I had the interesting pleasure of attending my second AAFCO meeting this week. AAFCO is the American Association of Feed Control Officials. These are the people who make recommendations for what is acceptable to go into feed for our food supply and for our pets. This time there was a proposal to approve the definition of something called “food processing waste.” Literally, the ingredients consist of the rotten expired food from grocery stores that are thrown out. No longer acceptable foods are thrown into a dumpster behind the grocery store. These foods accumulate and rot for a week in the dumpster in the rain, in the sun, with the cockroaches and the rats, before they are picked up. When picked up, these products are taken for so-called processing then mixed into the food supply chain. The same thing happens at restaurants. It’s called restaurant food waste. I’ve never seen it on a pet food label, but it’s in there. It’s one thing when leftover restaurant food comes home in my doggy bag, it’s something else when it rotted in a dumpster with 1 million other horrible things before being sent into the pet food supply.
Dr. Cathy Alinovi DVM
As a practicing veterinarian, Dr. Cathy treated 80% of what walked in the door — not with expensive prescriptions — but with adequate nutrition. Now retired from private practice, her commitment to pets hasn’t waned and she looks forward to impacting many more pet parents through her books, research, speaking and consulting work. Learn more at drcathyvet.com
