How many recalls has ACANA had

Acana Dog Food Review (Dry)

The Acana product line includes the 5 dry dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Acana Free-Run Poultry Formula was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

The second ingredient is turkey, another quality, raw item inclusive of water.

The third ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

Its important to note that the next 6 out of 10 ingredients included in this recipe are each a type of legume:

• Green peas
• Red lentils
• Pinto beans
• Chickpeas
• Green lentils
• Yellow peas

Although theyre a mixture of quality plant ingredients, theres an important issue to consider here. And thats the recipe design practice known as ingredient splitting.

If we were to combine all these individual items together and report them as one, that newer combination would likely occupy a significantly higher position on the list.

In addition, legumes contain about 25% protein, a factor that must also be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The seventh ingredient in this food is chicken liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The eighth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesnt sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The ninth ingredient is catfish meal, yet another high protein meat concentrate.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings of commercial fish operations.¹

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Champion Petfoods product.

With 4 notable exceptions

First, we find lentil fiber, a mixture of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber derived from lentils. Aside from the usual benefits of fiber, this agricultural by-product provides no other nutritional value to a dog.

Next, fish oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.

Depending on its level of freshness and purity, fish oil should be considered a commendable addition.

In addition, chicory root is rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.

Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, its also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dogs digestive tract.

And lastly, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Acana Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 33%, a fat level of 19% and estimated carbohydrates of about 40%.

As a group, Acana features an average protein content of 34% and a mean fat level of 18%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 40% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 53%.

Which means this Acana product line contains

Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the multiple legumes, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.

Champion Petfoods Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Champion Petfoods through April 2024.

No recalls noted.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

Our Rating of Acana Dry Dog Food

Acana is a grain-free dry dog food using a notable amount of named meat meals as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.

However, its unfortunate the company chose to include so much plant-based protein in its recipe. Otherwise, we would have been compelled to award this product a higher rating.

Orijen Recall History and Pet Food Brand Info

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Important Orijen recall information appears below.

Brand Name: OrijenRelated Brands: Acana, Canutra, Brown Bag, Yukon Gold, Champs Choice Deluxe and Masterfeeds Sportsman dog foods, and Kitty Krunch cat food.Product Lines: Orijen Original, Orijen Six Fish, Orijen Regional Red, Orijen Tundra, Orijen Fit & Trim, Orijen Senior, Orijen Freeze-Dried, Orijen Cat & Kitten, Orijen Dog Treats, Orijen Cat TreatsCompany: Champion Petfoods LP Headquarters: 301, 1103 95 Street SW, Edmonton, AB T6CX 0P8, Canada Website: https://orijen.ca Phone: 1-877-939-0006Contact Form

Orijen Company Overview

Orijen is produced by Champion Petfoods, a Canadian company. The products, including dog and cat food and treats, are designed to be biologically appropriate for pets.With roots going back to its founding in 1975 as Champion Feed Services Ltd., todays Champion Petfoods is the pet food industrys little engine that could. The company also makes Acana.Below, we share more information about the history of Orijen including up-to-date recall information.

Orijen HistoryReinhard Muhlenfeld was a German-born Canadian who succeeded in launching several successful businesses before entering the animal feed industry.An engineer by trade, Muhlenfeld noticed that animal feed was being imported into Canada from the United States. With the thought that local is better, he set out on a quest to become the first animal feed producer in his home province of Alberta.Champion Feed Services Ltd. started in a small factory in Barrhead, Alberta, in 1975. Muhlenfeld approached local farmers and businesspeople directly to find buyers for his products. His company came to be a value-added agri-processing operation, according to one newspaper account.Back then, he had just a handful of employees.Muhlenfelds excellent treatment of his employees has sometimes been called the key to the companys early success.He was known for hiring recent immigrants to Canada; for helping out employees with his own money; and for saying, If you have money, you share it.In 1985, as hog feed demand decreased, the company branched into pet foods. Muhlenfeld made the unusual decision to manufacture pet food that meets European standards from the start, which greased the way for exporting Champion Feed Services pet food to 90 countries, beginning in the 1990s.Finally, in 2001, Champion Petfoods was spun off from the feed mill as an independent company. The company was producing premium brands Acana and Canutra, as well as more budget-minded brands like Brown Bag, Yukon Gold 30/20 Mushers Mix, Champs Choice Deluxe and Masterfeeds Sportsman dog foods, and Kitty Krunch cat food.

