Australian fresh dog food supplier Real Pet Food Company (RPF) has launched a research and development initiative dedicated to fresher pet nutrition.
Fresh(labs), backed by a multi-million-dollar investment, is billed as a thought leadership and innovation hub that will publish original research, educate veterinarians and pet owners, and develop commercial applications for fresh pet nutrition across the Asia-Pacific region.
The first project under the initiative is a collaborative research study in pet healthspan nutrition with scientists from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the US.
As well as bringing together an independent advisory board of scientists, Fresh(labs) will also commit to multi-year support for DogRisk at the University of Helsinki and underwriting the development and launch of the new CatRisk program on feline health; a world-first research program measuring pet healthspans across Asia-Pacific, including benchmarks on fresh share-of-bowl and calorific coverage; significant investment in fresher kitchen technology to advance safe, minimally processed pet food at scale; and the creation of The Fresher Futures Scholarship Program, funding post-graduate research at leading independent universities.
RPF chief executive Germaine Chua said: “Pets may be living longer, but research shows their healthspan – years lived in good health – is declining. Conditions such as obesity, allergies, gastrointestinal disease, and chronic illness are on the rise.
“Evidence points to diet as a key driver, with fresh nutrition shown to protect and extend healthspans. Put simply, pets aren’t eating enough fresh food. Fresh food for pets is less processed, freeze-dried, air-dried, gently cooked, or raw and has protective benefits for pets’ vitality, resilience, and overall healthspan.”
The assembled board of experts for the project include Dr Anna Hielm-Björkman, founder of DogRisk at the University of Helsinki; Dr David Thomas, feline nutrition expert at Massey University; Australian integrative veterinary scientist Dr Nicole Rous; and small animal nutritional scientist Dr Emma Bermingham.
Dr Hielm-Björkman added: “When RPF approached us to support our research, I immediately knew this was a company with whom we could work. Their mission is critical to pets everywhere. With Fresh(labs) independent board and science-led focus, we will innovate to improve pet healthspans.”
