They intentionally ignored procedure, they intentionally mishandled a testing sample, they intentionally destroyed a quality pet food business.
With great sadness, Rad Cat Pet Food announced yesterday they will be closing their doors. Their business was murdered by FDA and multiple State Department of Agriculture offices.
The death of Rad Cat pet food began with Ohio Department of Agriculture. Ohio notified Rad Cat they had tested the pet food and found it to contain pathogenic bacteria. Law required Ohio Department of Agriculture to provide the company they are testing a “split sample” and “chain of custody” documents. A split sample is significantly important for any business but especially a raw pet food (considering the clear agenda of regulatory authorities to destroy raw pet food). A split sample is the government agency providing the pet food manufacturer with a sample of the exact food they tested. If the split sample tests positive for the manufacturer, no argument – pet food is recalled. But…if the pet food tests negative, further investigation is required. These testing requirement laws are written to protect both the government agency and the pet food business. BUT – these laws are only effective IF the government agency abides by law. Ohio Department of Agriculture outright refused to provide Rad Cat pet food with their split sample and refused to provide any chain of custody documents. First nail in the coffin complete.
The next nail in the coffin came from Colorado Department of Agriculture. It is required by law that pet food samples are handled properly from when they leave the pet food store where purchased to the laboratory where they will be tested (this is part of chain of custody requirements). With a raw pet food, proper chain of custody requires the pet food to remain frozen. But Colorado Department of Agriculture could have cared less about proper chain of custody. The Colorado representative that purchased the Rad Cat pet food from a store, did not place the frozen pet food in a cooler as required by law…no, that didn’t happen. Instead, the Colorado Department of Agriculture representative ignored the cooler he had in his car, and he just sat the pet food in his car, in July. Ignoring all required protocol for sampling a pet food, the Colorado Department of Agriculture representative sent a thawed pet food to a lab for testing for bacteria. No one knows exactly how long that pet food was exposed to the hot summer day before it reached the lab. With absolute certainty, the integrity of the pet food sample was compromised and was NOT appropriate to be tested, nevertheless to be the exact sample used to force a recall.
And Colorado Department of Agriculture’s sloppy enforcement did not stop there. The agency sent Rad Cat an official letter of sample positive notice stating the pet food was purchased “on April 11, 2018”. Nope. The pet food wasn’t even manufactured on April 11, 2018, didn’t ship to distributors until May. Rad Cat pet food has one document from Colorado that states their pet food sample tested positive, and another document that says it tested negative. The Colorado Department of Agriculture deputy lab manager acknowledged on more than one occasion that she made assumptions not based on fact, was given misinformation and her subordinates did not follow SOPs.
Unlike Ohio, Colorado Department of Agriculture did provide Rad Cat with a split sample of the mishandled venison pet food. Rad Cat received their split sample thawed. This exact sample had been frozen, thawed, frozen and thawed again – but it tested negative for any pathogenic bacteria.
Colorado Department of Agriculture’s sloppy testing and recall notification procedures should have been dismissed by all. But that’s not what happened. The last nail in Rad Cat’s coffin. Enter FDA.
FDA was fully aware that Ohio Department of Agriculture did NOT follow required procedure. In fact, FDA told Rad Cat they would not help them when Ohio refused to provide a split sample. This was a lie – FDA certainly could have stepped in and required the split sample to be provided (they just didn’t want to). FDA was fully aware that Colorado Department of Agriculture intentionally mishandled a frozen sample. In fact, when the mishandling of the Rad Cat pet food samples was discussed by the pet food company with FDA, the agency told the pet food: “With the more problems we find, raw food will be accepted until it is no longer accepted. We will do what we need to do to control companies if companies can’t control themselves.”
There it is. The death sentence. “We will do what we need to do…” That’s exactly what happened. Every single enforcement agency did what they needed to do to destroy a quality pet food.
FDA openly admitted to corruption – doing what they have to do to destroy a pet food including ignoring all legal requirements.
