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Pet Food Regulations

Canadians have No Pet Food Protection

A Canadian meat company plead guilty to unlawfully selling deadly bacteria contaminated meat (in 2010). Guess where most of that tainted meat went to? And guess who did nothing to protect pets and pet owners?

A Canadian meat company plead guilty to unlawfully selling deadly bacteria contaminated meat (in 2010). Guess where most of that tainted meat went to? And guess who did nothing to protect pets and pet owners?

The Canadian government receives an estimated $200 million dollars each year in sales tax revenue on pet food sales (Canada) alone. What are Canadian pet food consumers getting for their $200 million revenue provided to government? E.coli contaminated meat pet food.

Recently, a Canadian meat company plead guilty to charges of unlawfully selling (in 2010) E.coli contaminated meat unfit for consumption. This company was fined $125,000 for its actions. The fine issued by the Canadian government was for selling the meat for human consumption. There was no penalty given to this company for selling E.coli contaminated meat to pet food, no mention of it in the charges, and no investigation of the E.coli contaminated meat sold to pet food was ever performed.

Back in 2010, when the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA – Canada’s version of FDA) was informed that bacteria contaminated meat was unlawfully sold, the agency swarmed the meat company performing a “lengthy investigation” including “more than 600 subsequent tests” on meats remaining at the plant. CFIA learned that a handful of human food locations were sold the E.coli contaminated meat. CFIA took swift action and made certain this meat meant for human consumption was recalled.

However at the same time of the CFIA investigation of the meat company, CFIA learned that the majority of the E.coli contaminated meat went to pet food. Did CFIA learn which pet food companies received the E.coli contaminated meat? No, that’s not their job. Did CFIA alert pet food consumers? No, that’s not their job. Did CFIA recall any pet food made with the E.coli contaminated meat? No, that’s not their job. Did the meat go into raw pet food or can pet food or kibble pet food in Canada? Who knows…CFIA’s does not investigate pet food. No one in Canada does.

One of you wonderful Canadian pet food consumers alerted me to this situation of E.coli contaminated meat knowingly being used in Canadian manufactured pet food. I called the CFIA and asked them if the pet food containing this meat was tested for E.coli or were any of the pet food manufacturing plants inspected. And below is CFIA’s response…

Hello Susan,

Below you will find a response to your question.  Let us know if you need anything else.

Have a great day
Denis

Question 1:
It seems that most of the tainted meat from Pitt Meadows who pleaded guilty last week ended up in pet food.  If that is the case, did the CFIA investigate? If so, what did the CFIA do to alert Canadian pet owners regarding this issue?

Answer:
The CFIA’s mandate is to protect the livestock and people of Canada from diseases as listed in the Health of Animals Act and Regulations and the Reportable Diseases Regulations.

The CFIA does not regulate the manufacture of processed pet food containing animal products and by-products for sale in Canada, other than prohibiting the use of certain bovine tissues related to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in Canada.

The above mentioned legislation also provides the CFIA with the authority to regulate the import and export of processed pet food and treats that contain animal products and by-products.

If you have concerns related to the quality of a particular pet food manufactured in Canada, you should contact the manufacturing company, retailer or the Pet Food Association of Canada (PFAC), with respect to your concerns. Pet food recalls in Canada are conducted voluntarily by pet food manufacturers.

If your pet is ill, please contact your regular veterinarian. If a human has become ill after contact with pet food, please contact your local public health authority.

Media Relations | Relations avec les médias
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments
Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada
Telephone / téléphone: (613) 773-6600
Facsmile / télécopieur : (613) 773-5558
e-mail / courriel:
media@inspection.gc.ca

In other words, no…the Canadian Food Inspection Agency did absolutely nothing when they knew E.coli contaminated meat was sold to Canadian pet food manufacturers. They didn’t care, it’s not their job.

Ever wonder why you’ve never heard of a pet food recall in Canada? That’s because the decision to recall would completely be left up to the pet food manufacturer. No one investigates, no one forces a recall. It wouldn’t matter how many pets got sick or died – there is no one in Canada to do anything about it. How many pet food manufacturers do you know of that would voluntarily recall their pet food, costing them perhaps millions of dollars in lost profit, when no authority requires them to even lift a finger no matter how many pets become sick or die? (Yes, I don’t know of many either.)

This is unacceptable. Canadian pet food consumers provide Canadian government with an estimated $200 million in sales tax revenue a year. For the CFIA to do nothing for these consumers is absolutely unacceptable.

This HAS TO be corrected before something devastating happens. Something devastating probably already has happened (multiple times), but we’ve never heard of the devastating event(s) because no one investigated and no pet food was recalled.

