Finer Food for a Fitter Pet
by Kelsey Menzel
Editorial Assistant
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Austin-based Nulo (Nutrition meets Love) makes the healthiest pet food on the planet, which makes your job as a responsible pet owner a whole lot easier.
We all love to eat what tastes good, especially when it’s high in nutrients and leaves us feeling healthy. Our pets are no different; they love to eat fresh, wholesome, great-tasting food. When they feel healthy, they’re happier and more energetic, which makes us more satisfied owners.
While we all know the challenges of maintaining a healthy diet for ourselves, the fact is we have it pretty easy compared to our pets. We choose what and when we eat, we have almost unlimited variety in our diets and our fitness isn’t dependent upon anyone else. Our food supply — though riddled with unhealthy options — is also replete with rich, flavorful and healthy fare.
Unfortunately, our pets aren’t quite as lucky. The majority of their food comes from a bag or a can, has an interminable shelf life and is often manufactured with cheap and nutrient-poor ingredients. Plus, the success of a pet food is often measured by its marketing effectiveness and profitability, rather than its overall nutrition.
So, as caring pet owners, the real trick is finding ways to responsibly feed our pets. This is just as important as spending quality time, petting or taking them out for a walk everyday. While it may be easy to hoist the cheapest bag of pet food into your shopping cart, choosing one that consists mostly of cornmeal, wheat, rice, soy, and any number of other random ingredients can have long-term effects on your pet’s health and ultimately their happiness.
This is where Austin’s very own pet food company — Nulo — comes in. Where “nutrition meets love,” Nulo offers a revolutionary line of all-natural pet foods that are not only the healthiest on the market, but conveniently delivered fresh to your door. Bypassing the fat enhancers and sugars that alter the taste of stale food, as well as months of sitting on trucks and retail store shelves, Nulo is made from the highest-grade, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, complex carbs (like whole brown rice and oatmeal) and real chicken, lamb and beef. You won’t find any processed corn products on their ingredient list either.
And Nulo is more than just a healthy business — it’s a real community. Pet owners (or just pet lovers) can visit Nulo’s website to read or post testimonials, take part in the Nulo blog or pledge to participate in the Nu Campaign for Pet Obesity, a promise to provide pets with optimal nutrition and raise awareness about pet health.
We recently sat down with Nulo founder and co-owner Michael Landa for a candid and revealing chat about the ins and outs of the pet food industry, how his business got started and why pet nutrition is so important. If nothing else, this interview will make you think twice the next time you hit the pet store or pop open that can of Alpo.
10 Questions with Mike Landa, Nulo CEO
What was the main reason for starting Nulo?
In 2001 I started a company called The Pet Staff in Los Angeles that has become one of the largest pet care companies in the U.S.
As we’ve literally been on the front lines of feeding pets, I got to personally experience the consequences of feeding sub-standard nutrition, and too much of it. Most people think they’re feeding healthy food when most often that’s not the case at all. There are six multi-national food companies controlling more than 85 percent of an $18 billion U.S. market. And they’ve mastered the skill of making garbage look healthy.
I decided enough was enough. I hired one of the world’s leading animal nutrition scientists and worked with him for nearly two years to develop our own line of dog and cat foods. The pets eating Nulo have shown great results in terms of healthier coats, better digestion and overall energy levels.
Was there something in particular about Austin that made it a good fit for Nulo, or was the location just a coincidence?
Coincidence, no. Austin is the third friendliest pet city in America and the no. 1 city for starting a business according to Forbes Magazine. Combine this with Austin’s incredibly talented labor pool and it’s a no-brainer that we’re here. Besides, Nulo’s co-founder Brett Montana is a University of Texas alum and now he’s that much closer for the games.
What’s the most common mistake pet owners make in choosing a food for their pets?
Great question. There are two. The overwhelming answer is that too many people rely on packaging visuals to select their dog or cat food. Big mistake.
Packaging design and their representations are not regulated in the United States. Most of the top-selling brands of food show incredible slabs of meat, fresh veggies and fruits and healthy, happy pets on the cover. The majority of the time, what’s actually in the bag has very little to do with the imagery. Look at the ingredient listing for corn, corn gluten meal, wheat, soy, soybean, by-products, animal fat, sugar, caramel color, powdered cellulose, Red 40 and Yellow 5. If you see any of these ingredients, you’ve got a cheap and potentially harmful food.
