regular play time and frequent interaction with the staff. Toys of all kinds, cat scratching posts and cat furniture is available for all residents. Animals living at the Belfield Center come to us from a variety of sources, including rescue groups, breeders and private homes.

All animals in the facility are cared for humanely and it is important for our customers to know that all spaces far exceed the minimum requirements set by the USDA. It is also important for everyone to know that all work done at the Belfield Center is non-invasive; the dog and cat residents serve us by eating pet food, period. A practicing local veterinarian has been contracted to provide regular health care to all animals. The animals are cared for by a conscientious staff of 4 full time staff members, including staff members with veterinary technician experience.

TESTING POLICIES

1. All testing will be non-invasive to the animals and will consist only of palatability, digestibility, stool quality, AAFCO protocol feeding studies or other similarly designed studies for nutritional substantiation.
2. All animals will be cared for as if they were pets in our home, including interaction and socialization.
3. We will always far exceed minimum standards established by the Animal Welfare Act of the US, the US Department of Agriculture.
4. We will not conduct any study requiring or resulting in the euthanasia of cats or dogs.
5. We will ensure the humane treatment of cats and dogs that reside in the facility and provide for animal well-being, socialization and husbandry in a manner compatible with our own philosophy and conscience.
6. We will require that all residents have regular and timely veterinary check-ups. Any animal that shows signs of illness will be provided veterinary care immediately.
7. Resident animals will be adopted-out to private homes following their retirement from the Belfield Center. The adoption process will begin while the animals are still well within their productive and active years.
8. Natura will continue to keep an interest in our "retired" residents, and will support their feeding and health care for a period of time after adoption. Natura employees and members of the local community will be given first priority to adopt these animals.
9. The Belfield Center will have an advisory panel made up of pet care professionals, community representatives, and veterinary practitioners for the purpose of routine facility tours and oversight. The Animal Care & Use Committee will meet at least semi-annually.
10. Extra care will be taken with all new animals upon their arrival at the Belfield Center to minimize the stress of their relocation and to encourage quick socialization with the other animals and Natura staff. Each animal at the Belfield Center will have a name, not a number.

The chicken, lamb, turkey, herring and salmon meals that Natura uses are concentrated sources of essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids. Due to product design and finished product characteristics, it is not possible to use fresh meats exclusively in the dry foods. Using a high quality meat meal adds important nutrients without adding a lot of additional moisture.

Natura Pet Products uses only the highest quality and safest wild caught or farm raised fish in our products, including kibble, canned, and treat products. Natura’s formulas contain herring, mackerel, farm raised salmon, wild caught salmon and/or herring oil. When our products contain fish meals, they are naturally preserved and are shipped with natural antioxidants that are compliant with United States Coast Guard (USCG) requirements.

Natura’s rigorous ingredient and product testing procedures extend to all product lines, including fish formulas, so our customers can be assured of the safety, freshness and consistency of our products. Natura supports sustainable fishing practices, government regulated fishing requirements and quotas, and the use of only high quality fish species low on the food chain to reduce the risk of potential contamination with pollutants.

As an extra safety and environmental precaution, we also promote fish harvesting methods that protect dolphins and all other non-target marine species.

Both milk and cottage cheese contain some lactose, but the amount of lactose present in these ingredients is minimal. Because of this and its limited inclusion in the formula, the ultimate amount of lactose in the finished product is very small and should not bother them.

Karma Organic Dry Dog Food is certified organic. All products labeled organic must contain 95% or more certified organic ingredients. Some essential vitamins and minerals may not be available in the organic form which prevents the 100% organic label. This certification by the USDA and the National Organic Program guarantees that all of the ingredients in Karma were produced without using growth stimulants or antibiotics, chemically formulated fertilizers or pesticides, or bioengineering or ionizing radiation techniques.

Digestibility is generally determined by feeding trials using standard Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) protocol. These feeding trials measure the total amount of food consumed and the total output by fecal volume over a seven day period of time. Specific attention is paid to beginning and ending body weights, fecal form and frequency of excretion after eating.

Because Natura does not use artificial colors or dyes in our formulas, the color of our foods is dependent on our fresh meats, fruits, veggies, and grains. The foods may vary slightly in color from batch to batch.

Sea salt is used in Natura’s foods to provide the essential nutrients, sodium and chloride. Alternative sources for sodium were explored by Natura’s team of nutritionists but were rejected as a natural source like sea salt was preferred over using a chemically made ingredient. In addition, other seemingly good sources of sodium were not used as they were found to have comparatively low levels of sodium (e.g. raw kelp contains only 0.23% sodium compared to approximately 39% sodium in sea salt).

Sea salt is used in Natura’s foods to provide the essential nutrients sodium and chloride. In nature, the majority of dietary sodium and chloride comes from eating fresh prey. Not adding a source of sodium could rapidly lead to problems with the heart and kidneys and feeding a food deficient in chloride could lead to problems with the nervous system.

Natura does not use excessive levels of sodium to increase the food’s palatability, but rather relies on the inherent wholesomeness of our ingredients to make foods that dogs and cats love to eat. It is also worth noting that quite a few of our foods, while meeting the sodium requirement, are still low enough in sodium (<0.4 g/Mcal for dogs and <0.5 g/Mcal for cats) to be used by veterinarians on the rare occasions when a lower sodium diet is needed.

Whenever possible Natura tries to avoid the use of GMO ingredients in our wholesome and natural foods and treats. Therefore, we avoid the two most commonly used GMO carbohydrate sources used in pet foods today - corn and soy.

Due to the high inclusion of meat proteins, it is not necessary to supplement taurine in every formula. Taurine supplementation is generally focused on cat foods and non-poultry containing dog foods.