Kumpi Dog Food

[Davis]

I do not have time to say much right now, being busy with other matters, but I continue to be very concerned about pet company owners/representatives being allowed on this forum.  These last posts are a perfect example of why.  If someone has an issue with something that is said to them by another poster, then that person can address it, and if necessary, even take it to a higher level.  However, I think it is highly inappropriate for the company owner of the food to jump in and reprimand the poster. 

This is a community for pet owners apart from the industry, to speak freely.  For me personally, something very valuable has been lost in allowing this.  This is my opinion, and I will stand by it. However, I do realize that most of you have said you want this interaction. So be it. This decision has been and always will be Therese's.  I would just prefer to have any interaction with these companies done through contacting them directly.  Or, I suggest that if they want to speak to the people, they should open their own forums and invite us. 

[sylvia]

Once again I find myself confused about what goes and what does not on this site.  Therese says Pet Food people are welcome if they identify themselves and do not advertise. I have read Summer's (Evy's) couple of posts and can find nothing that anyone could call advertising. There is no phone number, email, website, etc posted like another company rep has on his posts. ( I actually have no problem with that either.) No promoting or anything remotely resembling advertisement  just her subjective expressions of concern as other pet owners have posted.
So now I say to myself what's up about this single non recalled company that causes so many skeptics?  So maybe we are looking at it all wrong.  Are a few of you employed by her nearest competitor?  Very clever strategy I must say if true. "You coulda fooled me."
Another beautiful morning (but rain is coming) on the Jersey shore.

[Therese]

OK, I'm reading all of your concerns about company owners being able to post on here. I've been a bit uncomfortable with some of the posts that I've seen...both from company folks and from some of the members. As I've mentioned before this forum is NOT meant to be a platform for anyone to advertise their business. On the other hand, if I ban company owners completely then I'm fully aware of the fact that we'll have them here in disguise, which isn't good either. I'm fairly certain there are some of those here anyway.

Let me give it some thought before I make any type of rule about this (geez....I hate rules).  If anybody has any concerns about this please email me privately.

[Cindy Nevarez]

Just adding (again) my 2 cents about this "advertising." RE: Davis's concern, I wonder if Evy was not who she is and defending someone who obviously loves her food, if she would have reprimanded another poster in that regard. I think not. She's kind of like a lioness protecting her cub in my view. You can read whatever you want in that.
RE: Sylvia's view of Evy just being subjective and not advertising. Maybe, however, if all of us here had not been reading many of Evy's posts all this time, we might not be able to recognize them for what they are. But she has "mannerisms" if you will in her style of writing that some of us come to see readily. However, new people may not yet see it ( another concern of Davis's perhaps). Also, some people looking at the reprimand might think 'what the heck was that?' and draw conclusions based on that alone. In any case, I think at this point the "professionals" are letting their true colors show to people who want to see them, and the others who don't.....well, maybe they never will.
I guess what I'm saying is that adding new rules about these posters, might not really change the way we think about it, and in fact might obstruct the path of reasoning in some of our minds who would welcome more revealing posts from those where we might want to see those different sides of themselves. In the end certain people might dig their own graves so to speak, and others might be handing them the shovel.

[garypen]

I think it's great that pet food industry owners, execs, or reps of any kind are allowed to post, as long as it's within the guidelines that Therese had posted. It adds another dimension to the discussion. I wish more than only two were doing it (even if one of them is overly sensitive).

Imagine how much better forums about space travel would be, if Nasa engineers were posting. Or, forums about racing, if drivers and automotive engineers participated. Or, forums about embarrassing buffoons if George W Bush were allowed to have somebody post for him. They would all be better for it, as this forum is by allowing PFI members post.

[Cindy Nevarez]

Ok....first of all, Bush has made sure that everyone in his administration is 1 - 10 notches below him on the brain-cell count level, so that he can constantly surround himself with people who make him look like the smartest one in the group (maybe with the exception of Rice, but she's such a brown-noser that the facade still works). So a poster FOR him would come off sounding like one from "Brownie" (the Katrina guy).

