“In a month I tried 30-40 samples of canned cat food”: interview with pet food taster Sergey Modly

Sergei has many animals: Valdai the husky, a bearded dragon, Nyusha the mongrel who lives with his mother, and a golden retriever, a French bulldog and a cat left over from a previous marriage. For their sake, he began to read studies on veterinary nutrition and meticulously study the nutritional composition of feed.

Now on Youtube channel Sergey has 30 thousand subscribers and he regularly releases videos in which he talks about products for animals and arranges food tastings. But we warn you right away: the tricks are performed by a professional, it is not recommended to repeat them!

About the blog and tasting

- How did you start blogging?

“I started doing it four years ago. At that time my son was 10 years old. And he, like all children, thought about who he wants to become in the future. Decided that blogger.

I didn’t mind, but I said: “You understand that in order to be a blogger, you need to know editing programs, be able to work with sound, write a script? You have to create unique content to attract viewers.” He replied: “I understand all this very well, but will you teach me?”

And I started to understand. I perfectly understood the YouTube platform and its possibilities, because since 2002 I have been engaged in marketing and advertising. But the process itself never went deep. Algorithms YouTube were a dark forest for me. But since I promised my son, it was necessary to study.

I also figured out the programs, learned how to set the light. Soon there was a need to buy additional equipment. And in 2017, my relatives gave me a video camera for my birthday. As they say, there was nowhere to retreat.

While I was sorting it out, the child watched this and at some point said: “I have thought it over here. You're doing great! Come on, you better blog, and I’ll come up with something else.”

It was unexpected, but the money and resources had already been invested. So I really decided to give it a try. In addition, while I was studying, I already had a rough idea of ​​what niche I could be interested in - pet food. I have been in this industry for a very long time - about 15 years. Besides, my ex-wife worked in a pet store.

I understood that this is a rather narrow niche. But I wanted to share my knowledge with people. I have six pets myself. And when they appeared, I began to study how best to organize their food. And then I noticed: what is indicated on the packaging is, by and large, just marketing, which is not always related to the health of the animal.

What goals did you set for yourself when starting a blog?

There were three issues that I wanted to touch on in it. First, to refute false information. There are a lot of advertisements on the Internet and on TV, which manipulates buyers. It offers great food at an affordable price. But I, as a marketer, understand: the more advertising, the more expensive the product should be, or the worse its quality should be.

Secondly, I was interested in veterinary nutrition. This is a fairly young science that develops very slowly. When feeding, for example, the doctrines of the fifties are still used, which are already outdated. And in order to understand this yourself, you need to dig well on the Internet and study research. And there are not very many of them, and they are all in foreign languages. It's complicated. And I decided to convey to the audience some knowledge of veterinary dietology that I own myself.

The third problem is money. Not everyone is willing to spend large enough amounts on the maintenance of their pet. But you can always try to find an alternative. I wanted as many people as possible to learn about how to properly organize animal nutrition.

Why did you choose to taste?

— After choosing the topic, I thought about the format for a long time. The idea of ​​tasting came suddenly. Once again I was in a pet store and heard the buyer ask the seller: “Is this food tasty?”

Click! That's how the idea came about. Even before the blog appeared, I tasted all the food that I gave to my dogs. In Europe, this is considered normal practice. Because, firstly, more and more owners are starting to treat their pets like family members. And secondly, it's just fun!

Take canned food for dogs and cats. There are such magnificent compositions that you think: “So that I eat like that!” You open the can - the purest tuna. At the very mouth flow.

Then the future structure of my videos was born: I greet the audience, give information about the brand and the plant, analyze the composition, taste and summarize.

“Why can’t you just study the composition?” Why try food?

- I do not analyze the composition thoroughly, but dwell on important and interesting points. For example, I warn you if an ingredient is not suitable for pets with certain diseases. For example, if they have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, you need to carefully purchase food that fixes or thins feces.

