This post is sponsored by Balanced Blends
Embraced for decades by holistically oriented pet parents and holistic veterinarians, raw feeding is becoming more mainstream as pet parents look for alternatives to feeding highly processed commercial pet foods.
Balanced Blends Raw Pet Food
Last month, we introduced you to Balanced Blends, a Boulder Colorado based company. Balanced Blends uses high quality ingredients, sourced in the US, from cage free chickens and grass fed cattle. All Balanced Blends formulas
- are antibiotic free
- are USDA inspected and approved
- do not contain added hormones
- contain balanced fat with optimal omega 6 to omega 3 ratio and low linoleic acid
- contain an ideal calcium to phosphorus ratio
- do not contain produce (only the dog formulas contain produce)
How Balanced Blends keeps their food safe
Cat parents who are new to raw feeding are often concerned about the safety of raw diets. Sadly, there is a lot of misinformation about the purported risks of feeding raw in the mainstream veterinary community, and it’s not unusual for vets to tell their clients that raw feeding is dangerous. Dr. Karen Becker, a holistic veterinarian who writes extensively for Mercola Pets, dispels many of these myths in this comprehensive article.
High quality fresh ingredients
Reputable raw food manufacturers are taking multiple precautions to ensure that their diets are safe. Balanced Blends always starts with high quality fresh ingredients. Their meat comes from cage free chicken and grass fed beef, and their vitamins and minerals originate from reputable sources. All vitamins and minerals are tested to be pathogen free before they are added to their food. Balanced Blends never uses any ingredients from China.
Multiple quality assurance standards
Balanced Blends is made in a clean, refrigerated environment with multiple quality assurance standards, including
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
- Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP)
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
Once packaged, food is sent for HPP (high pressure pasteurization) processing. The food is never re-opened after HPP for further processing (such as cutting into patties or nuggets), thus eliminating the risk of re-contamination after HPP. While some raw feeders feel that HPP processing alters the quality of the food to the point where it can no longer be considered raw, I think it’s an effective way to eliminate potential pathogens that only minimally affects the integrity of the final product. I feel that HPP provides added peace of mind, especially for those new to raw feeding.
Following HPP, the food is then immediately frozen and tested for pathogens by a 3rd party lab. Balanced Blends follows a “test & hold” protocol, which means food is only released to the market once they’ve received negative test results.
Shipping directly to pet parents eliminates mishandling during distribution
After the negative pathogen results, the frozen food is sent to Balanced Blends’ warehouse. Since they sell directly to the consumer, any mishandling between production and distribution to retailers, such as food being left out too long during shipping or inappropriate storage by retailers that could cause the food to thaw, is eliminated. Shipping directly to the consumer also greatly reduces the time between the food being made and reaching pet parents, which means the food is fresher.
Convenient Starter Pack
Balanced Blends offers a convenient starter pack for new customers to try their products with a lower initial order amount.
Cat Starter Pack (free shipping + no minimum order) *new customer only*
$14 for 2 lbs of Raw Chicken Dinner
$16 for 2 lbs of Raw Beef Dinner
This is an incredible deal! Visit http://www.balancedblends.com/products/cat-starter-pack to learn more.
Additional $5 Discount off the Starter Pack for Conscious Cat Readers!
Use code CONSCIOUSCAT for an additional $5 off the starter pack. This code is to be used instead of “STARTERPACK” found on the starter pack product page.
For more information about Balanced Blends, please visit their website.
Balanced Blends Holiday Photo Contest:
Submit a photo of your cats (or dogs) and win
5 lbs of Balanced Blends Raw Cat (or Dog) Food
FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, which means that I was compensated to feature this content. Regardless of payment received, you will only see products or services featured on this site that I believe are of interest to our readers.
