Petco has announced it will stop selling dog and cat food and treats containing artificial colors, flavors and preservatives by May 2019. Petco will be the first major retailer of pet food and treats to make such a move.

“Some may question whether this makes good business sense, but putting pets’ health first has always been the right thing to do for Petco,” said Petco CEO, Ron Coughlin. “This is both a major step forward for pets and a natural next step on our journey to become a complete partner in total pet wellness.”

In January 2019, Petco will begin removing dog and cat food and treats with artificial ingredients from store shelves and e-commerce, with a commitment to complete the process by next May. Some of the more than 40 artificial ingredients Petco is eliminating include FD&C Red No. 3, Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated hytroxytoluene (BHT), Glycerol tributyrate, and benzaldehyde.

“We’re inviting pet food companies to join us on this journey, even working hand-in-hand with some to pursue potential ingredient changes to meet our new stringent ingredient standards,” said Petco Co-Chief Merchandising Officer, Nick Konat. “In cases where an existing brand is unable to update some or all of their products to meet our criteria by May of 2019, we will not carry either specific products or the brand entirely and we’ll help pet parents affected by such a change to safely transition to a new food or brand that we believe is healthier for their pet.”

Petco has worked closely with in-house and consultant veterinarians, nutritionists, and wellness experts to inform its decision and its new standards for pet nutrition.

“We hope the rest of the pet industry will join us on this path to better health for the pets we love,” said Coughlin.

Click here to read the full Petco press release.