I urge every single Canadian pet food consumer to write a polite but direct message to your government authorities and to the CFIA.  As well, pet food consumers in all other countries that feed their pet a Canadian manufactured pet food need to send CFIA your message. Click Here to open the CFIA contact us webpage. And/or you can report a food safety issue to CFIA by clicking Here.

A sample message for you is provided below.

Recently a Pitt Meadows meat company pleaded guilty to unlawfully selling tainted meat to the public. CFIA thoroughly investigated this meat company recalling the small amount of meat that went into public (human food) distribution. However I have learned that CFIA did absolutely nothing to investigate the pet food manufacturing facilities that accepted the majority of this dangerous bacteria contaminated meat.

Humans might not consume pet food, but we purchase it, often in groceries placing the pet food in a cart right next to our food purchases. We bring this pet food into our homes, store it in our food pantries or refrigerators, and the pet food is often handled by our children that hold the responsibility of feeding the cat or dog. And we also pay sales tax on our pet food purchases (providing Canada an estimated $200 million revenue a year). So why is Canada doing absolutely nothing to assure Canadian manufactured pet food is safe?

Canadians would like to trust and support Canadian manufactured pet food that utilizes Canadian ingredients. Pet food consumers all over the world would like to trust Canadian manufactured pet food. How can we do this knowing no authority in Canada regulates pet foods manufactured in Canada? With as example – pet food manufactured in the U.S. – should our pet get sick from the U.S. manufactured food, we can report the illness to FDA. In Canada, there is no one to investigate the illness or death of our pet linked to a Canadian manufactured pet food. Again, how can we support the Canadian pet food industry knowing no authority is overseeing these products?

I am asking CFIA to immediately begin regulatory oversight of pet food manufactured and sold in Canada. I am asking CFIA to put together a team of regulatory authorities, veterinarians and consumers to properly develop regulations that provide Canadian pets proper protection (consuming Canadian manufactured pet food). Or I ask that Canada stop charging sales tax on any pet food/treat product. Canada should not make money on the back of our pets without a return of pet food regulatory protection.

Sincerely,

 

Please, please, please – every Canadian pet food consumer needs to send your government representatives a message and CFIA a message. They need to receive millions of phone calls and emails. This is a dangerous situation that needs to be resolved.

I have spoken with my Canadian friend Rodney Habib on this issue, and he will be posting on this concern as well. For those that follow Rodney on Facebook (everyone should!) please look for his post soon.

Here in the U.S. pet food consumers don’t have much support from FDA, but something from FDA no matter how little certainly beats the nothing Canadian pet food consumers have. We here in the U.S. will support you any way we can. You deserve so much better.

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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26 Comments

26 Comments

  1. Marcus

    April 24, 2015 at 2:34 pm

    Susan,

    What about companies like champion that sell origin and acana in the United States are they held to FDA standards since they’re selling to US consumers?

    Should people boycott Canadian pet foods sold in the states?

    • Cindy

      April 24, 2015 at 2:40 pm

      I would also like to know if Orijen is safe to feed.

      • Susan Thixton

        April 24, 2015 at 2:44 pm

        I can’t say if a pet food is safe or not. The only thing we know for certain is that in Canada there is no one overseeing the pet food industry.

    • Susan Thixton

      April 24, 2015 at 2:43 pm

      There is no one in Canada to inspect these plants, inspect ingredient providers. There is no one to report an illness or death to. If a pet got sick in the U.S. – the incident could be reported to FDA. But the concern is that there is no one in Canada to investigate. I can’t say boycott – everyone has to make their own decision on trusting a pet food or not. However I do think Canadian pet food manufacturers need to encourage regulatory oversight of their industry. I understand why they don’t, but the lack of regulatory oversight in Canada does no one any good. This is a dangerous situation.

  2. Bruce

    April 24, 2015 at 2:47 pm

    I buy Orijen which is made in Canada but it is made to EU standards which I understand requires human quality ingredients and processing.

    • Debbie

      April 24, 2015 at 2:59 pm

      I feed my dog and two cats Orijen. I am also concerned.

      • Roberta

        May 30, 2015 at 8:03 pm

        I feed Orijen and Acana also. Champion is a small private company and I no qualms at all about the safety of their feed. I believe it is the best dry food money can buy.

  3. SILVIA SOOS-KAZEL

    April 24, 2015 at 2:58 pm

    Thank you for this vital update. Always thought a dog/pet food product from Canada would
    be regulated and inspected. Guess what they say is correct, never assume! Well another
    source of dog/pet food that cannot be trusted!

