Contacting manufacturer for values-dissapointed

[Missy]

I am currently feeding a house brand of cat food and everything is going well on it. Like alot of people I wanted to know more about it. I contacted the manufacturer and explained I wanted to make sure the carbs were ok and also would like a detailed nutritional analysis and the as fed numbers. Took about 3 weeks and this is what I got:


Wet basis Dry Basis

Salmon filet 0.63 2.86
Beef feast 0.091 0.41
Turkey/Giblet 0.58 2.63
Liver/Chicken 0.66 3
Seafood delight 0.89 4.04
Whitefish/Tuna 0.77 3.5
Chicken feast 0.77 3.5
Chicken/Salmon 0.80 3.63
Chef’s meal 1.1 5

Well I'm slightly dissapointed. I was hoping for some details. Plus those are the flavors I said I was feeding but I would like the entire line of products. Should I contact them again to ask for more? What should I ask for to get all the details I want? Maybe I did not ask properly. Is there a law that they are obligated to give me this information that I can reference because they seem to be dancing around the subject. I am in Canada.
Edit: I was kinda hoping for something like this http://www.petcurean.com/app/uploads/2015/11/FF-CTT-Stew-Cat.pdf

 

[Critter Mom]

I would ask for the following:

List of ALL ingredients in the food, including ALL protein sources. For example, if the ingredient list contains a descriptor like "meat by-products" then does it contain pork, beef, chicken, duck, turkey, etc., etc? Similarly for "fish" type descriptors you need to know which fish may be included in the formula and also when something is "of vegetable origin" be sure to ask the sources - and especially whether the product contains soy (a common allergen - and it can spike BG).

Ask about whether it contains any thickeners - especially whether it contains carrageenan as this can cause inflammation.

In terms of nutritional make-up, you can work out the dry matter values if the manufacturer provides you with the following:

As Fed - TYPICAL Analysis (not guaranteed analysis):

Protein %
Fat %
Crude Ash %
Crude Fibre %
Moisture %

The DM carb content alone is not sufficient. You need to know the protein and fat content in order to work out the percentage of kilocalories in the food that comes from carbs.

Also ask for the following:

Dry Matter Analysis (key nutrients - other members may have more recommendations - but everything you can get on a dry matter basis is very valuable):

Phosphorus %
Calcium %
Sodium %
Taurine %
Iodine %

If you can't get the typical analysis then you need to ask them for the full nutritional analysis on a dry matter basis.


Mogs
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[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Sometimes manufacturers are really helpful and forthcoming with info. Sometimes they are not.... And I've lost count of the times that I've had to contact a manufacturer multiple times in order to try get the information I needed.
If you want/need the information don't be put off by not getting the information in their first reply to you. Ask the question/s again. Ask the question/s differently. Ask for specifics if possible (as suggested by Mogs in her post above).

Sometimes manufacturers appear evasive and slippery. Sometimes they are alarmingly honest, as was the case when I asked one manufacturer whether the 'animal derivatives' listed on their label might include duck (there was a member here at the time whose cat had a duck allergy). I was told, quite frankly, that the 'animal derivatives' could come from quite a number of possible animal sources, including duck; but that they wouldn't know which species of animal went into any specific batch......

Edited to add: The term 'animal derivatives' doesn't always imply 'inferior quality' (although sometimes it certainly does). In some better quality foods 'animal derivatives' can simply mean the offcuts of an animal; neck, giblets etc.
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