Palm oil is an ingredient that can be found in just about anything. In fact, a quick Google search will reveal that palm oil is used in nearly half of the packaged products that can be found in any old supermarket. It’s found in human food, such as ice cream, chocolate, and donuts, as well as non-food items for human consumption such as shampoo, deodorant, shampoo, and toothpaste.

However popular it is, it’s important to note that palm oil is not a conflict-free ingredient. The growth in demand for this vegetable oil has led to plantations in valuable rainforests, destroying the ecosystem and contributing to global warming. Additionally, corporations often remove indigenous people from their homelands to expand their palm oil plantations, which is a human rights violation. Unsurprisingly, palm oil can also be found in many pet food brands.

But why is palm oil still being found in pet food brands? Despite the recent consumer shift towards better and healthier pet food products that contain fewer or no by-products of corn, wheat, or soy (or any sort of grain for cats), palm oil is still appearing in pet food products under the names “glycerin” and “propylene glycol”. On other ingredient lists, it simply appears as “pure palm-oil”. But why is it found in pet foods?

For a start, palm oil is a cheap filler ingredient that does not benefit or enhance your pet’s well-being in any way at all. That’s why we’ve opted to use the fatty acids Omega 3 and 6 in our food instead, which makes our pet food much healthier for your furry friend. Plus, they’re obtained through much more sustainable sources—most notably from cold-water mackerel, farmed off the coast of pristine New Zealand. These fish-derived fatty acids have been linked to healthy ageing in human beings, and can help manage inflammation in pets, especially in the skin, coat, and joints.

While other brands might state that their pet food products have been enriched with EPA and DHA, you can rest assured knowing that the fats in earthmade pet food come from the fish meal in them, making them the perfect all-rounded hypoallergenic meal for your pet.