  4. Seraphima Hummingbyrd

    April 24, 2015 at 2:59 pm

    ♣ Susan… This Is Utterly Terrifying! The Only Dry Cat Food That I Thought Was Truly Safe & Of The Highest~Quality Is Grain~Free Orijen Cat/Kitten Dry Cat Food & It is Made In Canada! ♣ I Feed This To My Beloved Loving Wise Precious Divine Cats Daily ~ Along With Fresh Organic Chicken Or Turkey! ♣ My Kitties Absolutely LOVE The Orijen & It Smells Like It Is Packed With A Large Variety Of Wonderful Things Which Are Healthy For Cats! ♣ Now I Am Very Worried! ♣ I Know That You Used To Recommend Orijen As The Highest~Quality Dry Cat Food! ♣ What Are Your Ideas About This Canada Travesty Regarding Orijen? ♣

    • Susan Thixton

      April 24, 2015 at 3:09 pm

      I don’t ever recommend a pet food – I cannot in my position.

  5. Sage

    April 24, 2015 at 2:59 pm

    Also wondering about Canadian-manufactured Orijen which my cats eat along with a homemade raw formula and human grade wet food. I have written to Orijen with questions which are promptly and satisfactorily answered, and spoken to them directly, and feel reassured by their answers and apparent transparency. Many companies self-regulate including those on Susan’s list of safe foods that have signed her pledge, and hopefully Orijen’s standards are as high as they claim. My many cats are very healthy including one who is now 19 with no major health issues.

  6. Janine

    April 24, 2015 at 3:23 pm

    I’m in Canada. When I went to a pet store here a few years ago, the clerk told me that I should buy an American made food rather than one of the Canadian made ones as Canada does not regulate pet food.

  7. Lisa

    April 24, 2015 at 3:32 pm

    Wow, this is scary…and I didn’t know. I feed Orijen.

    I was thinking of moving to the new “Open Farm” (which claims POULTRY, MEAT AND FISH PRODUCTS RAISED HUMANELY and I love that). It’s a Canadian company, but its website says, “Our manufacturing facility is audited on an ongoing basis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and AIB International to ensure that strict food safety standards are constantly maintained. You can also take comfort knowing each batch of Open Farm is tested before it ever leaves the facility.” Any information of this company, Susan? BTW, thank you for your amazing work!

    • Susan Thixton

      April 24, 2015 at 3:37 pm

      I tried to meet this company at a recent pet food trade event – but I missed them. I would ask them what ‘audited on an ongoing basis’ means. As with some pet food made in human food facilities, a USDA inspector is on site 24/7 and their presence assures the consumer 100% of ingredients are certified as human quality. I don’t know if this is the case for them – but it would be a good question to ask. For AIB inspection, all I can say is that I am aware of some pet foods that pass AIB inspection that I would never consider feeding to my own pet. Just keep asking them questions.

    • Janine

      April 24, 2015 at 3:45 pm

      Also, ask Origin too. It would be interesting to see what they say about the matter.

  8. marcus

    April 24, 2015 at 4:38 pm

    Champion never signed Susan’s pet pledge, I don’t believe. I had hoped they would.

  9. Jan K

    April 24, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    Thank you for the draft letter Susan. I did send it off, with some additions of my own. (That since it says ‘food’ on the label, there should be no reason for consumers to treat it differently from other food in their cart.) The CFIA will just say that it’s not within their mandate, and not their problem that there isn’t an agency for petsumers to turn to. Money’s tight, blah, blah. But they’ve been doing a great job at the border for months, preventing my Josie’s favourite food Rad Cat Lamb from contaminating us with Avian Flu.

  10. Barbara

    April 24, 2015 at 6:10 pm

    This is so disheartening. I feed my dogs Petcurean- sometimes Now and sometimes Go!, both of which are made in Canada. I also have recommended this dog food to many friends. What’s the story on Petcurean?

  11. Ellen

    April 24, 2015 at 6:43 pm

    As a Canadian resident with a brigade of fur babies, I’ve always been concerned about the lack of regulations regarding Canadian made pet foods. At one time I wrote to CFIA about this matter and got a response quite similar to the one in your article. As a result, I do not feed my pets Canadian manufactured foods. They get Hound and Gatos, a very high quality, American made food, which I started purchasing after I saw it on your list of recommended pet foods last year. It was one of the few that was imported into Canada.

    My pets have now been eating H & G for one year, and they’re all doing extremely well. It can’t be bought at the big box stores, and I have to travel a bit to get to the specialty store that carries it, but that’s fine with me as my only concern is my pets’ welfare.

    Thank you very much for highlighting this extremely serious situation here in Canada.

