What Are Those Small White and Yellow Specs?

Have you ever opened a can of K9 Natural or Feline Natural and noticed small white or yellow specs sitting on top of the food?

While it can be unexpected if you're seeing it for the first time, there's no need for concern. These small specs are completely normal and are simply a result of the natural ingredients used in our recipes.

Because we don't use gums, gels, binders, or artificial thickening agents, our canned diets may look a little different from other products on the shelf. In fact, what you're seeing is often a sign of the minimally processed approach we take to delivering premium nutrition.

What Are the White or Yellow Specs?

The white or yellow specs you see are naturally occurring fat that has separated from the meat during the cooking process.

Our canned diets are packed with fresh ingredients and fresh New Zealand water before being sealed and cooked within the can. During cooking, some of the naturally occurring fat separates from the proteins. As the product cools, these fat particles solidify and may settle on the surface of the food.

This is a completely natural process and does not indicate that the food has gone bad or changed in quality.

Why Is Some of the Fat Yellow?

You may notice that some fat particles appear more yellow than others.

This is completely natural and is often due to the grass-fed meat used in our recipes. Grass-fed animals consume beta-carotene from pasture, which can naturally give their fat a yellow hue.

Rather than being a cause for concern, yellow fat is often a visible reminder of the natural ingredients that make up our recipes.

Why Doesn't Every Can Look the Same?

When working with natural ingredients, variation is normal.

For example, beef recipes naturally contain more fat than leaner proteins such as chicken, making visible fat particles more common in some recipes than others.

If the can is cooler, the fat may also appear firmer and more noticeable.

Why We Don't Use Gels or Binding Agents

Many canned pet foods use gums, gels, or binding agents to create a consistent appearance.

At K9 Natural and Feline Natural, we've chosen a different approach.

By avoiding unnecessary additives, we're able to keep our recipes as close to nature as possible. While this means you may notice some natural variation in appearance, it also means you're seeing the real ingredients that make up your pet's food.

For many pet parents, that's exactly how pet food should be.

Should You Mix the Fat Back In?

Absolutely.

The visible fat contains valuable nutrients and energy that form part of your pet's complete and balanced diet. We recommend gently mixing any separated fat back through the food before serving.

This helps ensure your pet receives all the nutritional benefits intended in each recipe.

Real Food Looks Different

One of the things that makes K9 Natural and Feline Natural different is our commitment to minimally processed nutrition.

Because we don't use gums, gels, or artificial binders, our products may not always look exactly the same from can to can. Instead, you'll see the natural characteristics of real ingredients, including occasional white or yellow fat particles.

If you ever have concerns about the appearance or quality of your product, our customer care team is always happy to help.

Contact our team here.