Paula Deen To Launch New Pet Product Line

Since the explosion of cooking shows on TV, we’ve become obsessed with celebrity chefs and their unique food creations. Gone are the days when TV dinners were the rage and we silently groaned when that one piece of corn cooked its way onto our brownie. Now our pets are the target audience of the new trend in food: celebrity chef pet products. Television chefs such as Rachel Ray and celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, have all been cornering their own sections of the pet food market with their special brands. Now Paula Deen, the downhome, Southern-fried, butter-loving chef, wants your pets to know her name.

What Paula Deen Wants To Feed Your Pet

Paula Deen in the kitchen, from one of her YouTube videos. If you think Paula Deen’s cooking up biscuits and gravy for your pet, you’re in for a surprise. Paula’s statement on her website says that she wants to feed our pets because she loves them and “they deserve healthy food that tastes good, too—just like we do.” She partnered with the women-owned and family-operated Hugs Pet Products, a company that was only in the cooling mat and pet toy market, to create meat-first protein sources that contain omega-3s and omega-6s and essential vitamins and minerals to keep your pets in good shape. Paula’s food even contains probiotics and shiny coat loving vitamins such as biotin. Her food is currently only available for dogs in three flavors: beef and rice, chicken and rice, and lamb and rice. But stay tuned for Grain Free Jerky Bites (salmon & sweet potato, and turkey, pea, & berry flavors), a wheat free dog baking mix (peanut butter, and southern chicken flavors), and even silicone baking pans in bone and paw shapes for hot and cold homemade treats.

What Kind of Standards Does It Meet?

Under the guidelines of the Association of American Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO, there are minimum standards to be met in order for animal food to be considered complete and balanced. Being certified means standards were met in two categories: adult maintenance, and growth and reproduction for puppies and pregnant/lactating gals. Meeting these standards takes laboratory analyses and feeding trials. The food label will state by which method the food has been vetted. While Paula’s pet food is AAFCO-certified for dogs in all stages of life, check the ingredients carefully if your pet has food allergies. Even though protein is the first ingredient, Paula’s food also contains corn gluten meal, animal meal, soybean meal, and fillers such as beet pulp. While these are all safe to an extent, other premium pet food brands take a more holistic approach and leave them out. Whether Paula Deen’s trying to create a better dog food or just cashing in on the celebrity pet food market, she’s sure having fun creating treats for the animals she loves. If you’re a fan of the Southern belle, you’ll enjoy her take on pet food for your pups. You’ll have to let us know if it smells like fried chicken.