But there’s more (to prove FDA, Ohio and Colorado intentionally contaminated this pet food)…
Probably unknown by Rad Cat pet food is a pet owner who was feeding their cat Rad Cat. The cat suddenly got sick, so the pet owner sent 3 samples of pet food to an independent lab for testing. The pet foods she tested was:
Pork: Lot: 63039, Best before date: 09/17/2019
Venison: Lot: 63045, BB: 09/24/2019
Turkey: Lot: 63037, BB: 09/13/2019
And guess what? All three lots of pet food tested negative for any pathogenic bacteria. The exact lot of Venison this pet owner tested, was the lot that Colorado tested, mishandled, and tested (supposedly positive) and the company was forced to recall in July. The lab told this pet owner “We cultured your specimens directly and recovered no bacterial growth of any kind.”
Double standards, selective enforcement.
Consider this – the FDA openly allows all other styles of pet food to utilize “diseased animals and animals which have died otherwise than by slaughter”, a direct violation of federal law. Colorado Department of Agriculture, Ohio Department of Agriculture and every other state Department of Agriculture openly ignores federal law with all other styles of pet food. But with raw pet food, all regulatory authorities ask raw manufacturers to use only “USDA inspected and passed for human consumption” meat.
FDA took NO enforcement action when a Mars Petcare plant was infested with “millions of roaches” for multiple inspections.
FDA took NO enforcement action when an inspection found multiple violations in a Purina Beneful plant. Instead, the agency only “talked with Purina”.
But with raw pet food, multiple regulatory authorities absolutely violate law ‘doing what they have to do’. Only raw.
Double standards and selective enforcement must stop.
I encourage all pet owners – regardless to whether you feed raw pet food or not – to demand equal enforcement of law. If we don’t take action, they will continue their destruction of real pet foods.
Please write your State Department of Agriculture (you can find your state representative email address here: https://www.aafco.org/Regulatory) and write FDA (AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov) and clearly express to them you expect equal enforcement of all pet food laws for all styles of pet food. An example email for you is below.
I want to make you aware of a situation that is evidence to destructive selective enforcement and lack of enforcement of law in pet food.
Pet owners just lost an option of a quality pet food due to sloppy and outright illegal actions by multiple regulatory authorities. Rad Cat pet food was bullied and battered so extensively by multiple regulatory authorities, the company just announced they will no longer be providing consumers a quality pet food.
Clear evidence shows – FDA, Ohio Department of Agriculture and Colorado Department of Agriculture systematically destroyed Rad Cat pet food through violations of sampling procedure. Split samples are not provided, frozen samples are transported without protection of a cooler, frozen samples were received in the lab thawed. Evidence shows that the pet food company testing of the pet food proved negative, and further – independent testing by a pet owner proved the pet food tested negative for any pathogenic bacteria.
But FDA, Ohio Department of Agriculture and Colorado Department of Agriculture ignored all proper procedure and continued their bullying. An FDA official stated to this pet food company – and I quote – “With the more problems we find, raw food will be accepted until it is no longer accepted. We will do what we need to do to control companies if companies can’t control themselves.”
There it is. The entire problem for pet owners…FDA and all pet food regulatory authorities believe they they can ignore and even violate law because they know best what my pet should be eating. Wrong.
FDA and all State Department of Agriculture’s openly and aggressively bully the raw pet food industry while at the same time allowing all other styles of pet food to utilize illegal ingredients such as diseased and non-slaughtered animals. Law is clear – no matter how many times a dead decomposing animal is processed…it still illegal to be included in pet food. Further, FDA, and all State Department of Agriculture’s openly cooperate with AAFCO to prevent public access to the legal definitions of pet food ingredients. These are both direct violations of law.
There are clear pet food double standards and it must end today. I am writing you to ask for consistent regulation of all laws with all styles of pet food. No more picking and choosing what law you’ll enforce and with who. I am writing you to asking for consistent testing of all styles of pet food. I am writing you asking for a response fully explaining (in detail) how you are going to accomplish this. Further, I am asking for public access to all AAFCO pet food ingredient definitions, Freedom of Information rights require this.
