Our great new Hypoallergenic – Beef Free Field and Forest Dog Roll hitting the shelves in more and more stores, full media release below:
Paeroa’s Fond Foods on a roll with new hypoallergenic dog food option
Kiwi pooches with food allergies will be giving a collective ‘Bark-yeah!’ next week when New Zealand’s first possum-based hypoallergenic dog roll starts hitting supermarket shelves.
Field and Forest – Hypoallergenic is the latest creation of Paeroa company Fond Foods, which made headlines last year following the booming post-lockdown demand for its Possyum dog roll.
The new hypoallergenic option is made of premium possum meat, which is blended with chicken and lamb for extra flavour.
Fond Foods General Manager Clint Bolderston said the special formulation of Field and Forest – Hypoallergenic made it ideal for hounds with sensitivities to the two most common food allergens for dogs – beef and dairy.
Around 36 per cent of allergic reactions in dogs are caused by beef, and 28 per cent by dairy, according to the Food Allergies in Dogs and Cats: A Review study conducted by academics from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ghent University in Belgium.
“Most dogs do just fine on a broad range of foods, but like their human friends, some suffer from allergies. We’re expecting this new beef-free option to be the meal of choice for the most sensitive and discerning of new-age pooches,” Mr Bolderston said.
Field and Forest – Hypoallergenic is already stocked by some pet stores and vets. However, it will become one of the first hypoallergenic dog roll options to make it into the grocery isle when it debuts at Countdown supermarkets across the country this month.
“There’s a growing appetite for premium dog food products and this latest product plays an important role in increasing the number of meal options for New Zealand dogs.
“The popularity of our possum-based dog roll options has been a welcome shot in the arm, allowing us to grow our Paeroa team by a third and expand our factory. We now employ a fantastic team of 38 people, making us one of the town’s largest employers. Who says you can’t compete with the big boys from heartland New Zealand?”
Possum meat is high in Omega 3 and 6 for skin, coat and joint health. The possum meat that goes into Field and Forest – Hypoallergenic is trapped or shot by registered hunters who only hunt on TB-free land where no poison has been dropped. It is then thoroughly tested and inspected at MPI accredited processing facilities before arriving at Fond Food’s factory,
Field and Forest – Hypoallergenic dog rolls are made daily and cooked in their casing, sealing in the goodness without the emulsification or hydration processes employed by some other manufacturers. This avoids the need for refrigeration and keeps the water content low, allowing more nutrition to be packed into every bite and ensuring dogs get more feeds from each roll.
Fond Foods is a wholly New Zealand-owned company. In addition to Field and Forest – Hypoallergenic, it also manufactures dried dog treats and the well-known Possyum and Superior Chunky ranges. The business now produces more than 3,500,000 kg of dog food per year for domestic and international markets.
ENDS
Notes for journalists: The Food Allergies in Dogs and Cats: A Review study was conducted by A. Verlinden, M. Hesta, S. Millet and G.P.J Janssens from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ghent University in Belgium and published in the international Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition journal.