Many people think that food tasting is just for fun. But it's not. It is she who helps to calculate certain nuances that you will not learn about when analyzing the composition. For instance:

• What is the consistency of the granules - hard or soft? This is very important for pets who have problems with the oral cavity.
• What is the size of the granules? It is different for every dog ​​breed. This is not the case for cats. There is only one line for Maine Coonsbecause they are big.
• What is the flavor of the food? First of all, pets rely on smell: they have several times fewer taste buds than we do. Therefore, manufacturers often focus on this. They add a large amount of flavorings - for example, chicken liver hydrolyzate, animal fats. Yes, they are natural ingredients. But if the food smells only of them, it means that there is little meat component in it, which gives its natural aroma.
• What does the food taste like? Few people openly write the percentage of ingredients in the composition. But tasting reveals them. For example, to understand how much fat is contained in the feed and what quality it is.
• What is the grain content and what is the quality of the meat ingredient? Because under generalized names - for example, "bird" - various animals can be hidden. Even doves! Such names allow the manufacturer to constantly change the composition of this ingredient, which affects the stability and quality of the feed. The source of animal protein is generally one of the most secret things in the pet business. From time to time, episodes slip through the media where the rotten corpses of pigs and cows are used to produce meat and bone meal.

"So it's dangerous?" Have you ever had such an upset stomach after tasting?

- Having studied the composition and information about the manufacturer, I already roughly understand what to expect. Basically, I am wary of economy feeds.

Once, right after I tried the food, I had a gag reflex. The product smelled like… shall we say, feces. After that, I thought about how best to protect myself.

Therefore, now 15 minutes before the tasting, I usually take products for normalization work of the gastrointestinal tract - then everything goes more smoothly. But there is also a secret ingredient that allows you to cope with almost all the consequences. This is cola, I always have it at hand.

One of the most difficult tastings I've had is the technical one. This is the invisible side of my blog: some manufacturers turn to me for advice on the selection of the composition. So, one Russian brand was developing a new product - high-quality zoo-preserves. They approached me with an offer to taste their line and give me some advice.

Of course, there were practically no analogues on the Russian market, so they did everything from scratch. And I had to evaluate each new can. As a result, out of 42 flavors, only 8 entered the market. But all these options I had to taste.

In a month, I tried 30-40 samples of canned cat food. They were really high quality, with a huge amount of animal proteins. It turned out like this mega protein diet. It seems that you try a little bit, but in the end you eat a good portion of meat. And sometimes my liver couldn't handle it.

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It is not recommended to repeat! I always tell subscribers: not every food is worth trying. Because, firstly, it is not always safe, and secondly, you have me.

What was the most unexpected thing for you when you tried the food? My friend was surprised that he was insipid. That is, there is no salt in it.

- Yes, salt in the diet pet should be very limited. However, our digestive systems are different. Salt is added to some foods: manufacturers say it is a source of minerals and a natural preservative. But they are silent about such a thing as addiction.

For example, we usually eat salty foods. And if they give us an insipid piece of meat, we say: “What is this?” It is the same with a pet: subsequently, he may refuse other feeds, even of higher quality.

Tasting also reveals the presence of salt. There are a number of brands in which there is a lot of it - you even want to drink it! However, in most cases, it still plays a minor role. And if we do not feel it, then the pet will not even feel it.

But the fact that the food is insipid was not a surprise to me: I had studied the compositions before that. It's hard for me something to surprise.

— Has it ever been that you liked some kind of food, but your pets did not like it?

- Generally easily! Each pet is an individual and has its own taste preferences. For example, in the spring I began to pick up food for Valdai. Of course, I gave him the one that was labeled as top 1 in my head. And he's like, "What? I won't eat it."

Then I gave the one that was designated as top 2. He hesitated, but agreed: “Okay ...” And everything was fine, but I noticed that his digestive system could not cope. I had to pick up food for the third time.

Therefore, I never recommend specific brands. I'm only saying that you can pay attention to such and such food. Everything is very individual.

Are advertisers contacting you? How do you maintain objectivity?

- Of course, they are connected. But as soon as I am approached, I use the standard phrase: “The opinion of the author and the leading channel is not for sale. If I don't like the food, it will say so in the video." Of course, after that, many fall off.

And, in fact, there are very few advertisers: there are brands that occupy 70-80% of the Russian market. And they are doing so well. Moreover, they know perfectly well that I do not like their products: I have already shot several videos about their feed.

I am glad that many manufacturers are afraid of me. I like to quote the phrase: "A man without enemies worthless". Sometimes you go, for example, to an exhibition of pet products - and you feel “spitting” on your back. This is fine.

- You have a video from the production of feed. Was it difficult to get into the factory?

- This is one of the things that are banned from manufacturers. There is a video on the channel from one of St. Petersburg's canning factories. We coordinated my arrival for four months - so they were preparing there, definitely.

