PET Food Processing - October 2019 - 33

CHAMPION
PETFOODS
C

Creating biologically appropriate diets is at the heart
of everything Champion Petfoods does. The company uses a low-temperature slow cooking process to
optimize the bioavailability of nutrients in its companion animal diets and utilizes the "whole prey,"
including animal meats, muscle, organ, and edible
bone and cartilage.
Champion summarizes its nutritional philosophy with an acronym, BAFRINO, which stands for
"biologically appropriate food made with fresh, regional ingredients and never outsourced." The company sources ingredients for its premium pet foods
and treats as close to home as possible, whether
that means from regional farms in Canada or local
fisheries in the US. It refers to its two state-of-theart manufacturing facilities in North America as
"kitchens" in order to convey its core vision: to be
trusted by pet lovers everywhere.
Growing premiumization in the pet food
space has played into Champion's long-standing
values. The company believes today's pets
should be fed diets that resemble what they
would have eaten in the wild, which means prioritizing fresh meats and other high-quality animal
ingredients in its formulations. Anywhere from
60% to 90% of each Champion pet food consists
of animal meat, poultry and fish, and the remainder of each formula is made with fruits, vegetables and botanicals. The company steers away
from artificial ingredients and GMOs because
it says most of the vitamins, minerals, essential
amino acids and other nutrients pets need can already be found in the fresh meats and whole food
ingredients it incorporates.
The pet food manufacturer has made it a point to

provide transparency for pet owners at every step of
its process. In March 2019, Champion announced
the formation of its Transparency Council, consisting of four third-party members that are periodically invited to tour the company's facilities, visit its
ingredient suppliers, and write candid reports detailing their observations to be released to the public.
Two veterinarians and two pet owners that were
selected to sit on the council visited Champion's
Kentucky facility in April as part of the first
Transparency Council meeting, where they witnessed all areas of production from ingredient takein and cooking to food safety, quality management
and packaging.
Champion also operates the BAFRINO Research
and Innovation Centre, an "innovation hub" where

"Champion believes pet
food must be focused first
on the health and wellbeing
of dogs and cats."

FAST FACTS
Founded: 1985
Headquarters:
Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
Manufacturing:
Edmonton and Auburn,
Kentucky
Brands:
ORIJEN and ACANA
Website: www.
championpetfoods.com

Don King, vice president of marketing,
Champion Petfoods

pet food experts and scientists collaborate to develop
the company's biologically appropriate diets, natural
flavors, fresh meat technologies, and nutrient testing
and validation.
Champion Petfoods remains open-minded as
consumers demand more and more from the pet
foods they buy. It refers to its consumers as "pet
lovers" as a constant reminder to put the health and
well-being of pets above all else.

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