| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pet food |
| Founded | Pacoima, Los Angeles, California, United States (1989) |
| Headquarters | Pacoima, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Dick Van Patten |
| Products | Dog food, cat food, zoological food |
| Owner(s) | Natural Balance Pet Foods |
| Website | Natural Balance Inc. |
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods is an American commercial pet food manufacturer with its headquarters located in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California.[1] Established in 1989 by actor Dick Van Patten, the company markets itself as "Food For a Lifetime" and promotes itself as having "the finest food you can buy for your pet." The current President is Joey Herrick and Executive Vice President is Frank Koch.
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Natural Balance began in 1989 when Van Patten was a guest on John Davidson's show.[2] Van Patten had lunch with the show's band drummer who rescued dogs and cats. Van Patten told him when he was a kid he had snakes, alligators, and every kind of animal you could imagine. The drummer and Van Patten had an idea of making a health food for dogs. At the time, Van Patten played tennis with a veterinarian and she said the food had to have no filler, no wheat, no corn, no soy and no by-products.
"My partner and I started Natural Balance Pet Foods in 1989 with the intention of developing the finest, healthiest pet food on the market. We wanted a pet food based on sound scientific principles and truth, not marketing hype. We did it! Not only for dogs & cats, but for large carnivores, such as lions, tigers, polar bears, and wolves in zoos and animal reserves worldwide!"
— Dick Van Patten
The company lost money at first, as they expanded their markets, things picked up when Petco opened 625 stores.[3]. Then, more pet specialty stores wanted the products when the "natural" segment started to grow.
According to Van Patten, Natural Balance products are made from high quality ingredients and carefully selected. The product line includes L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets, Original Ultra, and specializes in zoological formulas as referenced below.
Natural Balance has a large variety of both dog and cat formulas in dry, treats or canned form. The product range includes reduced calorie, grain-free, limited ingredient diets, low allergy, and vegetarian (for dogs) formulations. Other products include dog food rolls, and HEALTHY BONES for dogs. A chicken-based organic product named "Organic Formulas" is certified organic by independent body Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA), [4].
Natural Balance is a member of Association of Zoos and Aquariums and has created zoological products which are specifically for carnivores in zoos and wild animal parks and not sold to the general public. These foods were developed by Director of Zoological Product Research and Development Dr. Martin R. Dinnes, a founding member of the American College of Zoological Medicine.
Natural Balance's zoological formulas are used by, among others, Big Cat Rescue,[5] Tippi Hedren's Shambala Preserve, Toledo Zoo, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park and SeaWorld. [6]
Natural Balance is the official dog food of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Arson Investigation and Explosives Detection Canines.[7]
On April 16, 2007 the FDA was informed by Natural Balance that they had received complaints from consumers regarding Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food and Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Food. Animals were reported to have vomited and experienced kidney failures.[8] On April 17 Natural Balance issued a voluntary recall for all its Venison dog products and its dry Venison cat food after lab results showed that the products contained melamine. The source of melamine was believed to be from rice protein concentrate. Natural Balance claims that rice protein concentrate was a recent addition to the Venison formula.[9][10] Many customers were furious that a product (Venison and Peas), marketed as a grain free allergy formula with a single source protein and single source carbohydrate,[11] could have a significant formula change not reflected in the product labeling or website.[12] The Natural Balance website's FAQ page no longer addresses the rice protein concentrate issue.
On April 27, Natural Balance issued its second recall for three canned dog food and one canned cat food. Like the first recall, the contaminants were melamine in rice protein concentrates. As with the venison based formulas, rice protein concentrate was not on the list of ingredients of the four products. This time, Natural Balance claimed that their canned food manufacturer American Nutrition, Inc (ANI) added the rice protein concentrate without their knowledge or consent,[13] calling it a "manufacturing deviation".[14] In response, ANI issued a press release denying any deliberate or intentionally wrongful conduct, claiming that "customers specifically required rice-based formulations".[15]
Additionally, in July 2007, certain Natural Balance canned pet foods were recalled after it was determined that they were involved in a large-scale Botulism outbreak, associated with its producer Castleberry's Food Company. No illnesses were reported with the pet food.
Both laboratories are cited to use ELISA testing for Aflatoxin, DON Vomitoxin, Melamine, Cyanuric acid, Zearalone (Mycotoxin), Ochratoxin, Fumonisin, Salmonella, Ecoli.
According to Natural Balance, the accuracy and reproducibility of the tests have earned official approvals and third party validations, including:
Natural Balance states that it is the first known pet food company to offer email notification regarding any pet industry news that could affect their pets. They are also the first known pet food manufacturer to offer data base test results on Aflatoxin, DON Vomitoxin, Zearalone (Mycotoxin), Ochratoxin, Fumonisin, Salmonella, Ecoli, Melamine and Cyanuric Acid to consumers through their website using the best by code on each food container.