The company's employees attend weekly meetings - often with their dogs poised by their sides - where both humans and animals carefully taste both individual dehydrated bits of the organic dog and cat food mixture, as well as the final product, to make sure the pets are getting nothing but the best.

The company got the OK from the FDA to use the term "Human grade pet food" on all of its labels. According to a rep from the company, the food is "probably a little bland by most human standards," but compared to what they imagine ordinary pet food to taste like, "really quite delicious!" (That answers the next obvious question: do the testers taste their competitors' food, too?)

Even the packaging is appealing and atypical for animal food - multicolored boxes with enticing names like "verve," "force," and "embark" that aren't a far reach from the packaged granola available for humans. They also make treats and supplements.

I'll admit, it sounds a bit odd at first, but after the recent horrific incidents of dogs becoming ill from tainted dog food, it's nice that a company takes this much care in producing a quality, safe product for their best buds.

Sure, just keep it away from the lions. Ha! Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week!

The Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago is asking the city council for a license to sell beer and wine. Not in carts in the middle of the zoo but at the restaurants on the zoo site (they already serve alcohol at a restaurant just outside of the zoo). They want to be able to serve beer and wine at the zoo's cafeteria and the Big Cat's Cafe, which is near the lion's cage (and I swear I made the above joke before I even read that part).

Is this a good idea? Sure, revenue would increase to $300,000-400,000, but shouldn't there just be some places in this country where alcohol isn't a part of the equation?

The Food and Drug Administration has concluded that "meat and milk from clones and their progeny is as safe to eat as corresponding products derived from animals produced using contemporary agricultural practices," meaning that not only is the meat likely to be approved for human consumption and sold at stores, but that there will be no label to distinguish it from natural meat. Consumer groups want to see a label on the meat because most (64%) people are uncomfortable with the idea of eating cloned food, but the FDA's decision is based on the fact that there is no food safety issue in question, and no need to "warn" people about what they're eating in this case. "The bottom line is, we don't want to misinform consumers with some sort of implied message of difference," said one researcher, although this does seem to be at odds with existence of labels that indicate the difference between organic/nonorganic produce and grass fed beef, where there is not necessarily a health risk or benefit in question.

The Consumer Federation of America said that they, along with other groups, will ask food companies and supermarkets not to carry food from clones. "Meat and milk from cloned animals have no benefit for consumers, and consumers don't want them in their foods."

Food safety inspectors in New York have their hands full regulating the sale of illegal meats. And they're not talking about foie gras. Markets all over the city carry exotic meats to cater to immigrants who are used to fare beyond chicken and beef. Inspectors have found everything from armadillos to cow lungs to gorilla meat and a lot of it is illegal.

The issue is not necessarily about which animals are being eaten - although it is illegal to eat endangered or threatened species (like gorillas) - but is instead about the lack of regulation of these meats. Neither the shopkeepers nor the customers necessarily know about food safety, and when the shopkeepers don't uphold the state and federal standards, anyone who purchases from them could be at risk. Unprocessed meats or meat prepared outside of a certified and inspected facility can contain potentially dangerous bacteria, like salmonella or botulism. Some of these "exotic" meats are perfectly permissible - turtles, frogs, iguana and armadillos - if they come from a licensed facility, although they rarely do.

One of the primary issues is that inspectors find the food being sold in heavily immigrant neighborhoods, where language can be a barrier between food safety guidelines and those selling the food. The city health department supports ordering business owners to take state-approved food safety courses that teach about hygiene and cross contamination in an effort to continue their goal of preventing food-related sickness or epidemics.

Animal welfare is clearly a hot topic in the supermarket these days, as anyone can see just by taking a look at all the different types of labels and certifications that are meant to convince us that the animals we are eating led full, happy lives before they became dinner. The current list includes labels such as "free farmed," "certified humane," "cage free" and "free range," among others. Whole Foods is adding a new term to this group: animal compassionate.

"Animal compassionate" sets some of the following standards of care for animals: "Castration of sheep prohibited; electric prod on beef cattle permitted in emergencies; tail docking of pigs not allowed."

But in the end, these labels - many of which are developed by animal welfare groups or, as in this case, the stores that carry the products - are really just another security blanket for consumers who like the idea of an animal playing in a field and looking happy. It makes them feel good, like they're doing the right thing from the animal's perspective. It might also confuse consumers, many of whom already have difficulty choosing between organic, hormone/antibiotic free and grass fed animals.