The Orijen Brand Disrupts the IndustryIn 2005, Champion Petfoods launched the Orijen brand.According to the parent companys CEO at the time, Frank Burdzy, Orijen stands for back to the beginning to nourish as nature intended. Brudzy claimed that Orijen has disrupted the pet food industry with its higher-than-typical meat content.In conjunction with the 2005 launch of Orijen, Champion also trademarked the expression biologically appropriate, which means the food matches the specific breed of animal. To explain the term, a spokesperson pointed to the example of a cow that chews sideways. While it seems obvious that the food should match the animal, the science is more complex, the spokesperson said.Around the time of the Orijen launch, existing brand Acana was already being shipped from Canada to dozens of countries around the world. Even so, according to Champion Petfoods sales and marketing manager Peter Muhlenfeld in 2006, we see Orijen as our future.From 2010 to 2017, Champion Petfoods saw unprecedented expansion. Starting the decade with 92 employees, the company grew to employ 550.To facilitate its stellar growth, the company built a U.S. facility in Kentucky, then another in Parkland County, Alberta. Exporting grew from distribution to 45 countries to 80 countries.

Committed to Locally and Sustainably Raised IngredientsOne distinctive feature of Champion is its commitment to using locally raised ingredients.A company spokesperson says the pet food produced in Auburn, Kentucky, will taste different from the pet food made in Alberta. Thats because all ingredients are sourced locally. In researching the Kentucky location, the company made sure that all necessary ingredients could be grown or raised nearby.The company has also committed itself to using only sustainably raised food. That means only free-range chickens, sustainably harvested fish, and sustainably raised cattle can be sold for Orijen and other Champion brands. Champion is notable, too, for promoting bison agriculture.In early 2020, Champion launched several new lines of food, including Orijen Small Breed.Champion spends less on advertising than its competitors, yet sells its product for almost twice what some other popular pet foods cost. The success of this company suggests that its customers value the locally and sustainably raised ingredients and the high percentage of meat in the product. And Champion has successfully captured a healthy share of that market.

Is Nestl Buying Champion Petfoods?No. Champion Petfoods has said this is merely a rumor.The Wall Street Journal reported on July 2, 2018, that Nestl Purina PetCare Company was trying to buy a majority stake in Champion. The price tag? More than $2 billion.However, Champion disputed any such speculation about Nestls acquisition of Champion.It is our policy to never comment on rumors or speculation in the market, the company said in a Facebook post the day the Wall Street Journal article was published. Rumors about Champion being sold have been circulating over the past few years and will continue for as long we deliver on our promise to make the worlds best pet food under our Acana and Orijen brands.It was kind of a denial, but more of a were not going to comment.A few months later, in December 2018, the Financial Times reported that early-stage talks between Nestl and Champion Petfoods had been rekindled. The talks remained tentative, though.The Financial Times said, The people familiar with the situation cautioned that there was no guarantee a deal could be reached. It is also not clear if Champions backers want to pursue a sale of the company, which continues to grow quickly.No other reporting has emerged on an acquisition deal, so it appears to have fallen apart. Thats great news for many fans of Orijen and Acana, who were up in arms about any deal that puts those brands under the Nestl Purina corporate umbrella.The number of negative comments related to this takeover is simply overwhelming, commented one person on LinkedIn. Conscious consumers do not trust Purina and declare walking away from buying Champions products. Many are convinced Nestl will destroy the quality of products for profit.

Has There Ever Been an Orijen Recall?

There has been an Orijen recall, according to our research. There was a recall of Orijen cat food in November 2008 that was limited to Australia. The problems had to do with irradiation treatment, required under Australian law. The company says the irradiation was never done outside of Australia. As a result of that recall, the company decided to stop selling all Orijen pet food in Australia.Orijen has never been recalled in the United States or Canada, according to research from Petful.

