Pet
Food
Review

Product review - Royal Canin Dog Food

Royal Canin has been a major player in the pet food industry for many years, part of the Masterfoods empire that includes Cesar, Chappie, Frolic, Pal, Pedigree and James Wellbeloved.

Royal Canin is a premium brand and for some time now they have been pioneering the idea of breed specific foods. Now it is open to debate as to whether all experts in the field consider these to be entirely necessary, but if you are the owner of a Persian or Maine Coon cat then maybe you think it rather flattering that a company should cater specifically for your pet!

Ingredient-wise, they probably fall short of the requirements for customers who want a completely natural food, but looking at what's in the food they are certainly perfectly adequate quality-wise. Royal Canin prefer not to use the fashionable 'natural' antioxidants because they consider them to be less stable than their chemical cousins.

In response to an enquiry about antioxidants they responded quite openly "Natural antioxidants are often preferred by consumers, but one must know that they are less stable, consequently their efficiency is not so good (higher quantities must be used). Producing diets that have a short shelf life would not be considered practical by consumers.
They are largely more expensive: the cost of the products would reflect this price.

Choosing the right antioxidant and its level of incorporation depends on several factors: ingredients to protect, shelf life guarantee, using conditions, stability, cost etc.
Royal Canin has chosen to associate two different antioxidants plus another substance working in synergy, that enhances their efficiency and allows a decrease in the doses of incorporation. These products are:-

BHA, propyl-gallate and potassium sorbate. We do not use BHT or Ethoxquin - by using Propl-gallate and potassium sorbate their Synergistic action reduces the amount of BHA that is used. By adding these it enables us to give a longer shelf life thus reducing the cost to the consumer."

Interestingly, as pointed out by a reader, in the US the same products use a different method of preservation (...preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of Vitamin E) and citric acid, rosemary extract) so it would be interesting to know why Royal Canin use artificial preservatives in the UK and more natural ones in the US?

Royal Canin offer a large range of dog foods, including a bewildering array of breed specific diets. Whether these are actually necessary or merely a marketing ploy by the company, who can say, after all, millions of dogs have lived happy lives on ordinary dog food without needing these special diets... until now apparently!

Prices for Royal Canin

There's a wide range of prices which reflect the big range of products. To see a good range of products it's worth checking out the Pet Supermarket and Pets at Home website. There is free delivery on some of the RC range at Pet Planet and good 2 bag deals at G J Titmuss