  12. Debi Cohen

    April 24, 2015 at 6:43 pm

    I used to feed my dogs the Firstmate Australian lamb dry dog food from Canada, I assumed that because it could and was exported to all the countries that it was held at a higher standard, I did know about Canada, but I am going to throw my bag away as soon as I get off of this computer, I am feeding the Wild calling rabbit cat food, which has only a few ingredients that I have to go to because I have a pup with IBD, so with the Ziwi Peak and the raw diet that I have been feeding for years, maybe they all will be safe, I hope so, one never knows anymore.
    As always thanks to Susan, now maybe a lot of people will know and maybe something will get done for our Canadian friends.

  13. Susan Thixton

    April 24, 2015 at 6:44 pm

    I want everyone to know that the concern is not about any particular Canadian manufactured pet food. The concern is that Canada does not regulate the pet food industry any in the least. It could be some Canadian pet food manufacturers follow the absolute best quality control practices, but it could be that others don’t follow any quality control practices. Without an authority in Canada to investigate/regulate – it is difficult for consumers to know who is doing the right thing.

  14. Sage

    April 24, 2015 at 6:45 pm

    As posted by me above, earlier, I have been feeding Orijen for quite some time and am so far very comfortable with the perfect health of my pets, the information provided by Orijen on their packaging and website regarding their ingredients, and their responses to my questions – including a very fast reply this afternoon as follows:

    Hi Sage,

    Thank you very much for your email and trust in Champion Petfoods. I appreciate that!
    For your own peace of mind, I’d like you to have the following information.

    Champion Petfoods is one of very few North American pet food makers that are European Union Certified (Category 3), and our Kitchen follows HACCP guidelines for Kitchens producing food for human consumption.

    Our Quality Assurance department follows protocols for testing from the time ingredients enter our kitchen, through production, and packaging. Once the product is released to the warehouse it goes into a Quality Assurance Hold area.

    We require all products to undergo nutritional and microbiological testing (including Salmonella, Listeria, Clostridium, and Enterobacteriaceae which includes E. Coli and other Coliforms) from a Government certified laboratory before shipping- there is no exception to this policy.

    If you have any other questions at all please do let me know.

    Warm Regards, Bonnie

    From Orijen’s site FAQs http://www.orijen.ca/faq/
    All of our fresh poultry, fish, eggs, red meats and game are of table quality and passed fit for human consumption by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency before arriving at our kitchens fresh each day.

    Our chicken, fish and turkey meals and fats are produced exclusively from animals passed as fit for human consumption in facilities that are fully dedicated to this ingredient quality and certified as such by the USDA, FDA and Canadian Food Inspection Agencies (CFIA).

    MY Final note – I think it’s important to remember that US (FDA) Pet Food Regulations have NOT stopped US based companies from including horrendous ingredients that are sickening and killing pets while OTHER US based companies are producing very SAFE products using Human Grade ingredients which go WAY beyond any FDA regulations. The fact that Canadian Pet Food is unregulated does not mean every Canadian company is using toxic ingredients any more than every US company is or is not conforming to the FDA regulations we have.

    • Laurie Matson

      April 25, 2015 at 3:17 am

      That was an excellent response from Orijen!! I would not be terribly worried about their Company. have been considering it for my Cat.

  15. Ann*

    April 25, 2015 at 4:03 pm

    I was feeding Orijen Regional Red to my two cattle dogs, one of which had previously been seriously ill from the Nestle Purina Chinese chicken jerky treats. I paid a premium to buy the Orijen RR since I wanted only the best for my two “kids” after the one’s near death miss. I thought that Canada had very high standards so was dismayed to learn that they do not have any agency at all regulating their pet food or even a complaint hotline. So, I adopted a wait and see approach until a few months later when I learned they would not sign Susan’s Truth in Pet Food pledge. I decided then to stop buying Orijen until they signed the pledge. To my knowledge that still has not happened.
    I am reluctant to just take their word for what they do. Nestle Purina swears by their “excellent” products, but that is just their dishonest marketing. I now purchase Susan’s list and buy the foods that she would feed to her own pets.
    I will reconsider Orijen when they sign Susan’s pledge. Until then, I question why they will not take advantage of the opportunity that Susan is offering them to assure the quality of their product at a time when the public’s trust in pet food manufacturers is very low.

  16. William

    March 1, 2017 at 11:14 am

    I would recommend the company Hill’s veterinarian food. The price isn’t that much and they have the only pet food company I know of in canada that actually follows strick regulations. As the company was created by veterinarians who were upset by this ongoing problem of false labeling with no law against.

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Human Grade & Feed Grade
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