Just like what happened in New Jersey in 2019, the Hawaii Health Department has held (some) pet products to human food regulations.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture regulates pet food products – including raw milk pet products. But, the Hawaii Health Department took it upon themselves to step into the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture and regulate some pet products to human food regulations. The Hawaii Health Department recently went into pet food stores, confiscated all raw milk pet products and issued cease and desists orders to pet stores on future sales of these pet products.
An exact repeat of what happened in New Jersey.
In New Jersey, the Health Department officials had no clue that pet products were regulated as feed. Few would. Most would believe that any product labeled as “food” would be subject to food regulations. New Jersey Health Department Officials assuming food is food swooped into pet food stores and confiscated raw milk pet products, applying food regulations to pet products. Though it took multiple parties and a lot of phone calls/emails, we finally convinced the New Jersey Department of Health their actions were outside of their jurisdiction.
And now we have the same challenge in Hawaii. The state of Hawaii regulates pet products as feed. Hawaii commercial feed laws apply to pet products, NOT food laws. But the Hawaii Health Department is enforcing food regulations (not feed regulations) on one category of pet products (raw).
States can’t have it both ways. They can’t regulate some pet products as food while allowing other pet products to be regulated as feed. They can’t enforce food laws on raw pet products while allowing other styles of pet foods to violate food laws (pet foods that contain ingredients sourced from diseased animals and animals that have died other than by slaughter).
Hawaii pet owners should contact the Health Department asking them to explain their jurisdiction over pet feed products. We will be doing the same. As we learn more, it will be shared.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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Teresa Johnson
July 5, 2021 at 3:09 pm
It would be totally awesome if all pet foods (feed) were treated as food, not feed! But it should not target only one facet of pet foods I.e. raw, kibble, canned.
My question to NJ and HI would be why can’t this be.
Baby steps.
toni
July 5, 2021 at 3:26 pm
It’s OK to use DDD but not raw milk?
Susan Thixton
July 5, 2021 at 3:38 pm
That is – basically – what they are saying by their actions. My guess is that the Health Department (in any state) doesn’t have a clue that pet food authorities allow ingredients sourced from diseased or decomposing animals. After all – ‘they’ keep this ugly truth of pet food hidden. The Health Departments in states can’t even read the regulations of pet food – as they are hidden too. It’s a big secret mess.
Concerned
July 6, 2021 at 12:28 pm
WHO PAID WHO OFF:
The Hawaii Department of Health is warning consumers not to drink unpasteurized goat milk sold in many of Oahu’s pet stores.
The department said an embargo on raw milk products — which are unsafe for human consumption — is now in effect. Any pet stores or other retailers with raw milk on their shelves must remove the product from sale immediately, health officials, said, and destroy or return the product to their supplier.
Failure to do so, they said, may result in seizure and fines of up to $10,000 per day.
Officials said under state law, only Grade A pasteurized milk and milk products may be sold to the final consumer or to restaurants.
“The goat milk is being advertised as ‘pet food,’ but the sale of any form of raw fluid milk is a risk to public health because it is easily diverted for human consumption,” said Peter Oshiro, chief of the Food Safety Branch, in a news release. “There are many in our community that mistakenly believe that drinking raw milk is healthy, but this is simply untrue.”
The department’s Food Safety Branch inspectors are visiting pet supply stores and food retailers throughout the state, and issuing cease and desist notices. As of Thursday, officials said there were nearly 20 Oahu pet stores selling the unpasteurized goat milk product.
The state Health Department said drinking unpasteurized milk is unsafe because it may result in serious illnesses, hospitalizations and even death.
“Raw milk has the potential to carry and transmit dangerous pathogens including E. Coli, Salmonella, and a host of other bacteria that can cause disease,” said DOH in a news release. “It is especially dangerous for our keiki, kupuna, or those with weakened immune systems to drink raw milk because they may not be able to fend off these pathogens as a normal healthy individual would. “
In addition, children infected through the consumption of raw milk can spread disease through fecal-oral means and cause an outbreak among others they come into contact with.
Mia
July 12, 2021 at 1:05 pm
Thank you for shedding light on our situation in Hawaii. It’s extremely sad for our pets who desperately need goat milk to survive.