Orijen Recall History

November2008Cause:Problems with mandatory gamma irradiation, limited to Australia. Several cats fell seriously ill.Announcement: Company announcement dated Nov. 26, 2008 (archived here). What was recalled: All Orijen cat food only in Australia. No U.S. or Canadian food was affected.

Orijen Company Complaints

2019 Heart Disease InvestigationWe also want to alert readers to the fact that, in lateJune 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified Orijen as one of 16 pet food brands that may be linked to heart disease in dogs and cats. None of those 16 brands have been recalled as part of the agencys ongoing investigation, though. Most, but not all, of the pet foods are grain-free and/or dry (kibble) dog food formulations.The FDA says this is a complex scientific issue that may involve multiple factors, and that it cannot even be certain that diet is a cause of the heart problems.Champion Petfoods says, We continue to test our food every day to ensure we are meeting all quality and safety standards and to deliver the best possible nutrition for pets.

Class-Action LawsuitWell also mention that, in March 2018, a class-action lawsuit (Weaver v. Champion Petfoods USA Inc. et al.) was filed against Champion Petfoods, accusing the company of negligent, reckless practices, false advertising, and failing to disclose the presence of heavy metals and toxins in its Orijen and Acana dog foods.In response, the company called the allegations meritless and based on misinterpretation of the data.

Mad Cow Disease ScareYears ago, in May 2003, Champion Petfoods faced an unprecedented crisis.A rendered meat ingredient used in some of its lower-end brands was found to possibly contain the remains of a cow that had been infected with mad cow disease. None of Champions premium brands, such as Acana, had used such rendered ingredients and Orijen hadnt even been invented yet.A report from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on May 27, 2003, found that a cow infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), a fatal brain-wasting disease, had been slaughtered in January 2003 and was then processed by a small rendering facility in northern Alberta, Canada.Champion Petfoods may have then used the rendered material in 4 of its dog foods:

• Yukon Gold 30/20 Mushers Mix (Lot #32819)
• Champs Choice Deluxe (Lot #32884)
• Masterfeeds Sportsman (Lot #33105)
• Brown Bag (Lot #33112)

The affected dog food was produced between Feb. 4 and March 12, 2003, and was distributed in both Canada and the United States.Dr. Brian Evans, chief veterinarian at the Canadian inspection agency, said theres no scientific evidence that dogs can contract BSE.However, even though there is no known risk to dogs from eating this dog food, as a prudent measure customers who may have purchased the suspect product [should return it] so that the dog food will not mistakenly be mixed into cattle or other feeds, U.S. safety officials at the FDA reiterated in a May 30, 2003, advisory.Canadian authorities did not require a dog food recall, but Champion said it would offer customers refunds if requested.After the 2003 BSE scare, Champion announced it was eliminating rendered beef from all of its pet food products, including the lower-priced grocery store brands. That wasnt enough the company temporarily lost significant trust.In the weeks after the crisis hit, Champion was losing around $200,000 per day in sales and was forced to lay off half of its 60-employee workforce. Its a brutal situation for us, said Peter Muhlenfeld. We couldnt survive like this for long.Eventually, the company recovered and grew even stronger. Most pet parents at this point probably arent even aware that Champion Petfoods was ever caught up in a mad cow scare and it bears repeating that Orijen and Acana were never affected by that madness.

