Northfin food

[tarheel96]

Thanks for posting those results RD. I've been aware of this since the first test (333 ppm) was posted on several forums (and removed from some of them). It's disturbing seeing over 2 times the maximum level allowed of ethoxyquin in a pet food that is supposed to be ethoxyquin free.

More disturbing to me, I doubt Northfin is significantly higher in ethoxyquin content than other fish foods brands. When I see the new test results from kmuda I'll be closer to knowing for sure, but I'd be surprised if other brands aren't over the limit of 150 ppm and as high as 300 ppm in some cases. Of course, I do hope I'm wrong and that Northfin is the exception.

A response from the company would be pointless as far as I'm concerned. I know what went on and I don't want to hear it.

 

[RD.]

I have no idea what other brands would weigh in at, 150 ppm wouldn't overly surprise me at this point, but 300+ ppm certainly would. I suspect that many would be under 100 ppm, perhaps even the vast majority of fish food formulas, most certainly those that are algae based. I guess for someone that wants to spend the $$ it would be easy enough to find out. If kmuda is currently doing that, my hat goes off to him.

 

[exodus1500]

I'm a chemist and do a lot of LCMS analysis. Since NF doeant have a defendant in this case, I will play devils advocate. I honestly don't know anything about ethoxyquin, but there are a couple things I would like to point out. First is that the say they don't use ethoxyquin, but perhaps it is actually naturally occurring in something they are using. The second this is a false positive. If there is something naturally acting as a preservative it is quite possible it would have a similar structure causing it to elute at the same time that ethoxyquin does.

The only fair way to measure it would be to individually analyze the raw ingredients individually that NF uses.

 

[Woefulrelic]

So they couldn't buy their krill meal already containing ethoxyquin, and say that they themselves simply aren't using it in their product? If it were as black and white as the end result containing etho, meaning NF is responsible for it's use, then it would be an easy wad of cash for whoever felt like taking the case.

I'm quoting RD. quoting them, this is irresponsible.

"NorthFin Premium Fish Foods does not use any preservatives or harmful chemicals to preserve its product line.
The combination of certain ingredients/vitamins, along with the drying process itself allows the foods to be naturally preserved."


I assume if it were a case of them buying krill meal from another company that uses the etho, they can shirk responsibility of "using" it themselves. Not sure about the CA side, but the US has so many poophole loopholes when it comes to advertising.

 

[RD.]

That would be incorrect. Ethoxyquin does not naturally occur in any pet food raw ingredients. It is a man made substance, added as an antioxidant.

Not that this a bad thing IMO (see link above) but this particular manufacturer has stated otherwise. If true, well .......

 

[exodus1500]

That's why I added the disclaimer about not knowing about ethoxyquin. My other point stands though. I would like to see NMR done on it as well as see the IR graph to verify.

 

[RD.]

The law regarding ethoxyquin has been fairly sketchy over the years, with no governing body such as the FDA really pushing hard on manufacturers of pet food to make an official statement on their labels - especially with food destined for tropical fish that are not for human consumption.

A few years back the FDA posted the following:

https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/Products/AnimalFoodFeeds/IngredientsAdditives/ucm541035.htm

Do all manufacturers know this, probably not. Do all manufacturers put this info on their label, even if added indirectly - absolutely not. Is anyone enforcing this - obviously not.

So there you have it.

Manufacturers use it because of its long track record of safety within aquaculture. It adds extra shelf life to products that so far cannot be accomplished using so called natural tocopherols, and yes, it is far cheaper. Products such as Naturox sound and look good on paper, but typically foods that use these type of products have a shelf life of 12 months. Ethox treated food is typically stamped safe for 2 years from production.

Check your fish food, then check a quality dog food, the answer of who uses ethoxyquin is right there on the BB date.

So now you know who does, and who does not. Of course that still leaves how much is in the formula, as in total ppm. For approx. $100 US (shipping in) there are labs such as those above that will tell you. No need to check each & every ingredient - total ppm is all that matters.

 

[exodus1500]

So now you know who does, and who does not. Of course that still leaves how much is in the formula, as in total ppm. For approx. $100 US (shipping in) there are labs such as those above that will tell you. No need to check each & every ingredient - total ppm is all that matters.

I dont know if that was directed at me, but if it was, you are missing the whole point of my argument.

 

[RD.]

That was directed at anyone who reads it. But I didn't miss your point, I simply dismissed it as not being relevant to this particular discussion. You stated that you don't know anything about ethoxyquin and/or its use in pet food. That's fairly obvious if you somehow feel that splitting those hairs is going to prove anything regarding responsibility.

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is quite clear as to what they require, with regards to the approved uses of ethoxyquin in animal feeds. And ALL manufacturers of pet food have labs at their disposal, and all of them run numerous tests on a regular basis to ensure that they conform to the various state regulatory bodies. You don't just get USDA approved, or APHIS approved, and then have a green light to ship across every State and/or International border.

Of course if no one is checking on certain things ......

 

[exodus1500]

Or you are dismissing my point because you don't understand my point....

How much do you know about LC-MS chromatography?