The Honest Kitchen Upgrades its Vendor Pledges

Producer of dehydrated whole foods for pets formalizes and tightens up requirements for its raw ingredient partners, to raise the bar on pet food safety.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Honest Kitchen today announced the implementation of a proactive new system of Vendor Pledges, which all suppliers will be required to complete and sign, prior to providing raw ingredients into the company’s human food grade production facility.

“We’re excited to implement this important new step into our overarching pet food quality-control program”

The Honest Kitchen has been working with many of the same suppliers since 2002 when it was founded, and has since that time enforced a set of standards (such as all ingredients being 100% human edible and non genetically modified) that those suppliers have been required to adhere to.

However, this year the company has decided to raise the bar with formalized, signed pledges - statements that attest to the stringent quality control standards they follow in the farming, harvesting and production of the meats, grains and produce they supply. A pledge will be required for each individual ingredient, meaning that some suppliers have submitted five or more signed pledges to the company.

The Vendor Pledges require formal declaration from suppliers of each of the pet food ingredients supplied to The Honest Kitchen, on various criteria, including:

• Human edible status from harvesting and throughout all handling, screening & cleaning
• Statement of Country of Origin
• Adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s)
• Not genetically modified or subject to engineered recombinant DNA technology
• Verification that it is free of chemicals or adulterants
• Post-harvest handling: verification that it is free of chemical preservatives such as Ethoxyquin
• Sustainability and fair-trade attributes where applicable
• Verification of screening for contaminants such as salmonella, e-Coli, Coliform, lead, arsenic, mercury and melamine, in accordance with human food safety standards
• A promise that the ingredient does not originate from China

“We’re excited to implement this important new step into our overarching pet food quality-control program,” stated Lucy Postins, the company’s Founder and President. “We’ve always placed the highest priority on ingredient quality and integrity and have frequently dismissed vendors from even bidding on ingredient prices because we haven’t been happy with a particular aspect of their operations – so it makes total sense to put these pledges in place, not only for our own peace of mind but for our customers, too. Good whole food ingredients that are human-edible do cost more but pets are our priority.”

The Honest Kitchen is committed to taking a proactive stance on the safety and integrity of its ingredients and finished products. The company is a member of Green America, which has screened each of its suppliers for environmental integrity.

The new Vendor Pledges went into force this month and will be renewable annually. An official representative from any new vendors that commence supplying the company in the future will also be required to complete and sign.

The Honest Kitchen’s contracted production facility is registered and inspected by the FDA and already conforms to the new HACCP food safety regulations and established Good Manufacturing Practices.

About The Honest Kitchen

The Honest Kitchen is a company of pet lovers, with a passion for food. They produce a line of holistic dehydrated, human-grade, whole foods for pets. Founded by Lucy and Charlie Postins in 2002, The Honest Kitchen provides all-natural products that promote nutritional awareness, environmental responsibility, and a sustainable community. All of their foods are produced in a human food plant (not in a pet food factory) and their products are packaged in artistic, eco-friendly and bio-degradable boxes. For more information, please visit www.TheHonestKitchen.com.