Sourcing Matters: How We Choose Our Clean, Wholesome Ingredients

When you prepare a meal for your family, you start with the best ingredients you can find. You pick the freshest vegetables, you choose high-quality meats, and you know that the final dish will only be as good as the ingredients you started with.

We believe the same should be true for our dogs.

In a pet food industry filled with confusing labels and flashy marketing, it can be hard to know what you’re really getting. That’s why we want to pull back the curtain and talk about something that is at the very core of our promise to you: our ingredient sourcing.

For us, creating a "clean" product isn't just a buzzword; it's a philosophy that guides every decision we make, from the farm to your dog’s food bowl. Let’s take a look at what "sourcing matters" really means to us at Clean Plate K9.

The "Human-Grade" Standard

You might see the term "human-grade" on pet food labels. According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), for a product to be officially labeled as human-grade, every single ingredient—and the facility where it's made—must be stored, handled, processed, and transported in a manner that is legally suitable for human consumption.

This is our foundational standard. Why? Because we believe in a simple principle: if it’s not good enough for us, it’s not good enough for our dogs. This means every herb, spice, and ingredient in our blends is sourced from the same trusted suppliers that serve the human food industry. There's no "feed-grade" mystery stuff here. Just clean, quality ingredients.

Building a Trusted Supply Chain

A promise is only as strong as the people who help you keep it. We don't just buy ingredients off a spreadsheet; we build relationships.

• Supplier Vetting: We work with suppliers who share our values. They need to provide certificates of analysis for their ingredients, proving their purity and ensuring they are free from contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides.
• Purposeful Ingredients: We don't add ingredients just to make the label look good. Every herb and spice in our blends is chosen for a specific purpose—whether it's the anti-inflammatory power of turmeric, the digestive support of ginger, or the fresh-breath benefits of parsley.

A Look at Our Ingredients in Action

Let’s take an ingredient like turmeric. We don’t just source any turmeric. We seek out suppliers who can provide turmeric that is tested for a high concentration of curcumin, its active anti-inflammatory compound.

For an herb like parsley, we look for suppliers who can provide a vibrant, green product that hasn't been over-processed, so it retains its maximum nutritional value and fresh-breath power.

This obsession with quality at the source is what makes the final product so effective.

Our Unwavering "Why"

We started Clean Plate K9 for a very simple reason: we're dog people. We're the people who consider our dogs to be family members. We’ve struggled with our own picky eaters and worried about what was in their food.

Our commitment to sourcing clean, wholesome ingredients isn't a marketing strategy; it's a promise from one dog parent to another. It's the peace of mind knowing that when you sprinkle our seasoning on your dog's food, you're adding a product that was crafted with the same level of care you use in your own kitchen.

It’s a simple difference you can see, smell, and trust. And for your dog, it’s a difference they can taste in every single clean plate.

Sources:

1. "Human-Grade Pet Food: What Does It Mean?" Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), aafco.org/consumers/what-is-in-pet-food/human-grade-pet-food/.
2. "Understanding Pet Food Labels." U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/pet-food-labels-general.
3. "Choosing a pet food: The importance of ingredients." Petfood Industry Magazine.