A Pet Owner by the name of ‘Worried’ provided TruthaboutPetFood.com with some troubling information. It seems that a Mars, Inc. scientist sits on the advisory Science Board to the FDA. Could this position on FDA’s Science Board advisory committee be a conflict of interest? Mars, Inc. is the parent company of Nutro Pet Food.
ConsumerAffairs.com, journalist Lisa Wade McCormick has reported that over the last two years the FDA has received hundreds of complaints from pet owners all linked to Nutro Pet Food. ConsumerAffairs.com obtained through the Freedom of Information Act copies of consumer complaints to FDA regarding sick and dying pets that consumed Nutro Pet Food. The FDA confirmed to ConsumerAffairs.com they are investigating the pet food company. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/04/nutro_foia.html
Pet Food Safety Advocate Pet Food Safety Alliance (www.pfpsa.org) has provided laboratory tests of a Nutro Cat Food testing with “toxic levels of Vitamin D”. https://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/toxic-levels-of-vitamin-d-found-in-nutro-cat-food.html
Despite the above, there has been no recall.
Pet Owner ‘Worried’ posted a comment on TruthaboutPetFood.com’s report of Nutro lab tests alerting us that a Mars, Inc. scientist sits on the advisory committee Science Board to the FDA. From the FDA webpage “Roster of the Science Board to the Food and Drug Administration” is the following member listing…
Catherine E. Woteki, Ph.D., R.D.
Expertise: Nutrition, Food Safety
Term: 09/30/07 – 12/31/10
Global Director of Scientific Affairs
Mars, Inc.
6885 Elm Street
McLean, Virginia 22101-3883
http://www.fda.gov/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/ScienceBoardtotheFoodandDrugAdministration/ucm115370.htm
The FDA states they try to “recruit qualified experts with minimal conflicts of interest” for FDA advisory committees. Why wouldn’t a representative of a corporation be considered a ‘conflict of interest’ to a FDA advisory committee?
The majority of members on the Science Board to the FDA are University related; one other corporate scientist, besides Dr. Woteki of Mars, Inc., sits on the advisory board…
Rhona S. Applebaum, Ph.D.
Vice President, Chief Scientific & Regulatory Officer
The Coca-Cola Company
Could corporate advisory members of the Science Board to the FDA be the foundation for lack of pet food investigations?
I hope it isn’t, but it certainly seems possible.
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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