"Originally Posted by roxy84
i got some of this from champion via correspondence. while the email doesnt mention kentucky, i recall her saying KY was where they procured most of their chicken meal

Derek,

Chicken meal is a good example. Although there are producers of chicken meal in Canada, none are capable of producing from chickens passed fit for human consumption and as such no Canadian chicken meal meets the European Union Pet Food Regulation 1774. At present, Canadian chicken meal is made with spent hens (from egg laying operations) as well as chickens that have died, but are not processed in a federally inspected facility, or were not passed as ‘fit for human consumption’ by the Government of Canada.

So, while our focus is “fresh and regional” our primary objective is always to achieve the highest standard in nutrition, palatability and food safety. Until chicken meal from human grade chickens is available in Canada, Champion will source its chicken meal from one of 2 USA chicken processors, whose chickens and facility are USDA certified, and who have the appropriate European Union qualifications (EU 1774).

ORIJEN is made with special 'low ash' chicken meal. This ingredient is prepared by removing the bones before cooking, which creates a very high protein and low ash ingredient. The result is a moderated amount of calcium and phosphorus in the final ORIJEN kibble. There are definitely different qualities of meat meals out there, just as there are many different grades of meat for you to choose from at your local grocers. If you start with ingredients that are mostly muscle meat (as is the case with our meat meals), this results in a quality meal that is very high in protein. most of the content of our meals will be muscle meat.

Best Regards,

Bonnie
Customer Care
Champion Petfoods LP
p 780.939.6888
f 780.939.6858"


Scroll down on this link and read The Cat Mother. That is the woman in Australia that obtained the documents from the Aussie Government naming Griffin Industries.

ALL US Ingredients - Was on Orijen, now what?

As for the fish by-products, the link to the supplier of the fish refuse is below:

Champion Petfoods and fish "waste" (by-products)? - YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community

YIKES! Too much legalese for me - does this mean instead of fresh ingredients they are using already dead and not safe for human consumption fish/meat (basically lies?!)> Sorry but I need a translation since I just bought a big bag of it

and do all US ingredient dog food exist (besides Fromm)?

One more thing I forgot I contacted Acana a few months ago (via Facebook). Did their process change/improve or is this the run around hiding the fact they use already deceased animals not fit for human consumption? sorry for being confused!

• 
  Wondering if you know how can we confirm there are no dead pets/roadkill in our dog's kibble?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• October 23
• 
  7:23am
  Acana Dog and Cat Foods
  
  
  Thank you for contacting us with your question.
  As an exporter, Champion Petfoods must meet all international pet food regulations, including those of the European Union which are the toughest in the world.
  In order to export to the EU, the government of Canada (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) must certify not only our factory, but also our ingredients AND our ingredient suppliers. The standard they are required to verify is that our factory and foods contain only those animal ingredients that have been passed as fit for human consumption. All our meat ingredients can only be processed in facilities that are dedicated to the processing of human grade ingredients (this means that our rendering plants cannot have on their premises any part of any chicken turkey or fish that has not been passed as fit for human consumption by the Government of Canada). The same goes for the transport and warehousing of our ingredients - all must be passed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and all are audited on a quarterly basis.
  What all of this means is that our meat meals are of an exacting and exclusive standard. There is no possibility of the 3Ds (dead, diseased, and dying animals), euthanized pets or any restaurant waste, and all is certified by the Government of Canada. All of our fresh meat ingredients are passed 'fit for human consumption' and delivered FRESH EACH DAY, so they're never frozen, preservative-free, and bursting with unprocessed, biologically appropriate proteins and fats to nourish dogs and cats completely.
  There is more information about our suppliers at the following links:
  Orijen
  Orijen
  I hope that this information is helpful. Please feel free to write back if you have any further questions or concerns.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

I don't believe Champion uses harmful ingredients, but the company's marketing pitch that it uses "regional Canadian ingredients" is false. Also, when it comes to fish the company makes a big deal about it coming from local fisherman but really its the skin, bones and guts from a big processor up there.

Fresh ingredients are all water but they look prominent on the label because they are allowed to list them by weight with the water content.

As for all US foods that use human grade ingredients, Dr. Tim's and Annamaet are great ones.

Fromm is ok if your stick with Gold or Classic. Those are good values.

Here's a reply from Acana after I voiced concerns from those forum posts. Still don't know what to believe when it comes to dog food companies!

There is a lot of misinformation available and unfortunately much of the information that is posted on forums and chat sites is based on misguided information and frequently will involve personal opinion rather than fact.
I have shared this information with you previously but want to reiterate that all of our meat meals are of an exacting and exclusive standard. All our meat ingredients can only be processed in facilities that are dedicated to the processing of human grade ingredients (this means that our rendering plants cannot have on their premises any part of any chicken turkey or fish that has not been passed as fit for human consumption by the Government of Canada).
Champion Petfoods receives FRESH Walleye, Lake Whitefish and Northern Pike from the Freshwater Fish Company daily. This link Orijen will take you to our website where you can find more information on this supplier, and our Freshwater Fish. Our ORIJEN diets feature up to 45% fresh meat or fish ingredients, and a minimum of 6 different FRESH meat ingredients all sourced from local trusted suppliers-ORIJEN is unmatched in the quantity, quality and variety of the Fresh meat and fish used in our diets. All of these ingredients including our fish have been passed as fit for human consumption by the CFIA and contain no by-products.
I hope that with this information you can better judge fact from fiction when reading forums and blogs. Please do write back if your have any other questions or concerns.

Well I don't know what to tell you, the information about the fish by-products comes directly from the company that sells it to Champion. It is in plain english that they threw it away before Champion contracted to buy it. Maybe Champion should ask the fish company to explain it.
This is the fish company's own words, read them carefully. The fish company calls the product "waste" and that it used to cost them money to "dispose" of it.

"We recently signed an exclusive arrangement with Alberta based

Champion Petfoods, whereby we sell all minced
by-products to them and they in turn buy all the product
we have to offer. We began working with Champion in 2005 when we
sent them samples of minced by-products for testing after
it was extracted from fish during the filleting process. Prior
to sending the product to Alberta, we had been paying to
have the waste trucked to a rendering facility in Winnipeg.
After the samples were tested by Champion, a product was
developed that met their high quality specifications.
This business brings in several hundred thousand dollars
in revenue for a product that previously cost us money to
dispose of – and we’re thrilled to be building on a relationship

that dates back more than five years."


As for the chicken meal, you notice that they didn't dispute that it comes from the US, they just said it was human grade. Griffin Industries is named in official government documents.

How could it be personal opinion, the company's own person wrote the letter saying the chicken comes from the US.

Duh.