I leave you with one question that I would like a response to as well. How does FDA and all State Department of Agriculture expect for any USDA inspected and passed meat to be clean of pathogenic bacteria when YOU allow the livestock animals to consume poop. The 2018 AAFCO Official Publication contains SEVEN processed animal poop feed ingredients. Have you ever considered that the waste YOU allow in animal feed IS the actual cause of the pathogenic bacteria common to raw meat? Perhaps you should. Does FDA and all State Department of Agriculture agencies ever test livestock feed – especially those feed that include up to 50% chicken poop – for pathogenic bacteria? Perhaps you should. You can’t allow livestock animals to consume poop and expect the meat to be clean.
I await your detailed response to my questions.
To Rad Cat Pet Food – I am so sorry you were bullied by those that have no regard for law. I’m so sorry you were abused this way. I have appreciated your honesty and transparency with me through this entire devastating event (Rad Cat has been sharing these incredible violations of law with me for several months). I encourage you to sue them all. They violated law and destroyed your business. They must be held accountable for their reckless and destructive actions. Sue them.
To Pet Owners – please take a very vocal stance on this issue. We must demand that all laws are enforced across all styles of pet food. Even if you don’t feed a raw pet food, bias enforcement of law effects everyone. The next time…it might be your trusted pet food that is murdered by sloppy regulators determined ‘do what they need to do’. The entire animal feed industry needs a dramatic overhaul (seriously – cats/dogs should not be eating decomposing animals and cows should not be eating chicken poop as 50% of their feed). If we don’t speak up, loudly and now – who knows what they will do next. FDA just secretly snuck into an unrelated bill the action to remove pet food safety laws written on the deaths of thousands of animals in 2007. I am very serious…who knows what they will do next.
Before they further destroy the real pet food industry (food, not feed) – please write and call your regulatory authorities.
To read more of the murder of Rad Cat pet food – Click Here, Here, and Here.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
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
The 2018 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here to learn more.
Have you read Buyer Beware? Click Here
Cooking pet food made easy, Dinner PAWsible
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
Karen Lucas
October 16, 2018 at 12:01 pm
So horrifying but we have a government that prefers to do away with regulations so that huge companies like Mars and Purina can make more money and we and our animal companions and our livestock are of NO concern to them.
jan Beardsley-blanco
October 16, 2018 at 12:01 pm
you are so correct, Susan – they MURDERED Radcat…………………as i imagine they did years ago to Fegnion. let’s hope Radcat will rise from the ashes as Fegnion did – to come again! my cats have done well on it – and if the powers that be wish to eliminate all raw pet food, well, they’ll have to come after the many many consumers who make their own cat and dog food. My kitties loved Radcat Turkey – and until she passed over, my Sara, allergic to many proteins, trhived on Radcat Turkey
sazure
October 16, 2018 at 12:08 pm
I grew up with a mother in traditional medicine and went holistic as soon as I was of age to do so. As well for my cats and fish. I have a background in both sciences, and nutrition yet studied holistic nutrition and therapies.
I used to buy RAD catfood at my locals vets and wondered what happened to it. This story reminds me of an Amish farmer who used to make salves for skin cancer that had been passed down for generations in his family. They were not connected to the outside world and he didn’t know of the recent FDA regulations (well not so recent) whereby herbs, homeopathic and other remedies can no longer state on the label what they are used for. (I studied herbs for decades – it is a hardship for most to have to look up each herb or combination of and determine their use.)
He is in jail now for LIFE!!! No opportunity to make changes to the label as he and his family requested, no appeals – his life tossed aside in the interest of big pharma business.
If one does not live in a medical “freedom” state even a licensed M.D. with advanced training in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine such as my former Physician (for chemical injury) using natural therapies can lose their license.
The hypocrisy is that both allopathic medicine and the traditional pet foods kill animals, more then any natural source of therapies or food.
I studied pre vet sciences long ago. I can read labels and know the MSDS and other sources of information. What goes into most foods is beyond disgusting but harmful – even rubber hardener is used. (I have a background in chemistry and chemistry of art products – interesting to find many of the same chemicals in pet food.)
