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ACANA and ORIJEN brands will be available in Petco stores and online beginning this March

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Petco and Champion Petfoods today announced a strategic partnership that will bring Champion's award-winning ACANA and ORIJEN dog and cat foods to all Petco stores and petco.com beginning March 4.

In support of Petco's commitment to offering only high-quality, nutritious foods that contribute to the health and well-being of pets, the partnership adds ACANA and ORIJEN to Petco's curated assortment of high-quality, specially formulated pet foods – making Champion's "Biologically Appropriate" formulas available to even more pet lovers.

"Champion is an extremely mission-driven company that's built a well-deserved reputation for serving up award-winning foods for dogs and cats, and their ACANA and ORIJEN brands align perfectly with the bold nutrition standards we announced late last year," said Petco CEO Ron Coughlin. "As a leader in providing pets and pet parents with everything they need to live healthy, happy lives together, we're thrilled to add industry-leading brands for anyone who wants to feed their pets the healthiest foods available."

Petco recently became the first and only major retailer of pet food and treats to take a stand against artificial ingredients by announcing it will not sell food or treats containing artificial colors, flavors and preservatives* for dogs and cats by May 2019. The change reflects one of the top concerns pet parents have today: nutrition. By only carrying products Petco believes support the health and well-being of pets, the company is making nutrition decisions easier for pet parents.

For more than 25 years, Champion Petfoods has earned pet lovers' trust by producing foods that are "Biologically Appropriate", made with fresh regional ingredients that are never outsourced. ACANA and ORIJEN diets mirror the freshness, variety, and abundance of meats that dogs and cats are evolved to eat with formulas designed to nourish them completely and as nature intended.

"We are extremely excited to partner with Petco, a company with such a strong reputation and commitment to ensuring the well-being of pets and peace of mind to pet lovers," said Champion President and CEO, Frank Burdzy. "This new relationship is an important step toward our goal of building trust and making our Biologically Appropriate foods available to more pet lovers everywhere. Petco has continuously evolved to offer products and services that put pets first – often taking industry-first stances that lead the way for others. We look forward to working together to bring the best in pet nutrition to even more dogs and cats across the United States."

"Consumer and industry response to Petco raising the bar on our nutrition standards has been phenomenal, and the addition of ACANA and ORIJEN to our portfolio are significant proof points in our ongoing journey to be pet parents' trusted partner of choice," said Nick Konat, Petco Chief Merchant. "We're proud to have both products join our assortment and are confident their distinctive formulas built with fresh, regional and high-quality ingredients will be a big hit with new and existing customers alike."

Petco operates more than 1,500 retail locations and employs 26,000 partners across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico. Visit petco.com and championpetfoods.com for more information.

About Petco and the Petco Foundation  
Petco is a leading pet specialty retailer with more than 50 years of service to pet parents. Everything we do is guided by our vision for Healthier Pets. Happier People. Better World. We operate more than 1,500 Petco and Unleashed by Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico; complete pet care services and veterinary advice through PetCoach; and petco.com. The Petco Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization, has invested more than $230 million since it was created in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. In conjunction with the Foundation, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, help find homes for more than 400,000 animals every year. 

About Champion Petfoods
Champion Petfoods is an award-winning pet food maker with a reputation of trust spanning more than 25 years. Its ACANA and ORIJEN brands feature unmatched inclusions of Fresh Regional Ingredients and are made exclusively in Champion's own kitchens. Founded in the small town of Barrhead, Alberta, Champion now exports to more than 85 countries around the world. To learn more, visit championpetfoods.com.

* Through referencing available guidelines provided by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Petco defines artificial colors, flavors and preservatives as:

• Color from artificial sources: any dye, pigment, or other substance that can impart color to a food that is not derived from a natural source.
• Artificial flavor: any substance, the function of which is to impart flavor, which is not derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products.
• Artificial preservative: chemical substances added to or sprayed on the outside of food to retard spoilage, deterioration, discoloration, or contamination by bacteria and other disease organisms. Does not include preservatives that are derivatives of natural compounds.

Media Contacts
For Petco: ventura.olvera@petco.com
For Champion petfoods: media@championpetfoods.com

SOURCE Petco