Question: If you knew of a “serious threat” to human and animal health, how long would you wait to warn others? The FDA waited 2+ months.
Acting as guardian of human and animal health, on August 5, 2022 – the FDA issued a warning to pet owners about Darwin’s Pet Food.
Quoting the FDA warning:
“The FDA is issuing this alert because these lots of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products cat food represent a serious threat to human and animal health.”
The “serious threat” was 3 kittens that got diarrhea – requiring no follow up veterinary care – after eating Darwin’s Adult Cat Food.
For an unknown reason, the FDA consumer warning neglected to inform pet owners an adult cat from the household ate the same food with no health consequences.
No human illnesses have been reported.
FDA performed testing of the cat food and found it contained Salmonella.
Because FDA has a zero tolerance policy for pathogenic bacteria, and because Darwin’s pet food did not issue a public statement – the agency felt it was necessary to properly alert consumers. The agency issued the consumer alert on August 5, 2022. Unfortunately…
The FDA warning was 2 months late.
Was this Darwin’s pet food actually “a serious threat” as FDA stated? If so, why did FDA wait so long to warn consumers?
We sent the following questions to FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine on 8/7/22:
On August 5th, 2022 FDA CVM issued a public warning regarding Darwin’s cat food. FDA stated this pet food was “a serious threat to human and animal health”. Can FDA provide their definition of the words “serious threat”?
Can FDA CVM provide explanation to why the agency waited 2+ months to alert consumers to this “serious threat”?
Is it standard procedure for FDA CVM to wait 2 months or more to alert the public to a “serious threat”?
Was the FDA CVM testing of the cat food done through DNA analysis? Did the FDA CVM do follow up testing to confirm or deny if the bacteria claimed to be found in the cat food was viable bacteria?
If FDA responds, their answers will be shared.
It is significant for pet owners to know/understand that the FDA CVM zero tolerance policy for Salmonella in pet food is not law…it is ONLY an internal policy (very different than law).
On the opening page of the Guidance document it clearly states this policy “does not confer any rights” on FDA or the public (in this case Darwin’s pet food). In other words, the FDA has no legal stance to insist pet foods be completely free of Salmonella.
The FDA CVM has the ability to make their Salmonella zero tolerance policy law, but the fact remains – they have not. This policy was issued in 2013. Nine years later it remains a nonbinding policy.
Questions for pet owners:
Do you believe FDA should be free to enforce an internal policy on pet food manufacturers? Or should FDA only enforce law?
Do you believe the FDA was correct in issuing this public warning about Darwin’s – even 2 months late?
Do you believe the FDA CVM is concerned with pet wellness and health?
Darwin’s Pet Food has issued a statement regarding this incident, to read Click Here.
Wishing you and your pet the best –
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Become a member of our pet food consumer Association. Association for Truth in Pet Food is a a stakeholder organization representing the voice of pet food consumers at AAFCO and with FDA. Your membership helps representatives attend meetings and voice consumer concerns with regulatory authorities. Click Here to learn more.
What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients? Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 5,000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Click Here to preview Petsumer Report. www.PetsumerReport.com
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
The 2022 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here to learn more.
Kathy
August 7, 2022 at 1:19 pm
I’m curious, before a raw food is deemed a “serious threat” do they interview the owner(s), especially in this case where only 3 kittens were reported sick? How do they know the owner hadn’t caused the illness themselves by leaving the food out too long? Or even keeping it too long in the refrigerator, since there is a time limit on safety whether it’s refrigerated or not?
LoveCats
August 7, 2022 at 9:23 pm
I agree with all your questions Kathy. We are too quick to often to point fingers these days way before any solid evidence is available. The kittens should not have been allowed adult food period.
Cannoliamo
August 7, 2022 at 2:06 pm
I’m always amazed that when it comes to bacterial contamination, the FDA and the manufacturing companies can find so many words and so little analytical data to characterize the specific source contamination or sterilization. Why not simply say “Trust us, … we think we’re doing a pretty good job and we don’t want any consumer complaints that would require us to make a response.”
Debbie D
August 7, 2022 at 2:31 pm
FDA is going down. A very corrupt business whom I dont trust about ANYTHING. NOT ONE SINGLE THING. The stupidity of those people is overwhelming. They couldnt care less who dies..including humans. Susan…keep bringing the truth and we can use our own discernement on whats safe. Screw Them. We have to get through this ourselves…without evil lurking.
Jill Willis
August 7, 2022 at 6:45 pm
The fact that Darwins adds the artificial Copper Proteinate is far more alarming than anything about its ‘raw’ state. My 9-year-old Sheltie was on this food for most of his life and now has a liver full of copper.
LoveCats
August 7, 2022 at 9:20 pm
I have fed my cat Darwin’s raw meat for over two years with no problems whatsoever. He is adopted so I mix a small patty of the raw meat in with the highest quality canned food he will eat as he was eating canned when I adopted him at age 6. He is healthy, happy and his fur feels like silk. He does not shed. Cats who shed all the time are fed poor diets especially when exclusively fed dried kibble and/or by-products. But I digress.
It would seem to me based on information available from all sources at a this time that the pet parent was negligent in allowing kittens to eat raw food intended for ADULTS. Any cat eating a new and different food for the first time is subject to getting diarrhea–just one of many reasons that if diets are to be changed in any way it is suggested to do so gradually. BTW diarrhea can be caused by multiple things other than raw food. Cats can get sick from salmonella however which is doubtless one reason some veterinarians disapprove of raw feeding. Discounted is the fact that cats are obligate MEAT eaters and survived for centuries on raw mice and birds and even sometimes insects, all self-caught and devoured outside on dirt and/or grass. Outdoor cats will even eat old meat (leftover bird from their morning hunt for instance), to no ill effects (I’ve seen it many times).
While kittens getting sick can be upsetting of course, that this pet parent called the FDA, IMO not always a competent federal agency when it comes to pet food, is unfortunate since Darwin had no control over what the kittens ate. Of course, feeding our companion animals is of great concern to most of us so each of us has to decide on diet. I’d rather chance some raw food (bought from a reputable source like Darwin’s rather than a grocery store) than to put down a bowl of kibble or canned food loaded with “feed” grade meat (by-products) and grains, etc. If contacting the FDA, let us do so once they have become more competent in their decisions regarding pet food and honest about how damaging some “feed” grade foods are to them. Finally, to be clear: this posting is solely my opinion!
Ellen Cohen
August 7, 2022 at 11:28 pm
The powers that be are actively working around the world, and certainly in this country, to sabotage our ability to raise farm animals (and grow nutritious crops for that matter) in an effort to gain total control of the food supply.
If they’re doing this to us humans, do you really think they’ll spare our pets?
I wasn’t surprised to read about this. The FDA is a captured agency, and as such is untrustworthy.
Don’t believe anything without doing your own research.
Peg
August 8, 2022 at 1:00 pm
Ellen. You nailed it.