Pulse producers may soon be adding Bowser’s bowl to a growing list of potential markets.
An Alberta pet food company is considering adding peas and fababeans to its dog food formula.
Champion Pet Foods of Morinville, Alta., has been conducting palatability and animal performance trials on a pulse-based doggie delicacy.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” said Champion’s product assurance manager Tarra Loomis, referring to the preliminary results. “(The dogs) seem to be quite accepting of it.”
The trials are a collaboration between the food manufacturer and Alberta Agriculture. Final findings of the one-year study are expected within a month or two.
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“If it shows favourable enough results, it will be a common ingredient that we look at,” said Loomis.
Incorporating pulses into dog diets is an idea that emerged at an Alberta Agriculture brainstorming session about new uses for Alberta commodities.
“The best applications for some of our crops are in areas where we’ve never previously thought about it,” said Trevor Kloeck, with the department’s business development office.
“We tend to look at the traditional outlets and avenues. I think there’s opportunity in places that are really quite unusual.”
After talking to some local pet food companies, Kloeck discovered there was interest in using pulses to displace more traditional grains found in pet foods like rice, wheat and corn. That’s because peas and fababeans have a higher protein content than those commodities and dogs need lots of protein.
But it was a crisis in the cattle industry that really unleashed the pulse potential.
“Oddly enough we kicked this study off before BSE was on the horizon,” said Kloeck.
“That unfortunate circumstance just created a greater sense of urgency.”
It certainly piqued Champion’s interest in finding a vegetable-based protein replacement for rendered meat, which was banned.
“The European Union is constantly coming up with new regulations and we’re always wondering whether we’re going to be able to meet them,” said Loomis.
“A lot of their regulations revolve around rendered meat products.”
About 70 percent of Champion’s pet foods are exported to the United States, the EU and Asia, so finding an alternative to high-protein rendered meat became a priority for the company.
One of the most logical solutions also has some problems associated with it.
“Soy is a traditional vegetable-based protein, but it causes problems with dogs as far as stool and gas and allergies,” said Loomis.
It is also more commonly grown in the U.S. and Champion is looking for something a little closer to home for price and pride reasons.
“We’re a Canadian company so we like to support Canadian products.”
The company is waiting for a few more test results before deciding whether to include peas and fababeans in its dog food.
Kloeck is confident there will be a place for those Alberta-grown crops in Champion’s line of premium pet foods, giving pulses a foothold in that ever-expanding segment of the grocery industry.
“Initially it’s a small market, but every market has to start somewhere,” he said.
