FAQ For Kettle Creations
Our Kettle Creations® are cooked for more than 40 minutes at a temperature of 122 °C.
Vegetables are hand-cut in small batches and prepped in trays approximately 3-5 pounds at a time. Fish, chicken, and duck ingredients are cooked, then hand sliced or shredded by teams of expert workers who hand-inspect ingredients for color, texture, and smell to ensure each component meets stringent specifications. Dark meat and white meat are hands separated as needed.
Multiple stages of production are all portioned in quantities of 5-20 pounds and portioned in stainless steel trays prior to blending into the cans. A typical production batch is as small as 7 pounds and as high as 150 pounds. This is very small compared to how most major pet food manufacturers prepare canned food in significantly larger quantities.
Our Kettle Creations® Slow Cooked stews are made in Thailand in world-class facilities, that also manufacture human consumption tuna and meet the very highest USDA and FDA standards. Our own staff has personally visited and inspected the kitchens and are very familiar with the ingredient sourcing and manufacturing process.
For our Kettle Creations® Stews, we wanted to have a home-made quality and texture using seafood such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and whitefish, as well as real chicken and duck. We searched the globe for production facilities that met our strict standards for production and quality of ingredients. These ingredients are readily available in Thailand at the quality we demand. The seafood used in our formulas are responsibly sourced, and dolphin-safe from waters nearby Thailand that have an abundant source of fish. All seafood is tested for mercury to ensure safety.
Absolutely no ingredients from China are used in our recipes.
Thailand has been consistently recognized as a global leader in eco-friendly methods and leads in food research and production technology in food production. Thailand has very strict standards for food production. Many US brands of human food are produced in Thailand, and as such Thai plants are subject to greater scrutiny than even here in the United States. Thailand relies heavily on food production and global exports and have highly advanced procedures to procure ingredients and produce foods for humans and pets.
All of our dry dog and cat foods, treats, cat litter and shampoos are proudly produced in the United States. In fact, our dry foods are made in California. Our Kettle Creations® stews are made in Thailand. Making a stew is a little different type of production. The first consideration is the type of manufacturing plants available to make a stew. The next consideration is the availability of seafood and meats as well as fresh vegetables. Finally, we needed a skilled workforce to produce a hand-made product.
Over many decades, Thailand has developed a well-trained workforce that has the skill sets to produce handmade stews. While we do produce most of our food products right here in the US, we chose Thailand to produce our Kettle Creations® Stews to ensure their quality!
- Inspected regularly by the USFDA agency to ensure the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements, inspecting the quality of imported food.
- Accredited with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).
- Accredited with BRC Global Standard for Food Safety (British Retail Consortium).
- Compliance with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
- Accredited with ISO 9001 on the Quality Management System.
- Accredited with ISO 14001 on Environmental Management System.
- SAI Global – Certificate of Conformity.
- Accredited with Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP).
- MSC Chain of Custody from Marine Stewardship.
- Accredited with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for food manufacturing operations.
- Social Accountability International – Fair Labor Practices.
- Accredited with Kosher Certificate by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America for tuna and sardine plants.
- Accredited with Halal standard.
Yes, see your local community guidelines for recycling cans.
Our cans are specially sealed and have a shelf life of 36 months and should be stored in a cool, dry place. After opening, cover, store any unused portion in the refrigerator, and use within three days after opening.
Each can has a “Best By Date” on our packaging, located on the bottom of the can. It will read: “BBE DD/MM/YYYY. See the example image below.
If you have stored any unused portions in the refrigerator, some dogs and cats will enjoy chilled stews. You may find that your pet prefers it to be room temperature or slightly warmed. Either allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes or gently reheat in the microwave for 8-10 seconds in a microwave-safe dish. Never feed your pet hot food, so test it with your fingertip first.
Every formula is made in small batches, handcrafted, and slow-cooked. All ingredients, including seafood, meats, chicken, duck, and veggies are prepared and cooked on premises under extremely close supervision. Ingredients prepared and blended by hand by experienced, skilled workers. This process of hand blending in small batches helps ingredients retain their original shape, color, and texture. Gravy or broths are prepared and added according to exact recipes. The “Retort” cooking units are kept sanitary and cleaned after each formula.
Yes! Our manufacturer has a dolphin-safe policy and is among the industry’s leaders in implementing programs to prevent accidental dolphin mortality. All the suppliers of the raw tuna and all suppliers of finished goods must be 100% dolphin-safe.
Yes, our stews are all-life stages, which means they are complete and balanced for all life-stages from growth to adult and senior pets.
