OK I admit it, the headline is a bit of a stretch. But since it is St. Patrick’s Day, just wanted to get into the spirit with something green:)
“Greenwashing” is when a company implies or outright claims that their products are green when they’re not. Selling your goods as environmentally friendly when they’re not, is pretty low. Yet that’s what about 98% of all products on the market today, do.
That’s according to Dr. David Suzuki, well known environmentalist and scientist. He writes that a study by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing tested more than 2,000 self-described environmentally friendly products in North America. Only 25 were indisputably “sin free”!
One of the worst: Pet Foods
Manufacturers say their product is “all natural,” “organic” and “eco-friendly.” But these terms are meaningless because there’s no standard to measure claims, and because no one is monitoring the industry on green issues.
Purina’s Paws for the Planet is just one example. Purina says their program is highly Eco-friendly. Huh? What is that? There is no description, evidence or documentation on just how that happens.
But the site does imply that their foods are green.
Meanwhile, the company is owned by the global food giant Nestle, which was named One of the Seven Most Irresponsible Companies in the World. The reasons why include:
- child labour
- manipulating third world mothers into buying their baby formula
- bottled water production
- over processing of food
- manufacturing pet foods
Does your Morkie eat Beneful?
One of their leading pet brands, Beneful, is under attack right now. People are suing Nestle, claiming that Beneful, with its dubious additives, has killed their dogs. Purina says Beneful is healthy, made of healthful ingredients and is wholesome and vitamin rich. Here’s the truth, quoted from Doginton Post:
In truth, the number one ingredient in all of Beneful’s recipes is corn, a commonly-used filler that provides very little nutrition to dogs. In addition to providing little nutritional value, corn has a high glycemic index, raising your dog’s blood sugar, and is not easily digested by dogs.
The next ingredient after corn is chicken by-products: feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs, and organs (the only nutritious part of by-product) that are “unfit for human consumption.” Something to consider if you are feeding your Morkie Beneful.
Read the labels – know what you’re buying
On any product you buy, it’s smart to check labels for those long, hard-to-pronounce chemical names like cocamide DEA or stearamide MEA. Avoid anything with ‘artificial flavours.’ Isopropyl or alcohol of any kind, or Glycol – Propylene Glycol or Polyethylene Glycol.
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