Petco has promised to stop selling all dog and cat food that contains artificial ingredients. The retailer announced Tuesday that it would be removing all items from its shelves that contain artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
The decision is part of the brand’s commitment to pet health, and is meant to position the brand back in front of pet owners that consider their pets as members of the family and want to feed them as such, The San Diego Union Tribune reports. It also follows a recent move by Amazon to start offering its own Amazon-branded dog food.
More than 50 artificial ingredients will be banned from Petco shelves starting in January. The ban will impact a number or larger well-known pet food brands including Pedigree and Cat Chow. Petco is reportedly working with those manufacturers to encourage them to switch to offering food with all natural ingredients.
Petco expects to have all foods with artificial ingredients removed from its shelves by May 2019, with the exception of Pro Plan and Science Diet Urinary formulas for cats which both contain titanium dioxide, which is needed to treat a cat health issue and has no artificial-free alternative.
Petco currently operates 1,500 stores and employs roughly 25,000 people.