You have probably seen cartons of eggs in the store from "free range" or "cage free" hens, but what about all those other eggs on the shelves? At stores like Wild Oats and Whole Foods, only cage-less eggs are sold, but by some estimates, the eggs from caged hens in an ordinary grocery store could be more than 80% of those on the shelves. Eggs from caged hens are not labeled in any particular way, leaving consumers with the impression that the eggs have a blank slate. In other words, if it doesn't clearly state the eggs' origin, consumers aren't going to spend too much time thinking about it even if they don't support caging chickens.

At least, this is the theory put forward by Washington DC council member Jim Graham, who is proposing a law that would require supermarkets to display signs stating that "Eggs may be from caged hens" on displays of eggs not labeled otherwise. He says that this would increase consumer awareness for the issue, which is receiving more and more attention from animal rights groups, as well as individuals who are "interested in protecting animals"

It's something of a mystery as to where the FOX network gets some of their programming ideas, so the original inspiration for this particular segment is anyone's guess. Since Takeru Kobayshi can out-eat just about anybody, FOX decided to have him face off against a Kodiak bear - an 8-ft tall, 1000-lb animal - in a hot dog eating competition.

The clip is pretty funny, actually. The announcers treat it almost like a wrestling match and the best line is when they start to talk about the bear's technique vs. Kobayashi's. "[The bear] has a very different approach to eating. See, he looks away and he takes a break. He doesn't know it's a competition. He's just a natural eating machine." For his part, Kobayashi definitely knew it was a competition and didn't take his eyes off the bear.

Who emerged victorious? You'll have to watch the clip to find out, but I will say that someone is already eagerly awaiting a rematch.

Even though this is a story about an animal and we primarily concentrate on food for people here at Slashfood, it could be used to teach a valuable lesson to kids whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs.

An 18-ft long python was rendered unable to move after swallowing a pregnant sheep whole. Pythons do not eat more than once per week and when they do, they can unhinge their jaws to devour the first thing they come across. This particular python was captured by firefighters in Kuala Lumpur where it was blocking the road after its meal and is now being held by conservationists.

In the past, pythons have encountered some serious problems when they have employed poor judgment in food choices. Last year, for example, a surgeon (also in Kuala Lumpur ) had to operate on a python to remove a queen-sized electric blanket that it had consumed. A snake in Florida actually exploded after attempting to eat an alligator.

The lesson is to really consider your food choices. Even though you may not explode after having that triple hot fudge sundae, it might be best to stick to a single scoop just to be on the safe side.

A bill that bans the sale of horses for human consumption passed in the House yesterday and is an important step in protecting an animal that is an icon of American culture. Though they are classified as livestock, most regard horses are companion animals due to the unique working relationships that they form with people, through work as cart and police horses and their performance in sports and recreational activities. There are three slaughterhouses in the US, all foreign-owned, that process horse meat for human consumption in places like Japan and parts of Europe. About 90,000 horses from the US are killed each year, either at those plants or after being shipped across borders to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada.

The bill still has to pass through the Senate before it becomes law, but this is generally regarded as a huge victory for those in the horse industry - except for those who profit from the horse slaughter industry, of course - across the country.

In the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, a group of approximately 40 demonstrators gathered to protest the sale of cat meat at the Fangji Cat Meatball restaurant. Protestors initially demanded that any live cats on the premises be freed or turned over to them, but the shop owner had already removed them from the premises. Instead, a search of the kitchen revealed cat meat and a whole, skinned cat in the fridge, which reduced some of the protestors to tears. The restaurant was chosen as the site of the protest because workers at the restaurant had been seen killing cats in the street, something which concerned parents said was traumatic for children attending school nearby.

The owner of the shop defended the sale and consumption of cats - which are, along with dogs, considered to be traditional, comforting fare in the province - but said that he would close his shop.

Perhaps due to outside influences and the increasing popularity of having dogs and cats as pets, the animal rights movement is gaining momentum in China. An increasing perception of these animals as companions and not food could eventually put a stop to the practice all together.

A local beauty queen, who participated in the protest, even urged people to "stop eating cats and dogs and become civilised."