That said, I make my own pet food. Raw diets balanced with supplements from source I trust (raw low heat processed food additions to the raw meets – all the best organic).
Natalie
February 9, 2021 at 3:48 pm
The Amish Bath County farmer Samuel Girod was convicted in Lexington last week on 13 federal counts. Prosecutors say Girod continued to sell his cosmetics after he was ordered to stop in 2013 by a federal judge in Missouri. Girod had advertised the products as cures for skin cancer, tumors, and headaches. He got 6 years. Not life.
Natalie
February 9, 2021 at 4:10 pm
Also, I would add after reading the court filings, Mr. Girod demanded and insisted despite numerous admonitions not to represent himself. He deserved his 6 yr sentence. “He who represents himself has a fool for an attorney.” https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-girod-8
Cannoliamo
October 16, 2018 at 12:11 pm
Why have a protocol if it’s not mandatory, legally binding and the results / procedures available to audit? Something here smells really fishy if an independent audit isn’t available to support a challenge or discrepancy in results. Re-sampling with statistical data analysis is always more reliable and statistically valid than using a single sample or single test. If there is contamination, there HAS to be a source that is discoverable. Is anybody in FDA or the state testing labs available for a response?
Hope
October 16, 2018 at 12:45 pm
Our country is controlled by a political party that focuses on power and money not the good of it’s citizens let alone the citizens’ pets. Until this changes the influence on government agencies’ directions and management will continue to be power and money as the priority for a few large pet feed companies. This has been the growing case for quite a while and I find it both discouraging and unbelievable. We must fight back! I hope that the raw food companies will finally see that they must unite now that Rad Cat has been murdered per Susan. I thank Gaia for Susan and Truth About Pet Food cause without her there would be no push back. I hope the pet food industry–especially the raw food companies–follow Susan’s lead, finally!
Johnson
January 2, 2019 at 9:54 am
Our country is not run by one political side we have corruption living inside both!
Janet Blume
October 16, 2018 at 1:20 pm
I’d love to see RadCat start a legal fund! Let’s help them sue the crap (pun intended) out of them!
PeterSPoulos
October 16, 2018 at 1:23 pm
This is shocking and troubling news to me. Rad Cat has been a mainstay of my cat’s diets; I have been serving Rad Cat to my cats for years with excellent results. Rad Cat is a terrific product. I have also heard many testimonials greatly praising Rad Cat. Three vets at my clinic comment on the excellent health of my pets, a fact I attribute in great part to their diet. I will definitely follow up with a letter to the FDA.
On a related note, IMHO I have no doubt that the leadership of our government and its agencies are corrupt to the core, and this sad and twisted episode is yet another example of the plight we face in this country.
Dianne & Pets
October 16, 2018 at 1:34 pm
If the pet food safety laws are rescinded, does that mean they can no longer test any pet food?
Susan Thixton
October 16, 2018 at 1:40 pm
No, the laws that were deleted do not have anything to do with testing. You can read about that here: https://truthaboutpetfood.com/a-pet-food-betrayal-like-none-other/
Dianne & Pets
October 16, 2018 at 9:31 pm
I am somewhat confused, if pet food safety is no longer mandated, why test? If the raw food is mostly meat, doesn’t that remove the FDA from the picture?
Susan Thixton
October 16, 2018 at 9:45 pm
I think if you read the other post I linked – you’ll understand. What was deleted was Section 1002 (a) of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act. This section of law was written after thousands of pets died in 2007 and it required FDA to provide pet owners with pet food ingredient definitions, establish standards of quality of pet food ingredients, and update pet food labels to provide pet owners more information about the product.
Dianne & Pets
October 16, 2018 at 10:05 pm
I had read I, when you originally posted it and again today. Your explanation above clarifies the issue, Thank you.
Fred St Clair
October 16, 2018 at 3:29 pm
I found this on the Rad Cat web site:
“Some rumors have begun that the FDA shut us down and that is a complete fabrication. We had one of the cleanest facilities and our inspectors and third party auditors complimented us on this during every visit (including the FDA, USDA and Oregon Department of Agriculture). We have never had a sanitation violation in any of our facilities, ever, including from recent visits from the FDA. Our shut down was pure economics – cash not coming in fast enough. It’s simply fallout from having to recall 340 lots of food in August. And, from money being withheld from insurance and from us having to fight for payments from some distributors.”
