Why Does the Origin of Ingredients Matter?
The quality of dog food directly impacts your dog’s health and well-being. Poor-quality ingredients can cause allergies, digestive issues, and even more severe illnesses. Knowing where the ingredients come from and how they are produced provides you with confidence and peace of mind.
At the same time, the origin of ingredients has a significant impact on the environment. Long transportation distances and unsustainable raw materials increase carbon emissions and damage ecosystems. Therefore, it’s wise to choose products where the ingredients are locally sourced and produced using sustainable methods.
A Leader in Transparency
As a producer of premium-quality pet food, we want to set an example of how dog food can be produced transparently and sustainably. That’s why we prioritise high quality, safety, and minimal environmental impact in everything we do. Here are some key points about our work:
- Local raw materials: 78.3% of Alvar’s raw materials come from the Nordic countries. Using local ingredients reduces transportation emissions and supports local agriculture. We always aim to source ingredients primarily from Finland or other Nordic countries.
- Health benefits: Certain ingredients essential for pet health are not available from our local areas. For these nutrients, such as vitamins, we source some ingredients from outside the Nordic countries or Europe.
- Certified raw materials: Alvar uses MSC-certified fish and ProTerra-certified soy to ensure sustainability and quality.
- Strict quality control: Products are manufactured in certified conditions (FSSC22000 and ISO 14001), and their traceability extends to batch numbers and the origin of raw materials.
- Innovations for pets and the environment: We collaborate on various research projects to develop new protein sources. For example, in 2023, we participated in a project that developed mycoprotein from mushrooms to explore the potential of reducing animal protein in pet foods.
If you want to learn more about the origins of our product ingredients, you can find additional information here:
- Frequently Asked Questions: a list of the origins of our dry food ingredients
- Our Sustainability page: a summary and details of production and raw material sourcing
Safety First
Safety is the foundation of all dog food production. At Alvar Pet, we work closely with our production partners to ensure that every raw material is thoroughly analysed before it enters production. We have further developed our processes based on lessons learned in recent years.
Choose Responsibly
- Read the label: Choose dog food that clearly states its origin and ingredients.
- Look for certifications: Certifications like MSC and ProTerra indicate sustainable choices.
- Ask questions: Choose brands that are open about their practices and value chains.
Summary
Understanding the origins and safety of dog food ingredients is important not only for your dog’s health but also for the future of our living environments. By choosing responsibly, we can collectively build a better world – one bite at a time.
