Pet Food and Mineral Oil
Mineral oil use with dogs and cats is a tricky thing. A quick search for “mineral oil pet food” yields websites that tout its benefits if your pet is dealing with constipation or a dry coat. But other websites warn you that too much mineral oil can cause issues with nutrient absorption, or even aspiration pneumonia if administered orally.
And still others state that because it’s derived from crude oil, no version of it is safe.
So why would a pet food company use it in its food?
Here’s the thing. Most companies who use mineral oil don’t even bother listing it in their food, because it’s used in such trace amounts. And according to the FDA, unless something is an allergen, if it’s only used in a trace amount, and it “has no functional or technical effect in the finished product”, then you don’t even have to put it on the label.
What’s mineral oil’s function in a premix? Let’s use the example of baking chocolate chip cookies. You’ve got a bowl full of flour and other dry ingredients, into which you dump some chocolate chips. What happens to the dry mixture when you do that? It poofs out of the bowl, and you end up covered in flour, along with your countertop, your apron, the cat, etc. Mineral oil helps the mix stick together so you don’t have the “poof” action. The nice thing is you don’t need a lot of it at all, hence it falling under the trace ingredient category. But it has to be present, because otherwise you don’t get a good mix, which could lead to variances in ingredient amounts throughout the food.
Balanced Blends chooses to be fully transparent with our customers, which is why we put it on our label. Other oil options were evaluated, such as vegetable oil, but we chose to use mineral oil as it isn’t plant-based, and it’s odorless and flavorless.
We’ve received a few inquiries as to why we use mineral oil in our pet food. Hopefully this article clears up any concerns, but as always, feel free to reach out if you’ve any more questions.