So what is going on? I would think if they were being forced to shut down because of regulatory actions they would say.
B
October 16, 2018 at 3:36 pm
It also hurt their business by not sharing this with Pet Food Express when they asked what was going on with their recalls. They refused to share any information & basically told them not to worry about it. They responded to that by removing RadCat from all their stores. If you had nothing to hide then be open about it.
Susan Thixton
October 16, 2018 at 3:38 pm
‘B’ – have you ever been threatened by the FDA and or Colorado Department of Agriculture? Threats demanding your silence? Wonder what you would have done in their shoes facing NASTY threats?
Dianne & Pets
February 24, 2019 at 5:18 pm
Could they have said, the FDA and the Colorado Department of Agriculture have told us we are not allowed to say anything. Please ask them for clarification.?
Lisa Sleszynski
October 16, 2018 at 5:00 pm
Such a sad day for the company, and all the kitties who relied on them, not only those who loved the food but it was one of few choices extremely healthy choices for kitties with CKD or other illnesses. ?
Sue M
October 16, 2018 at 5:23 pm
I hope at least they can recover the money owed to them by Animal Supply. I feel so bad for them. Pretty scary times for small manufacturers and retailers. The “money gods” are angry.
Vicki Pearce
October 16, 2018 at 7:05 pm
Thank you for the click here links at the end of your article and for all you do for raw feeding pet lovers.
pamroussell
October 16, 2018 at 8:47 pm
This is so upsetting–I’m outraged! Rad Cat has been a stellar raw pet food company, and I only hope they can afford to file a lawsuit against all parties involved.
Dianne & Pets
October 16, 2018 at 9:40 pm
It is an important distinction, the hidden agenda and refusal to properly follow procedures resulted in Rad Cat shutting down because they were left in a financially untenable position by the actions of the FDA, USDA and Oregon Department of Agriculture.
Carol
October 17, 2018 at 1:45 am
I am so very upset by this news that all I can do is cry. How am I going to explain to my 17 year old CKD kitty that I can no longer feed her her favorite food?
Karin Seritis
October 17, 2018 at 9:59 pm
This is for Susan Thixton~
I found out about this as soon as it was announced. My boy cat Beemer is addicted to RADCAT chicken and turkey, which I’d just e-mailed to the manager of Western Farm Supply in Santa Rosa, who has half a refrigerator set aside for RADCAT. Beemer hits me up all day long for it. The manager e-mailed me within the hour of my sending this, to tell me that RADCAT had sent him the announcement of their closure shortly after he read my message (this was on the 15th). I emptied my freezer and bought 22 larger tubs of their food yesterday and today to get us through this, until I can figure out a replacement. Anyway, I am beyond upset at what the FDA did to them after reading their account. The FDA & USDA have been doing this to a lot of small businesses that are in competition with their ‘friends’ in BigAgra and BigPharma, small firms who are selling everything from raw milk to CBD products. They have even SWAT-teamed some of these businesses over made-up violations concerning made-up pathogens, etc. What I see here is their standard MO, and is a complete violation of the RICO act. This is racketeering at its finest, and is completely out of control.
My question to you: who do we write about this? Would that be the head of the Federal FDA? Would you recommend writing President Trump? I need to do something.
Susan Thixton
October 18, 2018 at 8:34 am
Hi Karin –
In the article above I have a couple of examples for you to write to – your State Department of Agriculture and FDA. Please write everyone you can think of, it won’t hurt.
Kenneth Kalligher
October 17, 2018 at 10:28 pm
So Susan, I posted the following on Facebook today in response to someone’s comment on the demise of RadCat. I know the raw industry is in the crosshairs of the FDA and the traditional industry. I am uncertain whether or not the raw industry has, as a group, formed any associations that can represent the raw industry so I raise that question. Your efforts have probably also contributed to the FDA pressure, nevertheless this will not stop and they need not only consumer outrage, but representation.
