The idiocy - and dangers - when it comes to sugar consumption reached a new level when I discovered that dog food, especially dried dog food, contains sugar.
It is now pretty widely documented that sugar in food products is contributing to our growing rates of diabetes and obesity. I'm not at the point of cutting sugar entirely, since my recent medical exam shows my blood sugars are fine. But in my opinion, sugar is killing a lot of us. Nigel Latta's recent and excellent documentary on sugar should be a wake-up call to many of us, if it hasn't happened already. Latta, a lean metro-professional who clearly prided himself on his fitness, was visibly startled to be told by a doctor his sugar levels were far too high.
But if it is frightening as to the sugar content in human food, it's ridiculous - and alarming - to think of it in dog food.
I've got over the daft idea of food colouring in dog biscuits. Marketing is a funny game. It is a human that picks the dog food, and so advertisers make the dog food look visually attractive. And it completely works. I know perfectly well my dog can't tell, but I gravitate towards the pretty green and brown biscuits.
But a dog will certainly like sugar in its diet, and they know how to play the game. My two dogs drove my wife to despair when they started looking hurt when we put the food down, prompting us to buy grated cheese and tuna to garnish their meals. Finally we realised they were playing us, waiting for the better treat. Now we plonk their basic stuff down and ignore them.