Another key mistake pet owners make is relying exclusively on food recommendations from their veterinarian. Most people are not aware that the veterinary association has an economic relationship with the “vet recommended” food sold by member vets.
Why should pet owners be willing to pay more for their pets’ food, especially when so many families are budgeting now more than ever?
Pay now, or pay later, both in terms of veterinary bills and emotional toll. Poor nutrition will impact the way your pet feels and what happens later on in its life. Also, what most people don’t realize is that if you break it down to a cost per meal basis, there’s little difference in the price of a cheap supermarket brand and a premium food. You have to feed a lot more cheap food to meet daily requirements. Remember the old Total cereal commercial where one bowl of Total equals six bowls of the leading brand? Same concept. Don’t compare bag costs; compare how many cups you have to feed, and how many cups are in the bag. You’ll be surprised to find that it doesn’t actually cost much more to feed the best food possible.
Is there a relationship between the obesity epidemics happening in humans and pets?
Yes. If you eat a lot of starchy, corn-based foods and don’t exercise, you know what happens. You gain weight. Well, the same holds true for our cats and dogs. While extending your hand with a treat may feel good to you, it’s not helping your pet. We’re under-nourishing and over-portioning our pets. When we look at them, we think they’re cute little fur balls. What we don’t think about is how crummy they feel, how difficult it is for them to groom themselves or how out-of-breath they get. Not to mention that we’re setting them up for diabetes, joint disease and even cancer down the line.
What impact do you think The Nu Campaign for Pet Obesity will have on the fitness of pet owners?
When you exercise your pet, you’re also exercising, so it benefits you both. The Nu Campaign for Pet Obesity was established to get pet parents thinking about what and how much they’re feeding their pets and coupling that with appropriate amounts of exercise. I like to say, “Pets don’t have eating disorders, people have feeding disorders.” If people get serious about helping their pets lose weight, they’ll naturally evaluate their own eating and exercise habits as well.
Do pets have the same food values as humans?
That is, do they care about variety, taste and freshness? Pets care a whole lot about how fresh the food tastes. In the pet food world it’s called “palatability” and you can achieve that in one of two ways. You can literally make the foods and ship direct to customers so that it is fresh, or you can load the food up with fat enhancers and sugars to alter the taste of stale food. Nulo chooses to ship direct — we bypass nine to 14 months of sitting on trucks, warehouses and retail store shelves.
How can pet owners judge what tastes good to their cat or dog?
Certainly how they respond to the food. Especially dogs. Some cats are what is called “neophobic” when it comes to food; they get used to one thing and resist switching. Eventually they will make the switch. The key is selecting what’s best for them.
Keep in mind, too, that a number of companies have begun to put in fairly high quantities of sugar and other sweeteners to encourage addiction to their product. This is another reason why reading the ingredients is so important.
It’s clear that Nulo is more than just a pet food product — it’s an online community. Is Nulo intended to benefit pet owners as much as their pets?
If the pet wins, then the pet owner wins, and then Nulo wins. It’s that simple. If we can educate pet owners how to read ingredient labels, we’re confident they’ll come back to us. I’m convinced that if all pet foods were put in brown paper bags, their ingredients written in magic marker on the front, then all lined up in a row, the landscape of the pet food industry would change overnight. People would be shocked at what is actually in the most popular brands they perceive to be healthy.
Do you have pets? What are their favorite Nulo products?
I have Max, a beautiful English Black Labrador. He’s an avid swimmer like his daddy and his absolute favorite Nulo meal is the Lamb and Brown Rice dry food, but I also like to give him variety with the Salmon and Chicken recipes.
PET FOOD FOR THOUGHT
According to Landa, studies out of Purdue University have shown that the faster pet food gets to the bowl, the better – purely from a nutritional standpoint. As one scientist put it, “the nutrition is in the freshness.” After about six months (which is before most pet foods even get to the shelf), fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins have broken down to the point where antioxidant properties no longer exist. They also found that cancer-causing agents called aldehydes can get created in the process.