My comments on Facebook: It has been apparent to me for many years that the growing raw pet food industry would be facing increasing pressure both from the traditional mega producers of dry and canned and highly preserved foods and the federal government via the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It was not hard to see that these giant organizations were coming under threat by educated pet owners and the growing raw food options that were becoming available and the continuing deaths of pets perpetrated by the traditional pet food poisonings.a The growing pressure from consumer groups such as Susan Thixton’s TAPF and many others threatened the cozy relationship the industry leaders had with the FDA. So, what to do, well, simply, scare the hell out of consumers about the dangers of raw pet food. Never mind that millions of homes daily buy raw products from all local grocery stores and process it at home ostensibly on the same kitchen countertops. Eggs, shrimp, chicken, hamburger, vegetables, fruits and on and on and on are loaded with microbial pathogens, which are cosmopolitan in distribution. Hardly ever do the food handlers and preparers in homes stop to wonder about the dangers that they themselves create, but “raw dog food” DON’T TOUCH, DANGEROUS! So tell me why the handling of raw dog food is any more dangerous than handling grocery store raw food. Delis, restaurants, caterers, street vendors just to name a few all handle these same pathogens. This is an effort to “get” the raw food pet industry; and it is far from over. I wonder if the raw food pet industry has formed any coalitions or initiated any lobbying groups or retained any law firms to represent their interests. I never see them fight back and if the samples were truly handled with the careless disregard outlined in this piece it would just make sense that there would be a maelstrom of legal activity to challenge these State and Federal agencies. Everyone is aware of the armies of lawyers of these traditional giants of the pet food industry and the phony organizations like AAFCO that protect them. The outrage and outcry from individual consumers reminds me of the old saying, “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it still make a sound?” There is no one in these organizations there to hear the typically weak outcry from consumers. It is not that it doesn’t matter, but without organization there is no one to hear the tree. This attack on the raw food industry will not stop! It is working and why stop when your attack works. The raw pet food manufacturers need to fight back, it is not too late, but time is wasting and once it gains steam and more successes it may be too late. Get going!
tcat1
October 21, 2018 at 12:32 am
This is terrible news and am so sorry for all the kitties who depend on RadCat who are sick with CKD and other diseases. I have been feeding my girls ZiwiPeak Rabbit & Lamb for a long time and all of a sudden, it just disappeared from the shelves. When I called Chewy.com to ask what happened and if they are getting it back (keeps on posting a future date, but when the date is reached, they just keep forwarding it over and over). Was given this very strange and vague answer from Chewy that “ZiwiPeak had to meet the AAFCO requirements before it could be released into the US.” Well, got off the phone and thought about it and that doesn’t make a bit of sense to me because all of their other food with different meat is here without problems. Wouldn’t have thought twice about feeding my girls their other meats but have one little Ragdoll who has beginning renal failure and IBS, so can’t just spring another food on her without horrible repercussions. After reading this article, makes me wonder if something happened with this company and the FDA and/or AAFCO. Thank goodness I had about 3 weeks worth of the Rabbit & Lamb, but then ran out and had to feed an alternate which I’m not happy about because it is of lesser quality. If there was any possible way I could feed raw or make my own, definitely would, but for several reasons, including a physical disabiilty, am not able at this time unfortunately. Just makes me sick to know that I’m not giving them the best food. Does anyone know what happened with this particular food? Did write directly to ZiwiPeak but never got an answer to date. Thanks.
tcat1
October 21, 2018 at 12:48 am
OK, so when I just went back to my email, got a response from ZiwiPeak saying that they now have Rabbit&Lamb on their website but no explanation was given why it disappeared. Makes me wonder.
Peg
October 23, 2018 at 8:48 am
I have a really stupid question
Why is Colorado Ag testing food manufactured in Oregon for the FDA?
Isn’t there some legality question there somewhere?
Susan Thixton
October 23, 2018 at 3:06 pm
States often work in partnership with FDA on testing products sold in retail. Actually FDA pays states for their testing efforts (your tax dollars). And Colorado tested it because it was sold retail in the state (and because it was raw).