In 90% of cases, they don’t let me into production, explaining that “this trade secret». I laugh every time: "Well guys, extruders An extruder is a piece of equipment that is designed to convert feed ingredients into pellets. not so much. What is so commercially secret that you can have?

Yes, and I can cut out the technical settings of the equipment - this is not interesting for a simple viewer. This is important only for narrow specialists who can look and say: “Ah, so that's how they did everything! That's why we can't do it."

When I talk to brand representatives, to manufacturers, I try to convey: “You are spending a lot of money on advertising, but what some consumers lack is openness.”

One of the manufacturers once told me: “You drown for everything to be honest. But there are only 1-2% of you in all of Russia. We don’t need this in FIG.” I answered: “Well, today one, tomorrow two, the day after tomorrow three. On my channel every year +10,000 people. There will come a period when you will be forced to give open lineups.

I recently had an Instagram interview with one of our domestic brands. The guys have been following me for a long time, and I can see how the composition of their feed is changing. Live, they told me that they would elaborate on the ingredients. Food culture and culture animal care is developing, and this cannot but rejoice.

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I think those companies that become more open will succeed and inspire the trust of the audience. If you have a good factory, you make quality products, you are just handsome and well done - I would brag about it! And he said: “Go and see how sterile everything is, what cool ingredients - not some kind of skins, but real pieces of meat.”

But so far things are moving slowly. If they don’t show it, then there is something to hide.

What other changes do you notice?

— I see positive feedback from my subscribers. After watching three or four videos about the products of popular brands, people's attitudes to pet nutrition are already changing a little. People start to think: “Damn, probably my cat not a herbivoreto eat one grain."

For example, I had one touching story that made me cry. A 13-year-old girl wrote to me that she was worried about the health of her cat. Her mother buys a popular economy class food and does not understand why it needs to be changed. The girl and I talked, and now, after a couple of months, she shared her joy: with the help of my video, she managed to convince her mother to change the food to the one that is of a higher class.

After that, I thought: "At least for the sake of this person, I'm trying." It helps not burn out and find the strength to shoot new videos.

Now I see that more and more people are changing their attitude towards pet nutrition. Even veterinarians, pet store owners and sales assistants look at me. For example, the owner of a St. Petersburg store wrote that she was teaching staff using my videos. Naturally, I wanted to come and see. And so I arrive - and I see how the seller is watching my video. He even hesitated. Your boy is shown here and there!

And I know that such people will continue to carry information to their customers. It's great that such a movement has begun - a food culture is being formed. It's great!

About pet food and health

- The main question is: is it worth it to give pets purchased food?

You have to understand: cats and dogs are predators. Wolves and tigers in nature. Therefore, the composition of the feed should contain enough animal ingredients (meat and offal). About 60-70% for dogs and 90-95% for cats. The rest is fiber, which is important for digestion.

The technology for the production of dry food often does not allow achieving such a percentage. Some brands try to get closer to these indicators, but then their product is too expensive for many buyers. Therefore, there are two ways here - to allocate a budget for premium food or to transfer the pet to natural homemade food.

- What indicators should you pay attention to when choosing food?

- The main volume of food is the first 4-5 ingredients indicated in the composition. If plant components dominate among them - cereals, legumes, you are unlikely to get meat food.

Then you need to pay attention to what kind of meat appears in the composition. Generic names like "bird" or "animal protein" should be avoided. Often not the best raw materials are hidden under them. It may not even be offal, but bones and beaks.

Now technology allows you to add feather protein - it is cheap and at the same time formally an animal. And under the generalized word “rice”, for example, there may be rice meal, that is, cleaning. Good brands write compositions in sufficient detail.

Is there a difference between dry and wet food?

- Wet food is not always complete. This is more of an optional option and not always required. Here you need to look: if cats drink little water, this can be compensated by canned food. But transferring pets to a completely wet diet is worth it only if they have problems with the gastrointestinal tract or jaw.

- How do you look at the fact that dog owners give them cat food?

- This is not recommended. If the dog sometimes steals food from the cat's bowl, well, ok. But we must try to stop it.

- Where is the food stored?

- In a cool dry place - the standard answer, which is written on each package. But there are nuances here. Some manufacturers recommend storing food in fridge, in a sealed package - as tight as possible so that there is no process of oxidation of the fats that are in the composition.

But no matter how you store the food, remember that it should be at room temperature when served.