We all love to eat what tastes good, especially when it’s high in nutrients and leaves us feeling healthy. Our pets are no different; they love to eat fresh, wholesome, great-tasting food. When they feel healthy, they’re happier and more energetic, which makes us more satisfied owners.
While we all know the challenges of maintaining a healthy diet for ourselves, the fact is we have it pretty easy compared to our pets. We choose what and when we eat, we have almost unlimited variety in our diets and our fitness isn’t dependent upon anyone else. Our food supply — though riddled with unhealthy options — is also replete with rich, flavorful and healthy fare.
Unfortunately, our pets aren’t quite as lucky. The majority of their food comes from a bag or a can, has an interminable shelf life and is often manufactured with cheap and nutrient-poor ingredients. Plus, the success of a pet food is often measured by its marketing effectiveness and profitability, rather than its overall nutrition.
So, as caring pet owners, the real trick is finding ways to responsibly feed our pets. This is just as important as spending quality time, petting or taking them out for a walk everyday. While it may be easy to hoist the cheapest bag of pet food into your shopping cart, choosing one that consists mostly of cornmeal, wheat, rice, soy, and any number of other random ingredients can have long-term effects on your pet’s health and ultimately their happiness.
This is where Austin’s very own pet food company — Nulo — comes in. Where “nutrition meets love,” Nulo offers a revolutionary line of all-natural pet foods that are not only the healthiest on the market, but conveniently delivered fresh to your door. Bypassing the fat enhancers and sugars that alter the taste of stale food, as well as months of sitting on trucks and retail store shelves, Nulo is made from the highest-grade, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, complex carbs (like whole brown rice and oatmeal) and real chicken, lamb and beef. You won’t find any processed corn products on their ingredient list either.
And Nulo is more than just a healthy business — it’s a real community. Pet owners (or just pet lovers) can visit Nulo’s website to read or post testimonials, take part in the Nulo blog or pledge to participate in the Nu Campaign for Pet Obesity, a promise to provide pets with optimal nutrition and raise awareness about pet health.
We recently sat down with Nulo founder and co-owner Michael Landa for a candid and revealing chat about the ins and outs of the pet food industry, how his business got started and why pet nutrition is so important. If nothing else, this interview will make you think twice the next time you hit the pet store or pop open that can of Alpo.
10 Questions with Mike Landa, Nulo CEO
What was the main reason for starting Nulo?
In 2001 I started a company called The Pet Staff in Los Angeles that has become one of the largest pet care companies in the U.S.
As we’ve literally been on the front lines of feeding pets, I got to personally experience the consequences of feeding sub-standard nutrition, and too much of it. Most people think they’re feeding healthy food when most often that’s not the case at all. There are six multi-national food companies controlling more than 85 percent of an $18 billion U.S. market. And they’ve mastered the skill of making garbage look healthy.
I decided enough was enough. I hired one of the world’s leading animal nutrition scientists and worked with him for nearly two years to develop our own line of dog and cat foods. The pets eating Nulo have shown great results in terms of healthier coats, better digestion and overall energy levels.
Was there something in particular about Austin that made it a good fit for Nulo, or was the location just a coincidence?
Coincidence, no. Austin is the third friendliest pet city in America and the no. 1 city for starting a business according to Forbes Magazine. Combine this with Austin’s incredibly talented labor pool and it’s a no-brainer that we’re here. Besides, Nulo’s co-founder Brett Montana is a University of Texas alum and now he’s that much closer for the games.
What’s the most common mistake pet owners make in choosing a food for their pets?
Great question. There are two. The overwhelming answer is that too many people rely on packaging visuals to select their dog or cat food. Big mistake.
Packaging design and their representations are not regulated in the United States. Most of the top-selling brands of food show incredible slabs of meat, fresh veggies and fruits and healthy, happy pets on the cover. The majority of the time, what’s actually in the bag has very little to do with the imagery. Look at the ingredient listing for corn, corn gluten meal, wheat, soy, soybean, by-products, animal fat, sugar, caramel color, powdered cellulose, Red 40 and Yellow 5. If you see any of these ingredients, you’ve got a cheap and potentially harmful food.