Peg
October 23, 2018 at 5:57 pm
Thank you Susan
Now I understand
Lori
November 4, 2018 at 11:22 am
I’m sick by this and I loved Radcat. I have a cat that has severe allergies and is FHIV positive This is the ONLY Thing that allowed him to put weight on and actually thrive. He can not eat any other food. I have been scrambling to make my own with chicken breast but its without organ meat and he won’t eat it. I loved this company and its horrible what the government did to it to destroy a viable business. They don’t want us healthy, they want us to be in a perpetural state of semi sickness to make big pharma rich and other companies that only care about money. Purina is a joke. So are most of the other companies I’m so sick of it and I wish more people opened their eyes to what POLITICS is doing. Politicians are a joke, they are not for the people, they are ALWAYS for themselves. Government is nothing but a big corrupt organization that is tainting our lives on a daily basis. It sickening. I hope this company comes back. They were the best and I was grateful to find them. Now I don’t know what I am going to do to keep my cat healthy.
Ms. B Dawson
November 19, 2018 at 3:55 pm
FYI:
According to a pet food industry trade rag, investors are looking to revive Radcat.
Kenneth Kalligher
November 19, 2018 at 4:55 pm
What pet food industry rag? Are these current investors or a group on new investors?
Ms. B Dawson
November 19, 2018 at 7:58 pm
Pet Product News, Nov. 14th edition.
I had only read the head lines (“Investors Might Revive Shuttered Raw Pet Food Company”) when I quickly posted my initial comment.
Actually reading the article it elaborates: ..”However, the company’s owners hope that a crowdsourcing campaign—and perhaps a new investment partner—will help get Radagast back on its feet.”…and …“We have been contacted by multiple individuals looking to invest in the brand and some others that are interested in carrying on the brand themselves,” she said. “It takes time to talk to all of the parties that have contacted us, but we are confident that we will find a good partner to help bring the brand back to all of the kitties that rely on it.”…
I wasn’t certain I should post the crowd funding link here, but it should be on their website.
Donna Sinn
January 24, 2019 at 6:21 pm
I worked in FDA regulated industries for better than 20 years at both the Director and VP levels. I was involved in at least 100 FDA inspections of firms I worked for.
I know with absolutes certainty that there are horrid and extremely biased inspectors and leadership in the FDA.
There are also some very conscientious inspectors, but it does not seem as if Rad Cat was fortunate enough to get unbiased inspectors. The CO Dept of Ag inspector should be both fired and prosecuted for not following chain of custody SOPs.
It is shameful what happened to Rad Cat.
I am so bummed as I swear Rad Cat is why my 18 YO kitty is still alive.
I am down to my last container of pork Rad Cat and have not found anything he likes as much.
I hope their new potential partner works out and Rad Cat can produce their wonderful and healthy food for our obligate carnivore felines.
JaWash
February 23, 2019 at 5:45 pm
This company, and 100% of the comments on all pages regarding this company, their “quotes” and accounts of activities surrounding its choice to close, are all the result of the Owners MANIPULATION. Those falling in line with sympathy and support for this company have all been manipulated by this person and those that are re-posting this misinformation.
It has very little to do with the health and well being of the pets being fed raw diets. It is about bringing an adulterated product into the home, where HUMANS (including children) are feeding the pet, unknowingly becoming exposed to the pathogen that can (supported by CDC trace back investigations) infect the household. This occurs by either handling the raw pet food directly, handling the feeding container and utensils, or when the pet becomes ill and sheds the bacteria into the environment. The nutrient quality of the food itself is not the issue, the raw ingredients that are not cooked to reach a lethal time and temperature to destroy pathogens of concern is the issue.
The failure of the Owner, and the Industry to recognize this as a fundamental problem with raw pet food, the product they have chosen to produce, is their fault. FDA has had guidance to Industries that make and market raw pet food since the early 2000’s, with the pathogen concerns to the HUMAN population as the top issue. As with all well formulated pet food, that are addressing the known hazards of the ingredients used before releasing the finished product to the consumer, there is little microbiological risk of illness to the pet or the pet owner. For companies that chose to ignore the guidance and warnings, releasing food that does not address the known hazard, making those known hazard into an unknown hazard for their Customers to deal with, these companies do not deserve the privilege of being in business.
