We want our meals to be the best they can be for our Butternutters, so we are always open to trying new suppliers to ensure we are working with the highest quality ingredients available.
Occasionally, this means we might make a few tweaks to our recipes (such as using vegetables from a new supplier or altering the percentage inclusion of a particular ingredient). We have a strict specification which we require all of our suppliers to meet that includes the quality and expectations of any ingredient. We always ask for samples before placing a large order to compare the ingredient against our specification, and only ingredients that pass these checks are used in production trials.
The main reason for introducing a new ingredient is because we keep a close eye on the nutritional levels of our food which fluctuate slightly due to natural variation. Our priority is making sure that Butternut meals are complete and balanced to FEDIAF guidelines and that they provide all of the nutrients your dog needs. From time to time there can also be limited availability of a particular ingredient and we want to make sure we can continue to offer the recipes our Butternutters know and love.
Whenever we do make changes (however small) we send samples for lab and nutritional testing before the meals are sent to our customers. We also hold taste-testing panels with dogs and humans to ensure high quality and high palatability. In other words, we would never send out a meal that didn't look, smell and taste good.
On top of this we hold weekly product panels where we take a selection of meals from every batch to taste-test and grade against our set standards. Team members from all areas of the business take part in the panels (from Finance and Engineering to Marketing and Customer Love) because everyone who works at Butternut is dedicated to our mission of delivering health and happiness to dogs and their humans everywhere, and the best way to do that is with our meals.
Even when we follow the same recipes, natural variation can play a part in the appearance and taste of a meal. For example, the colour of meat can vary depending on which part of the animal is used (breast meat tends to be pale and thigh meat tends to be darker). The time of year and environment are additional considerations. Livestock spending more time indoors in cold weather can lead to meat being less lean than it is over spring and summer.