In truth, no studies have confirmed that all grass-fed beef is better for you than regular beef - the majority of which is "finished" on a diet of other grains, like corn, and soybeans. There are two things that make grass-fed beef appealing, though: the flavor and the idea that the cow is living a healthier, happier life in some field, not crammed onto a feed lot.

Under current regulations, any beef can be labeled "grass fed." The cattle industry says that the diet of most cows is about 75% grass, more than likely consumed as they are growing and before they are shipped to a feed lot. Farmers who raise their cattle entirely on grass and natural forage want to implement a labeling system that recognizes beef that is at least 99% grass-fed. This beef is not necessarily organic, though it can be.

A city councilman in Philidelphia, Jack Kelly, has developed a plan that would block the sale of foie gras. Modeled after the Chicago ban, which prevents foie gras from being sold by retailers and at restaurants, Kelly suggests implementing similar measures. Predictably, there is resistance from some in the restaurant community. Retailers like Assouline & Ting, which supplies foie gras to eateries, also oppose the ban, saying that they would have to lay of some employees if that sector of their business was curtailed.

There is obviously at least some support for the proposal, as there is a petition online with over 1,300 signatures in favor of a city-wide ban.

For many shoppers, knowing that their food is organic is important. They don't like the idea of their food being treated with chemicals and other unknown substances before it reaches them. These same shoppers' interest in their food now extends all the way back to the farm - and not just for vegetables and fruits. The movement for seeing "certified humane" labeling on animal products is gaining popularity.

The label originated in 2003, when the nonprofit Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) developed a set of standards by which the quality of life and care for farm animals could be judged and designed a label to bring that standard of care to public attention. The USDA verifies the process. The "Certified Humane Raised & Handled" label means that a producer has passed inspection and certifies that their meat, poultry, egg and/or dairy animals are raised to humane care standards. Standards require that the animals have access to clean water and sufficient food and live in a comfortable environment, protected from the elements in inclement weather but with plenty of room to move and exercise naturally. Caretakers must also be trained in animal husbandry and welfare, and there is a prohibition on growth hormones and antibiotics.

 

A younger exposure to wine is likely to foster an increase in appreciation of the beverage, so consumers will be looking not only for more wines, but for better wines. The problem is that you have to start somewhere and it can be difficult to know what you're getting by looking at the bottle. One strategy is to only take recommendations from friends and gradually branch out from there. Another is to extensively research each wine before you buy it, consulting the experts and the internet. If you are at the store and want to buy a bottle at that moment, however, you might face an impressive selection without a clue as to what to buy. Which bottle will you reach for?

An article in the New York Times Magazine reported that the sales of a specific sort of wine have reached over $600 million annually. It’s not burgundy, chardonnay or merlot - not specifically, anyway -  that’s selling, but it just might be the wine that you reach for when confronted with too many same-looking options: wines with animals on their labels.

It might seem like a label design would be an unreliable way to select a wine, but a great logo can help cement a good reputation in the mind of the buyer. And things besides wine are selected on their looks every day: book covers, clothing and potential dates. Why should wines stick to plain labels with scripted fonts when a bold design will jump out and grab a consumer's attention? My only question is why an animal label might attract a buyer more than a flashy, non-animal label, all other things being equal.

The British Food Standards Agency estimates that there are 3.5-million vegetarians and 250,000 vegans in the UK and, after consultation with both vegetarian and vegan groups, have decided to formulate labeling guidelines to food producers to follow. There is lots of confusion about the definitions of the terms among consumers, as well as manufacturers. Generally speaking, vegetarians refrain from eating meat products and vegans avoid all animal-derived products, including dairy and eggs. The purpose of introducing such guidelines is to prevent manufacturers from incorrectly identifying products as "vegetarian" or "vegan" when they actually contain meat-based or animal derived ingredients. To be sure all their bases were covered, the also defined the term "animals." With standards in place, consumers no longer need to worry that what they are picking up might contain undisclosed ingredients. The official guidelines are:

"Vegetarian: The term 'vegetarian' should not be applied to foods that are, or are made from, or with, the aid of products derived from animals that have died, have been slaughtered, or animals that die as a result of being eaten.

Animals means farmed, wild or domestic animals, including for example, livestock poultry, game, fish, shellfish, crustacea, amphibians, tunicates, echinoderms, mollusks and insects.

Vegan: The term 'vegan' should not be applied to foods that are, or are made from, or with, the aid of animals or animal products (including products from living animals)."