Another key mistake pet owners make is relying exclusively on food recommendations from their veterinarian. Most people are not aware that the veterinary association has an economic relationship with the “vet recommended” food sold by member vets.
Why should pet owners be willing to pay more for their pets’ food, especially when so many families are budgeting now more than ever?
Pay now, or pay later, both in terms of veterinary bills and emotional toll. Poor nutrition will impact the way your pet feels and what happens later on in its life. Also, what most people don’t realize is that if you break it down to a cost per meal basis, there’s little difference in the price of a cheap supermarket brand and a premium food. You have to feed a lot more cheap food to meet daily requirements. Remember the old Total cereal commercial where one bowl of Total equals six bowls of the leading brand? Same concept. Don’t compare bag costs; compare how many cups you have to feed, and how many cups are in the bag. You’ll be surprised to find that it doesn’t actually cost much more to feed the best food possible.
Is there a relationship between the obesity epidemics happening in humans and pets?
Yes. If you eat a lot of starchy, corn-based foods and don’t exercise, you know what happens. You gain weight. Well, the same holds true for our cats and dogs. While extending your hand with a treat may feel good to you, it’s not helping your pet. We’re under-nourishing and over-portioning our pets. When we look at them, we think they’re cute little fur balls. What we don’t think about is how crummy they feel, how difficult it is for them to groom themselves or how out-of-breath they get. Not to mention that we’re setting them up for diabetes, joint disease and even cancer down the line.
What impact do you think The Nu Campaign for Pet Obesity will have on the fitness of pet owners?
When you exercise your pet, you’re also exercising, so it benefits you both. The Nu Campaign for Pet Obesity was established to get pet parents thinking about what and how much they’re feeding their pets and coupling that with appropriate amounts of exercise. I like to say, “Pets don’t have eating disorders, people have feeding disorders.” If people get serious about helping their pets lose weight, they’ll naturally evaluate their own eating and exercise habits as well.
Do pets have the same food values as humans?
That is, do they care about variety, taste and freshness? Pets care a whole lot about how fresh the food tastes. In the pet food world it’s called “palatability” and you can achieve that in one of two ways. You can literally make the foods and ship direct to customers so that it is fresh, or you can load the food up with fat enhancers and sugars to alter the taste of stale food. Nulo chooses to ship direct — we bypass nine to 14 months of sitting on trucks, warehouses and retail store shelves.
How can pet owners judge what tastes good to their cat or dog?
Certainly how they respond to the food. Especially dogs. Some cats are what is called “neophobic” when it comes to food; they get used to one thing and resist switching. Eventually they will make the switch. The key is selecting what’s best for them.
Keep in mind, too, that a number of companies have begun to put in fairly high quantities of sugar and other sweeteners to encourage addiction to their product. This is another reason why reading the ingredients is so important.
It’s clear that Nulo is more than just a pet food product — it’s an online community. Is Nulo intended to benefit pet owners as much as their pets?
If the pet wins, then the pet owner wins, and then Nulo wins. It’s that simple. If we can educate pet owners how to read ingredient labels, we’re confident they’ll come back to us. I’m convinced that if all pet foods were put in brown paper bags, their ingredients written in magic marker on the front, then all lined up in a row, the landscape of the pet food industry would change overnight. People would be shocked at what is actually in the most popular brands they perceive to be healthy.
Do you have pets? What are their favorite Nulo products?
I have Max, a beautiful English Black Labrador. He’s an avid swimmer like his daddy and his absolute favorite Nulo meal is the Lamb and Brown Rice dry food, but I also like to give him variety with the Salmon and Chicken recipes.
PET FOOD FOR THOUGHT
According to Landa, studies out of Purdue University have shown that the faster pet food gets to the bowl, the better – purely from a nutritional standpoint. As one scientist put it, “the nutrition is in the freshness.” After about six months (which is before most pet foods even get to the shelf), fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins have broken down to the point where antioxidant properties no longer exist. They also found that cancer-causing agents called aldehydes can get created in the process.
2-Time Gold Medalist and Athletic Foodie: Garrett Weber-Gale, July 2009 Issue
Rip Esselstyn Wants You to Eat Your Vegetables, February 2009 Issue
Eat More Green for Less Green, April 2009 Issue