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References

• Reinhard Muhlenfeld, Inducted: 2014. Alberta Order of Excellence.https://www.lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca/aoe/business/reinhard-muhlenfeld/index.html.
• Bracken, Amber. How Once-Tiny Pet-Food Maker Took a Bite of the Global Market.Globe and Mail. Jan. 16, 2018.https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/canadian-powerhouse-export-your-dog-is-eating-it/article37605774/.
• Obituary: Reinhard MuhlenfeldEdmonton Journal. Feb. 15, 2018.https://edmontonjournal.remembering.ca/obituary/reinhard-muhlenfeld-1066222237.
• Finlayson, David. Healthy Pet Food Is Close to Home.Calgary Herald. Aug. 28, 2006. B6.
• Dalal, Suntanu. Pet Food Manufacturer Proves to Be Champion Exporter.Edmonton Journal. March 13, 2002. H15.
• McNaughton, Nerissa. Champion Petfoods: Expanding, Innovating and Improving the Communities It Serves.Business in Edmonton. Nov. 1, 2017.https://businessinedmonton.com/featured/champion-petfoods-expanding-innovating-improving-communities-serves/.
• Orijen. World Branding Awards.https://awards.brandingforum.org/brands/orijen/.
• A Champion Among Us: Champion Petfoods Selects First U.S.-Based Kitchen. Gray. Oct. 7, 2014.https://www.gray.com/insights/a-champion-among-us-champion-petfoods-selects-first-u-s-based-kitchen/.
• Aldridge, Chris. AG Community Drew Champion Petfoods to Its New Kentucky Home. Kentucky Proud. June 2016.http://www.kyproud.com/kyproud-connection/2016/Ag-community-drew-Champion-Petfoods-to-its-new-Kentucky-home.html.
• Champion Petfoods Ramps up Innovation With Launch of New Orijen and Acana Recipes. Business Wire. Feb. 26, 2020.https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200226005538/en/Champion-Petfoods-Ramps-Innovation-Launch-New-ORIJEN.
• Dummett, Ben, et al. Nestl in Talks to Buy Pet Food Maker for $2 Billion.Wall Street Journal. July 2, 2018.https://www.wsj.com/articles/nestle-in-talks-to-buy-pet-food-maker-for-2-billion-1530531553.
• While We Have Certainly Seen the Speculation Champion Petfoods Facebook Page. July 2, 2018.https://www.facebook.com/ChampionPetfoods/posts/1702844509793882.
• Champion Petfoods Comments on Nestl Acquisition Speculation.Pet Product News. July 6, 2018.http://www.petproductnews.com/News/Champion-Petfood-Comments-on-Nestl-Acquisition-Speculation/.
• Atkins, Ralph, et al. Nestl Revives Talks for Canadian Pet Food Group Champion.Financial Times. Dec. 21, 2018.https://www.ft.com/content/74f5f720-0510-11e9-99df-6183d3002ee1.
• Wall, Tim. Nestl Renews Talks to Buy Champion Petfoods Majority.Pet Food Industry. Dec. 21, 2018.https://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/7747-nestle-renews-talks-to-buy-champion-petfoods-majority?v=preview.
• Questions & Answers: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicines Investigation Into a Possible Connection Between Diet and Canine Heart Disease. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). June 27, 2019.https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/questions-answers-fda-center-veterinary-medicines-investigation-possible-connection-between-diet-and.
• Baker, Dave. Orijen/Acana Class-Action Lawsuit: What You Should Know. Petful. Aug. 15, 2019.https://www.petful.com/food/orijen-lawsuit-2018/.
• FAQs. Champion Petfoods.https://championpetfoods.com/en/frequently-asked-questions.html.
• Weaver v. Champion Petfoods USA Inc. et al. PacerMonitor.https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/26471335/Weaver_v_Champion_Petfoods_USA_Inc_et_al.
• All About BSE (Mad Cow Disease). FDA. Oct. 29, 2019.https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/all-about-bse-mad-cow-disease.
• CFIA Issues Dog Food Advisory as Part of BSE Investigation. Resource News International. May 27, 2003.
• Flavelle, Dana. Nibbles and Bits of Cats, Dogs and Sick Cows.Toronto Star. July 18, 2003. F04.
• Girard, Daniel. Beef Can Be Shown to Be Safe, Officials Say.Toronto Star. May 28, 2003.
• Lang, Michelle. Dog Food Might Contain Mad Cow Remains: Pets Not at Risk of Getting Disease From Tainted Feed.Calgary Herald. May 28, 2003. A7.
• Walton, Dawn, and Paul Koring. Tests Raise Hope Beef Ban Near End.Globe and Mail. May 28, 2003. A3.
• FDA BSE Update: Pet Food From Canadian Manufacturer. M2 Presswire. May 30, 2003.
• Orijen Cat Food | Australia (Recall Questions and Answers). Champion Petfoods. Nov. 26, 2008. Archived athttps://www.petful.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Orijen_Australia_Consumer_Release.pdf.

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