Why can a new batch of FirstMate look different than the previous batch?
Our company uses natural ingredients without the addition of artificial colour additives or binders. As a result, there may be a variation in the appearance of our pate and kibble between batches.
FirstMate is committed to providing our pets with a quality diet by focusing on ingredients that deliver superior nutrition and making those diets in our own facilities.
You may see some apparent variation in water content in our canned products as well as the colour of our kibble, both of which are completely safe and normal as natural ingredients will vary in shape, colour, consistency and size. Although each batch has the same nutritional content you may note changes in the texture, smell, and colour. Normally this variation is very minimal and goes unnoticed but more dramatic variation can occur, which reflects the nature of our ingredients.
The photo below compares two separate batches of our Pacific Ocean Fish Large Breed. Different batches of the same species of fish were used which is the primary reason for the change in colour:
Natural variation is typically viewed as an extremely positive feature within our industry as more and more customers strive to obtain natural products.
Dear First Mate,
I struggled to find a cat food that all 3 of my cats like. First Mate solved the problem for me. My cats have been loving the food for over 2 years.
They love the Salmon.
But now they smell it and walk away. This has been going on for just over a month. My one cat has thrown up twice after eating it. As well as throwing up after the dry food. This never happened before. I got my cat checked and he’s fine.
Yes,I understand there is natural variations of food from batch to batch. But this is very unusual.
Have you changed the formula?
I googled and it says your company hasn’t changed the formula, but not buying that.
This is NOT a situation of them being picky. They used to gobble it up and couldn’t wait to eat their food.
I’ve never taken the time to write to a company about cat food. This has just put me into another struggle for finding a cat food that is of high quality that they all like.
Thank you,
Kezia
Hello Kezia,
Thank you for contacting us.
We have not made a change in our diets. The canning process requires that the product, once hermetically sealed within the can, complete a thermal processing procedure that will kill harmful bacteria. Unless the seal has been compromised after it left the facility, the product is commercially sterile and will not cause illness. Did the can(s) appear damaged?
Our salmon is all wild-caught from sustainable fisheries within the Pacific Ocean, but as the salmon is not farmed, there will be variation between batches and seasons.
If you can contact us with additional information about your experience, including the batch number from the bottom of the can, we will work with our quality control team and provide further insight.
We look forward to hearing from you.
customerservice@firstmate.com