Opened canned food is stored for no more than a day. They also need to be closed and sent to the refrigerator. For dry food, there is a European practice: pour them into separate boxes, containers made of food-grade plastic. Better yet, glass.

- Can the food go bad in the store? How to check it? By the packaging itself? By the look and smell, when did you open it?

- You can see that in large supermarkets, animal feed side by side on the shelves with household chemicals. And its molecules can also penetrate into a pack of food. And the fact of such a neighborhood is not very pleasant. For some reason, they don’t store nearby sausage and whiteness.

Therefore, I recommend buying feed in specialized stores - there, at least, there is the concept of a shopping neighborhood.

To protect yourself from buying a damaged product, you must first of all pay attention to the packaging: it must not be opened or damaged.

Also, be sure to look best before date. It is advisable to buy food produced no more than six months ago. This can keep your pet's food safe from the factor of improper storage. Because, for example, if the food was lying somewhere in a warm place, its granules could turn rancid. Before giving food to your pet, you can taste one or two granules. And if they are bitter - well, goodbye, what can we do.

How do you monitor the health of your dogs? How to choose an individual diet for an animal?

- It is advisable to contact a veterinarian who, based on a visual examination of the pet and blood biochemistry, will recommend food.

But even then, when the food has already been selected, it is worth periodically taking tests to check animal condition. Let's say that I consistently take my own pets to medical examination once a year. For example, when the dog came to me, we donated blood almost immediately and saw what problems he had. Indicators managed to align in three months in the usual food way.

But if it is not possible to contact a veterinarian, then simply evaluate the appearance of the pet: how he feels, what kind of feces he has, how much he active, whether he has manifestations of allergies (does the eyes flow, is there dandruff). And try to choose a food that does not contain ingredients that will exacerbate problems.

For example, on my channel there are videos about hypoallergenic food. In addition, when describing the composition of each food, I pay attention to how specifically it can affect the condition of the animal.

- Do your pets have favorite tastes - fish, beef, chicken? Can certain preferences indicate health problems? Or is it just a feature?

- This is, of course, a feature! Someone likes beef more, someone likes fish. Let's say my Lord is absolutely a "fishy" cat. If this component is not in the feed, it begins to turn up its nose. The Golden Retriever is crazy about the lamb, but huskyOn the contrary, he is wary of him. Everything is very individual.

What about liquids? What and how should animals be fed?

The main advice is to change the water daily. It should not stagnate and become dirty. There are cleansing pets - they will never drink the liquid in which the food got into, even if they are thirsty.

All animals should have access to clean fresh water at room temperature. Cats are especially whimsical in this matter. For them, bowls are sometimes placed in different places. Because if a cat does not see water nearby, then it thinks that it is not in the whole world, and is tormented by thirst.

It happens that a pet simply drinks little water for some unclear reason. Then you need to specifically stimulate it. For this, there are various fountains with filtersthat drive and purify the liquid. Some pets love it.

You can also add a little animal sauce, meat broth (without salt and seasonings), or canned liquid to a bowl of liquid.

You can also pay attention to the preferences of the animal in choosing a bowl. Some people like metal, some like ceramic cups.

— What do you say, for example, about beer for dogs? Haven't tasted it?

— Tasted for the sake of interest. Meat and bone meal with water! The dogs I gave it to try didn't really like it. But I know that beer is often given to sports animals: before training and competitions, they must be given plenty of water so that the muscles work correctly. This is a life hack for those whose pet refuses to drink water.

Do your animals have specific feeding hours?

Cats don't have one. They can eat free during the day. Each pack of dry food contains the daily intake for cats of a certain weight. But here you should always focus on the pet: if he starts to get fat at this rate, then you should correct it or choose food with a lower calorie content. And at the same time, it is important to remember that during the day he can steal other delicacies: pieces of meat, wet food. The dog feeding regimen is morning and evening, after a walk.

What advice would you give to pet owners? How to treat animals so that they feel comfortable?

With respect and love. It must be understood that each of them is a separate person with their own taste preferences and character. And if the owner is not ready to accept it, he probably shouldn't have an animal. After all, a pet needs time and attention. And in return, he will experience pure, unselfish love for you.

And most importantly - this love can not be deceived. You can not use the feelings of a pet and take out your complexes and insults on it. He won't understand it. He will say: “Master, why are you hitting me? But I love you". Have an animal great responsibility.