I emailed Years about the WSAVA guidelines, and here’s what they told me:
"To protect her privacy, I can’t give full details of our Board Certified Nutritionist, but I can share a bit about her background. She completed a Bachelor of Veterinary Science with first-class honors from the University of Sydney in 2012. After that, she spent several years working in conservation medicine and wildlife research, along with exotic and small animal practice. In 2016, she moved to New Zealand to start a veterinary clinical nutrition residency at Massey University, under Dr. Nick Cave. She finished her residency in 2019.
We follow the standards set by FEDIAF and WSAVA. While feeding trials are ideal, they are not necessary to meet the guidelines. In the UK, it’s tough to find an independent, licensed facility to carry out such studies, and there are ethical concerns about using animals (especially young puppies) for feeding trials."
So, their “board-certified nutritionist” has no advanced nutrition qualifications like a master’s or PhD. They are probably just a consultant, and they don’t do feeding trials. Fantastic!
Thanks for sharing this! I’ve seen a creator pushing Years and their treats and almost got pulled into the marketing. Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think their food is delivered frozen, which means they likely use preservatives.
I think their formulator is qualified – a veterinarian with three additional years of veterinary nutrition training (a residency). That sounds similar to a DACVIM qualification in the US. I can’t tell from the response whether she works as a full-time employee or a consultant. A well-established company would have a whole team of experts, including multiple vets and PhDs, but that’s probably not the case here. The main issue is the lack of feeding trials, though. I’d also like to know if they own their own production facilities.
A nutrition residency is a common qualification for this role. The person has spent three or four years studying nutrition and often publishes research in reputable journals. It’s not the same as a PhD, but it still makes them highly qualified.
@Quinn
Yeah, they are listing the preferred qualifications, assuming this person is on track to take the board exam or has already completed it. A master’s degree is a lower credential. This brand may not be doing everything they could to meet the highest standards (like feeding trials), but a vet degree + nutrition residency is still a solid qualification.