Before you Use Yogurt Chips on Dog Treats Read this!

As baking and decorating dog treats becomes more popular, so does the misunderstanding of what ingredients are safe to use. Most independent dog bakeries and franchises are already knowledgeable about all natural ingredients but the larger chain stores commonly still use sugar based yogurt chips. 

Now, in moderation, yogurt chips are fine for dogs. The issue that our health conscience dog bakers have are that customers tend to compare their own beautiful, all natural decorated treats to those found in chain stores and dog bakeries that purchase from online manufacturers. 

Every time they hear customers comparing their healthier treat to them, they cringe, knowing that 90% of those treat labels just state that the dog treats are coated with… “Yogurt Chips” and no further ingredients stating what is actually inside of the yogurt chips. Each ingredient in the yogurt chip needs to be listed for customers to read before they feed it to their dogs, after all, some yogurt chips do not have sugar in them, but it's easy to think they are filled with sugar if the label is too vague.

What consumers and retailers don’t necessarily pay attention to is the list of ingredients in most yogurt chips. Here they are: Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Whey Powder, Nonfat Yogurt Powder, Titanium Dioxide, Soy Lecithin, Salt, and Artificial Flavor. 
 

Hydrogenated Palm Oil is high in saturated fat, even we should avoid it. In humans, researchers claim hydrogenated oils can be associated with many serious diseases including cancer, diabetes, and obesity. 

As for Artificial Flavor? I don’t even know what that is but “artificial” says enough for me. Of course sugar and salt and not the best for dogs, but we all know that. And if you are claiming to do be a "soy free" bakery... keep in mind that there is soy in yogurt chips and you will need to stay away from most carob chips too.

As for special, sugar free yogurt chips? Those are definitely a better choice but watch the ingredients, just in case.

For those of you who still use yogurt chips, don't worry. It might be that you think powdered dog icing mixes are more expensive. But, in reality, once mixed the powdered icings go further and make more product. They don't even melt, so there's less product to throw away. Not to mention the time that is saved not having to melt the yogurt chips in order to use them. 

Some dog treat bakers honestly don't know that there is a safer alternative for dogs, it really just depends on each dog bakery and what their needs are, a lot of times they need a quick drying icing and yogurt chips are the fastest by far. 

Educating yourself and your own customers is the key. Now, yes, dogs can eat yogurt chips in moderation so if you use them just be sure to list all the ingredients in case your customer's dog has diabetes or other health concerns. 

If you are using a healthier icing you might want to take the time to post and boast about the healthy ingredients that you use in your own homemade dog treats. This will help educate your customer to take a closer look at the ingredients that, perhaps, your competitors are using and selling them. The more your customers know, the more they will become label readers!
 

For step by step, in-depth, personalized classes on "How to Make Money Baking and Selling Custom, Healthy Dog Treats From your Own Home or Storefront" check out our course offerings here: Online Courses and Workshops