Also, the reason we've only got 2 PFI people on here might be fear-based; fear of what we might say to them, and fear of how deep they might dig their OWN graves. But they should still make an effort...at least it would show some guts.

[eternaljester81]

Just so you know, Evy is not a member of the Pet Food Industry, or whatever the official name is of the conglomerates of pet food. She's opted not to join since she disagrees with much of what they stand for...if I may speak on her behalf.

[garypen]

Evy and Kumpi are definitely a part of the pet food industry. It's as simple as that. They may not be a member of the Pet Food Institute, also known by the acronym PFI. (Perhaps that is where your confusion comes from?)

But, as makers of pet food, are certainly part of the industry itself.  A good part, undoubtedly. But, a part, never the less.

[eternaljester81]

Garypen,
Pet Food Institute is what I meant, but the 'I' in PFI had momentarily escaped me. Thank you for aiding me in clarification.

[garypen]

BTW, the PFI isn't just the big guys. Of course, one would expect Nestle/Purina, Mars, Hills, P&G/Iams, Del Monte, and Nutro.

But, it also includes:
Bil-Jac Foods, Inc.  www.bil-jac.com
Castor & Pollux Pet Works  www.castorpolluxpet.com
Dad's Pet Care  www.dadsproducts.com
Eight In One Pet Products, Inc  www.eightinonepet.com
Kent Feeds  www.kentfeeds.com
Merrick Pet Foods, Inc.  www.merrickpetcare.com
Midwestern Pet Foods  www.propacpetfood.com
Natura Pet Products  www.naturapet.com
Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc.  www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Natural Life Pet Products  www.fament.com/natlife
Ohio Pet Foods  www.ohiopetfoods.com
Old Mother Hubbard  www.omhpet.com
Pro-Pet  www.propet.com
 
 

[eternaljester81]

I knew several members were smaller companies, but wasn't really sure who they were. Does anyone know exactly what the PFI does?

[Cindy Nevarez]

Ditto here, I didn't even know there was such an Institute. I was thinking Pet Food Industry only.

[Tommyboy]

http://www.petfoodinstitute.org/

[eternaljester81]

Yeah, I probably should have thought of that...

[SunHawk]

Two reasons for adding my $0.02 to this thread:

1st)  PLEASE try to keep the thread on topic, which is supposed to be about Kumpi pet foods.  When the thread sidetracks into politics, the PFI [industry OR Institute], and/or something else, those of us who are concerned and apprehensive about what to feed and come here to research alternative brands, are not helped at all.  IMHO, please take the politics to a proper forum, and the personality conflicts/slamming should be taken private - better yet, should not be done at all. 

2nd)  Re pet food mftrs' ability to post on these forums:  I think such posts are desirable and mftrs ought to be encouraged to post more often.  "Insider info", if you will, provides us mere peon consumers another avenue for obtaining crucial information about the quality (or lack thereof) of various pet foods.  Information from varied sources allows intelligent humans to make well-reasoned and educated decisions.  Is this not why we are all here in the first place?  Personally, I would LOVE to read posts from mftrs who state with specificity exactly what goes into their products, where all the ingredients are grown/created and processed, who does that growing & processing, and all the rest of the details.  In other words, total, complete, honest  transparency.  Yep, I know .... that will happen just as soon as gas goes down to $0.25/gal . 

FWIW, I have never used any Kumpi product nor have I ever communicated with anyone at Kumpi.  I don't trust any pet food mftr at this point; I don't even trust human food mftrs now.  Nonetheless, it does strike me as positive that one or more members of the Kumpi company have been willing to publically post here and elsewhere, in what appears to be an honest effort to educate and help pet parents help their beloved critters, despite being subjected to continued criticism for doing so.   To me, that says a lot about their corporate integrity - Your mileage may vary.