Natural Balance was one of the contenders that failed to answer my email inquiry for the Natural Cat Food Throwdown.  As part of the Throwdown, I emailed a number of natural cat food manufacturers to determine which food to switch Furball to.  I wanted to choose a green company that supported sustainable business practices. And, the food had to be high protein and low or no grain, based on the advice of his vet.  She recommended several brands to help Furball control his struvite crystals through his diet.

After about a month of no response to my tough green questions, I decided to call the company’s 1-800 number.  Of note, I found out that only three of their products were grain free.  To quote the customer service rep, they are as follows:

• Potato and duck
• Sweet potato and fish
• Sweet potato and venison

Looking at their website, I was unable to find any product that matched these descriptions, but I’m suspecting that she was referring to their allergy formulas.  Also, I’m suspecting that Natural Balance is starting to realize that people who buy natural cat food are not just concerned about their cat’s health, but  also concerned about the environment.  When I asked the rep if Natural Balance had a green policy or had environmentally-friendly business practices, she answered with a wholehearted, “YES”.  Then, she said, “Our cans are recyclable”.  Uh…okay.

Pluses

• All ingredients are human-grade.
• Most ingredients are from the U.S.  The duck is from the U.S. and the fish is wild caught Alaskan salmon.  The lamb and venison are from New Zealand.
• Not associated with Menu Foods

Minuses

• Green factor is pretty lame.  “Our cans our recyclable”.  That says it all.

THE JUDGE’S VERDICT

I wonder if they’re coaching their reps on how to answer questions about green business practices or if that’s what that particular person chose to say.  Regardless, the only way to green the pet industry is for everyone to write and call and tell them that this is something we value and that we’ll vote with our dollars.  For Natural Balance, I’m voting “No”.  They’re knocked out of Round 1 and won’t be going to the Taste Test Final of the Natural Cat Food Throwdown.

Related Articles

• About the Natural Cat Food Throwdown
• - First Contender: Tiki Cat by Petropics
• - On the Stage: Nature’s Variety
• - Natura Pet Products Enters the Arena
• - Wellness Steps Into the Ring
• - Does Solid Gold Take the Gold?
• - Winner of the Natural Cat Food Throwdown
• Tough Green Questions to Ask Manufacturers When Choosing a Natural Cat Food