Magic Competition

The various winners from the Morning Show with Kevin and Jane on Magic1278. All these beautiful souls were selected by the Magic team and went home with a healthy Nature's Gift prize pack.

THE DOGS

THE CATS

Philip Brady

Recently Nature's Gift underwent a label change and we want to pay tribute to our beloved friends Phil Brady and Matt (was the famous face of the Veal 700g can for 6 years). We love all the support and work you do for 3AW and us.

No Sulphur Dioxide in our Pet Food!

A recent investigation into the presence of sulphur dioxide in pet food has spurred a number of people to ask whether Nature's Gift products contain the controversial preservative.

We are pleased to inform all of our loyal customers that our pet food does NOT contain sulphur dioxide.

This ingredient has proven to reduce Vitamin B (also known as thiamine) levels in food which can potentially result in a deficiency that can be harmful to the health of your pet. This ingredient can be found in some fresh meats and helps in preserving its appearance. Nature's Gift uses only pure, fresh meat in our products that has no need for any such preservative to be used.

Here at Nature's Gift, we are very proud of our products and we believe that our Australian meats cooked with fresh Aussie Vegetables and further mixed with other healthy, all natural ingredients mean that you can purchase our products with confidence.

We look forward to continuing to assist you in keeping a 'Healthy Pet for Life.'

Our Stance on Puppy Farms

Nature's Gift's has always and will continue to promote the nutritional and health benefits of feeding a puppy or adult dog on our all natural pet food. In response to some recent questions regarding our stance on "Puppy Farms" we wish to state:

As an Australian Pet Food Manufacturer, we support whole heartedly the efforts of the RSPCA, Oscar's Law, Licenced Breeders and Local Councils/Governments who are working together to:

• form regulations; and
• define minimum standards and guidelines - which ensures illegal and even legal businesses and breeders have to meet in order to ensure puppies and their mums have to be raised, bred and kept to suitable standards.

From the RSPCA Australian Discussion Paper January 2010 it was defined that 'Puppy farming is the indiscriminate breeding of dogs on a large scale for the purposes of sale. Puppy farms are essentially commercial operations with the emphasis on production and profit with little or no consideration given to the welfare of the animals. Puppy farms are intensive systems with breeding animals and their puppies kept in facilities that fail to meet the animals' psycholological, behavioural, social or physiological needs. As a result many of these animals have a very poor quality of life.'

Nature's Gift's prime interest is to promote good daily nutrition. If you require further information or have concerns please refer them to the RSPCA.

Euromonitor Survey - Dog & Cat Food in Australia

Euromonitor is a global market research company which surveys specific information relating to different industries. In the most recent survey, Nature's Gift was specifically mentioned and we thank everyone for their continuted support. An extract from the survey can be seen below.

From the Dog Food Survey

"Premium wet dog food meanwhile saw the strongest growth in current value terms in 2009 over the previous year, with sales rising by 12%. Value sales growth was supported by 6% volume growth in the year but was also due to consumers trading up, particularly to natural ranges and Australian-produced ranges, such as Nature's Gift. Consequently, this product area saw constant value unit price growth of 3% in 2009."

From the Cat Food Survey

"Domestic players could well gain share in cat food during the forecast period, following the entry of Nature's Gift in 2010. Australian consumers are keen to support Australian producers in general and the irradiation scandal in 2008 and 2009 made many wary of imported products. Nature's Gift is expected to prove highly successful, by offering food that is nutritious, simple, natural and tasty and the company also has sufficient funds to promote its range, along with an extensive distribution network. The entry of Nature's Gift could well be followed by other Australian players during the forecast period, with these likely to focus on offering natural cat food of Australian origin."

Our Stance on Horse Meat in Dog Food

There is a misconception by many people that the commercial pet food industry uses horse meat in their pet food products. Under the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA) horse meat is not used in the manufacture of pet food. Members of this Association, such as Nature’s Gift Australia do not use horse meat in any products and this position is very clear.

However, this Association differs from individual states Pet Meat Associations which allow the use of horse meat (normally sold as fresh meat) to be sold through retail outlets such as pet shops. Horses are still slaughtered throughout knackeries to feed this retail requirement. Not only is this issue a horrid concept, but it’s morally disturbing for all who work with and for Nature’s Gift.

Nature’s Gift never has and never will use horse meat in any of our products. It is our firm corporate belief that pets should have healthy, fresh ingredients free from artificial flavours, colours, preservatives and fillers.

Our fresh meat comes from reputable abattoirs who pride themselves on supplying quality meats. We use human grade ovine, bovine, poultry and kangaroo meat. When we say a product contains beef and chicken, that’s exactly what your pet will be eating.

The PFIAA is in the process of preparing a statement which will advise that its members do not use horse meat in their products and the practice will be frowned upon and dealt with in the appropriate manner.

Supporting Our Community - Kingston City Council Mini Pet Expo

Nature's Gift proudly supports it's local community and has sponsored the Kingston City Council Mini Pet Expo which allows pet owners to register and microchip their pets.

Flipper Cans

On occasion we have, what is known in the food industry as "flipper cans". This means that our can lid will sometimes protrude out slightly from the top and when pressed will move up and down, or flip. There are a few reasons this could occur, but most importantly, the product inside is sterile and safe.

During our filling process, the fresh ingredients are slightly chilled via refrigeration. The ingredients are then minced together at ambient room temperature and sealed in the can using a vacuum seal in the form of steam. The heated steam pulls the lid down toward the ingredients.

The mixture of ambient room temperature, chilled ingredients and heated steam cause a vacuum which sterilises the product, rendering the ingredients safe for consumption.

During extreme heat, the vacuum can be compromised by two elements. One element is that we often overfill the can (to ensure net weight is reached) which inturn increased the expansion during cooking. The second element is during the filling process, we are forcing a dense mixture into the can prior to sealing and due to the fact we don't add water, natural pockets of air can occur. Air pockets expand during cooking and also cause the lid to flip when the product is cooled back to ambient (room) temperature. Although not desirable, does not compromise the quality of our product.  

Nature's Gift - Celebrating 15 years!

Nature's Gift proudly celebrated its 15th anniversary on 2nd October 2010!

Managing Director Paul Beattie lead the company staff celebrations with a beautiful cake, made by one of our many dedicated employees Carolyn Pawsey.

"What makes us most proud are the Nature's Gift people themselves", commented Paul.

Nature's Gift has built its reputation and business on the great relationships it has nurtured with its staff and clients. This has been the backbone of our company, producing an enviable range of the highest quality pet food dedicated to the well-being of our four legged friends.

Whatever the future brings, Nature's Gift is well-positioned to continue producing innovative products that truly support a healthy pet for life.

The Nature's Gift Team in Moorabbin

Carolyn who made the cake!

Today Tonight - Australian Brands Fight Back

On Thursday 26th February 2009, Channel 7's Today Tonight advocated the need for all Australian's to support Australian Made and Owned Brands. Nature's Gift supports the campaign as one of the few Australian made and owned pet foods on supermarket shelves.

For more information and other Australian brands please click here

Melamine

Nature's Gift Australia does not source any fresh ingredients from overseas. All the fresh ingredients in our products are sourced locally from Australian suppliers.