越来越多的美国宠物在吃新鲜的食物

More American Pets Are Eating Fresh Food

Americans are increasingly feeding their dogs and cats fresh foods.

Most Americans feed their pets with kibble – a kind of food ground into small pieces. But, more American pets are eating fresh food, like chicken, sweet potatoes and spinach¹.

Sales of fresh pet food in grocery stores and pet stores grew to about $546 million in 2018. That is an increase of about 70 percent from 2015. That information comes from Nielsen, a company that researches what the public buys and uses.

Even with the big increase, fresh food sales still make up a small part of the $25 billion that Americans spend on pet food each year.

Supporters of fresh food diets for pets say these foods keep their nutrients² better than canned or dried foods. They also say fresh food diets are similar to the pets' ancestral diets and improve their health.

In America, pet food trends have followed human ones. When gravy³, a sauce made from the juices of cooked meat, was popular in the 1950s, Gravy Train dog food appeared. In the 1980s, Fancy Feast cat food showed a growing consumer interest in gourmet⁴ food.

Mintel is a company that advises businesses. It said young buyers are fueling the sales increase. They are more likely to choose pet foods that they consider to be safer and more natural.

Amy Zalneraitis is the part-owner of We Feed Raw, a raw food meal plan service for pets based in the northeastern state of Maine.

She said, “Just as people have become skeptical⁵ of highly processed foods for themselves, they’re looking critically at their pets’ foods as well.” She added: “They think: How could something with a shelf life of over [a] year be better than real, fresh food?”

But some animal health experts question this way of thinking. They say established pet food companies, like Royal Canin, have researched their food for many years.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that raw pet food has a high risk of bacterial⁶ contamination. The agency is also investigating a link between grain-free diets that contain peas, lentils and potatoes and elevated levels of heart disease in dogs.

Lindsey Bullen is a pet nutrition specialist with the Veterinary Specialist Hospital of the Carolinas in Durham, North Carolina.

She said pets need many kinds of important nutrients. If those levels of needed nutrients "are too high or too low," she added, "it can cause significant problems for that pet that the client might not see for months or years to come.”

Seven years ago, Deb Colgan saw that her husband was feeding raw meat to their two dogs. At first, she did not like the idea, but changed her mind after researching it.

She and her husband started buying raw meat and bones from the grocery store. She also talked with a veterinarian and added supplements like vitamin E, salmon⁷ oil and probiotics, among others.

One of her dogs stopped vomiting⁹ regularly and gained weight. The other stopped getting ear and urinary tract¹⁰ infections. Those dogs eventually died, but the Colgans have continued the diet with two new dogs.

“It’s very much a relief they are so healthy, and we do believe it’s because how they eat,” said Colgan. “I can’t imagine us ever going back to commercial [dog food].”

I'm John Russell.

Words in This Story

gourmet – adj. food of very high quality

skeptical – adj. having or expressing doubt about something (such as a claim or statement)

shelf life – n. the length of time that food may be stored and still be good to eat — usually singular

contamination – n. the process of making something dangerous, dirty, or impure¹¹ by adding something harmful or undesirable¹² to it

trend –n. a general direction of change : a way of behaving, proceeding¹³, etc., that is developing and becoming more common

significant –adj. very important

client –n. a person who pays a professional person or organization for services

vomit⁸ –v. to have the food, liquid, etc., that is in your stomach come out through your mouth because you are sick

commercial – adj. related to or used in the buying and selling of goods and services

1 spinach   

n.菠菜

参考例句：

• Eating spinach is supposed to make you strong.据说吃菠菜能使人强壮。
• You should eat such vegetables as carrot,celery and spinach.你应该吃胡萝卜、芹菜和菠菜这类的蔬菜。

2 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 gravy   

n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快

参考例句：

• You have spilled gravy on the tablecloth.你把肉汁泼到台布上了。
• The meat was swimming in gravy.肉泡在浓汁之中。

4 gourmet   

n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的

参考例句：

• What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么？
• A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。

5 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

6 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

7 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

8 vomit   

v.呕吐，作呕；n.呕吐物，吐出物

参考例句：

• They gave her salty water to make her vomit.他们给她喝盐水好让她吐出来。
• She was stricken by pain and began to vomit.她感到一阵疼痛，开始呕吐起来。

9 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

10 tract   

n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林)

参考例句：

• He owns a large tract of forest.他拥有一大片森林。
• He wrote a tract on this subject.他曾对此写了一篇短文。

11 impure   

adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的

参考例句：

• The air of a big city is often impure.大城市的空气往往是污浊的。
• Impure drinking water is a cause of disease.不洁的饮用水是引发疾病的一个原因。

12 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

13 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。