The recent threat of U.S. tariffs and a possible trade war have brought “Buy Canadian” to the front of people’s minds again which, I admit, is refreshing. Many of my clients already embrace the practise, and to that end, all our raw foods and a good portion of our other foods and treats are Canadian-sourced and made. Wherever we possibly can, we’ve been proponents of buying Canadian.

In the past, there was once some concern that Canadian pet-food industry was not as heavily inspected as that of the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had protocols in place that do not exist in Canada, which led some people to question whether American brands were safer than Canadian.

Remember, though, regulations and inspections are only important if producers insist on manufacturing only to the minimum standards. More important than regulations are how manufacturers choose to operate. They can choose to do the minimum and produce foods that may be inexpensive, but at what risk? Or they can choose to manufacture to higher standards, using higher-quality ingredients and better manufacturing practices, and rely on customers choosing their products for those reasons.

It’s not too difficult to determine who owns a brand of food, and what their standards are. By sticking with smaller, family owned-and-operated brands, concerns about manufacturing short cuts and ingredient-compromise t are reduced dramatically. Knowing and meeting the people in charge of products we sell has made me much more confident about having their products in the store for my customers and my pets.

In the U.S., some regulations and inspections may be eliminated by the current administration. So, any notion that U.S.-made foods are “safer” is now moot. I’m not saying every pet food manufacturer will throw safety procedures out the window to make more profit, but there will be those that take advantage of the opportunity to do so.

Even more concerning is that the American food-production industry, for humans and animals/pets, may now be a free for all. What results from this, we will have to wait and see.

At best, everything stays the same with U.S.-made foods. At worst, we may see tragic outcomes with no one taking responsibility. Even with regulatory systems in place, we have still seen large recalls for salmonella, vitamin toxicity and chemical contamination, causing thousands of pet deaths. With oversight stripped away, the potential for tragedy is increased dramatically.

It takes a little time and research, or finding a trusted adviser, to arrive upon a plan for keeping your pets’ food as safe as you can. Good food doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. But, as the saying goes – “You don’t always get what you pay for, but you never get what you don’t pay for.”

Our beloved animal companions deserve us taking the time to keep their food supply safe.