Two years ago Purdue University released a study that found 8% of pet owners have tasted their pet’s food.
Knowing that the FDA allows pet food to violate federal law and include ingredients made from this…
…and this…
…and knowing that most pet owners are unaware that rendered decomposing animal carcasses dumped onto the ground are allowed by FDA into pet food, we alerted the FDA to the Purdue University study.
We asked the FDA if the agency will continue to ignore the human health risk of these ingredients – or will they finally enforce law? We also suggested that at the very least FDA should “promptly implement a required warning label on any pet product that contains condemned animal material, diseased animal material or material from animals that have died other than by slaughter.“
The FDA responded with a big NO. “Pet food and pet treats are labeled for pet consumption not human consumption. As we explained in our response to your Citizen Petition ‘…as long as hazards are controlled, and the animal food is not otherwise adulterated, we do not believe that the use of diseased animals or animals that died otherwise than by slaughter to make animal food poses a safety concern…’ In addition, we do not intend to require labeling specifically related to ingredients derived from animals that died other than by slaughter.”
Then we found what appeared to be a marketing campaign of a celebrity eating Hill’s Science Diet. We again emailed FDA, however no response has been received.
Now, another study has found that 39% of pet owners have eaten their pet’s food. A pet owner survey – conducted by OnePoll on behalf of ElleVet – stated “39 percent” of pet owners “test the product on themselves first, with food (56%) and treats (53%) being the most common things pet owners will taste first.”
It is only a matter of time before something terrible happens to a human that is taste testing an illegal ingredient pet food. And when it does – the responsible party will be the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine for refusing to warn consumers to what is actually in their pet’s food.
The following email was sent to FDA today – 3/4/22:
This email is being sent to document that the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine continues to allow pet foods to contain ingredients sourced from diseased animals or animals that have died other than by slaughter (illegal per the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act) while knowing that pet owners are consuming the pet foods.
In 2020, we provided FDA CVM with a study performed by Purdue University that found 8% of pet owners have eaten pet food. In February 2022 we alerted FDA CVM of an apparent marketing campaign of a celebrity publicly announcing he tastes his pet’s food. And today we share news of another study conducted on behalf of ElleVet that found “39%” of pet owners have consumed their pet’s food or treat.
This email documents FDA CVM’s continued refusal to warn pet owners of products containing illegal waste ingredients directly allowed by FDA CVM selective enforcement of law, despite numerous requests from consumers and advocates for transparency.
It is only a matter of time before something terrible happens to a person consuming a pet food, when it does – sole responsibility lies with FDA CVM.
Pet owners can contact the FDA at: AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov
Wishing you and your pet the best –
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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Robin Madrigal
March 4, 2022 at 1:40 pm
Based on certain current events with said FDA and other assorted 3 letter agencies, I fear that “it” has already happened, is happening right now, and is being written off as some other illness or affliction other than attributing it to the financially motivated, billionaire, heat rendered, extruded sludge, diseased, rotting carcasses, veterinarian recommended and prescribed, “our kibble is best” pet food companies.
Susan Thixton
March 4, 2022 at 1:43 pm
We do have evidence these ingredients have caused illness in employees making the pet foods (Salmonella and tularemia). (And FDA has ignored that too.) But I agree with you completely – more than likely it has already happened.
Dieter Kraemer
March 4, 2022 at 1:51 pm
Sounds like the pet food industry has control over the FDA.
Lauroe Raymond
March 4, 2022 at 2:09 pm
By the implied logic of this refusal, why does the FDA uphold different standards for human consumables at all?
Barbara Allen
March 4, 2022 at 3:13 pm
Unless and until the FDA CVM starts requiring accurate/truthful labeling of pet food and its ingredients, both our pets and their owners are at risk.
Kathy
March 4, 2022 at 7:54 pm
Those pictures are disgusting, no animal (or human) should be subject to eating that rotten garbage. The FDA and many pet food companies could care less about our pets, or us. As a previous poster alluded to, for them the only thing that matters is the money.
Roxy
March 5, 2022 at 4:16 pm
As for me I’m perfectly fine with tasting my dog’s food BECAUSE I HOME PREPARE IT FROM 100 PERCENT ORGANIC INGREDIENTS. Organic beef (I personally know the farmer and also the local butcher who serves the local farming community). Organic poultry (locally sourced). Organic lamb – where I’m also lucky enough they save some of the lamb organ meat for me (also a local farmer who sells primarily to the upscale restaurant chefs). Organic fruits and vegetables. Occasionally organic quinoa, organic oatmeal, organic flax. Menus designed by a holistic veterinarian and supplemented with a vitamin package I trust – after a LOT of research. I started doing this back when 10,000+ dogs and cats sickened and/or died from contaminated foods or does no one recall that crises which was over a decade and a half ago. I appreciate Susan’s vigilance — but also I feel very bad for the pets that have to eat commercially prepared foods for whatever reason. I don’t even buy dog toys – I make my own organic cotton or hemp rope tug-toys and stuffies from organic cotton – why? Because dog toys are mostly manufactured or packaged in CHINA so the reason there should be obvious. I make and bake my own dog treats, too. I am lucky I have the time and other resources to be able to do this because quite frankly the FDA isn’t even good about helping PEOPLE and could care less about animals.
Sheila
March 6, 2022 at 2:09 pm
I also have little trust in the pet food companies,after coming to know that profit is much more important to them than the well being of our pets,and that they regularly tell lies, on their websites,about their products. I have been making raw food for my two cats, going on for
seven years now. It took time to learn how to prepare a balanced raw diet for cats but was worth it.And, along the way I learned a lot of other things about the care of cats that I had not known before.