Whether you are educated enough to agree with it or not, FDA is not trying to put any company out of business, they are a Consumer protection agency. When Consumers report their pets getting sick, or there are human clinical samples that show a link between the pathogen detected in a human and an analyzed food samples (including pet food), or there is evidence that the pathogenic organism continues to be found in marketed product manufactured by a company as well as in that same companies production environment, it is the Responsibility of the company that made and shipped the adulterated food to remove it from the market and notify their customers (who have a Right to Know). It is not the right of the company to drag their feet, to try and seek out ways to challenge the legitimate findings and reporting’s, to delay or outright refuse to recall products they are responsible for causing the adulteration. It is not legitimate or legal to “disclaim” a know hazard in food by labeling it with safe handling instructions that lack adequate instructions to further cook/heat/process it to destroy the known pathogens. If the pathogen is not intended to be present, as an ingredient, then it should not be there. When it is found in a product, it needs to be voluntarily and expeditiously removed. It is defrauding the public and government when companies ship adulterated products. When they delay or refuse to do the right thing by not recalling all similarly impacted product, they need to first hold themselves accountable.
Our Fur-Babies are not as physiologically different than humans, what hurts us will likely hurt them. Every animal (including humans) have different tolerances, the rate of exposure and level of intake does matter. Our pet may appear to be asymptomatic, at the same time be carrying a transmittable infection. The level of infectivity is based a healthy animal model, emphasis on “healthy”. So if an animal has underlying conditions, they may be more susceptible to infection than a “healthy” animal. Also, Microbiology (life) is not an exact science, and multiplying cells are not uniform in growth within a product as most people suspect. Incubation is necessary for the organism to grow, to be detectable. An organism that is not present in a product will not grow in the product when incubated. In many cases, if not more often then not, the pathogenic organism is out-competed by other organisms. It is not important at what level a known pathogen is detected, its not supposed to be there. The risk of a sample being temperature abused (thawing) between point of collection and the control lab where it will be processed (to find the organism of concern) is that there is a greater chance for the numerous competing organisms to grow and wipe out the pathogenic organisms. So what the State did when collecting this sample was to give the competing organisms a head start, potentially making it more difficult for the analysis to detect the pathogen by starting the incubation clock earlier than it should have if it was under the more stringent controls of refrigeration. Again, if the pathogen was not present in the product, it would not have grown. If the pathogen was not present in a higher amount than the competing organisms, then it has a lesser chance of being detected after incubation. Again, not supposed to be there.
The argument that there are other “raw” products, like produce, that also contain pathogens. Yes, and the word is getting out that there are known risks to consuming these raw products, and safe handling is imperative. Similarly, when detected with a pathogen, the companies that distributed potentially adulterated lot(s) of produce are responsible for voluntarily removing them from the market and notifying their customers. For those conspiracy theorists that think the government is trying to shut down small businesses or protect larger corporations, you are sorely misguided, just as the Owner of this raw pet food company would have you believe. Conspiracy theorists, go conspire elsewhere.
Ms. B Dawson
February 23, 2019 at 10:19 pm
Wow, quite the dissertation, if somewhat rambling.
I only have one question: if FDA is merely executing it’s duties, then why have so many contaminated kibble products NOT been recalled under similar circumstances? FDA should enforce equally across the entire PFI. It is not doing this and that is no conspiracy theory.
JaWash
March 2, 2019 at 12:06 pm
Well, you need to be educated.
It is doing this, you are just not seeing it, or want to see it. Doing some FOI requests, you may get a clearer picture. However, there is a disparity in the legal system. Larger companies do have a huge advantage, they have more resources, they are able to fight longer and harder, and they have elected representatives to protect their money making industry. The Agencies are not political organizations, they are made up of ordinary citizens, like you. Trying to hold everyone accountable, equally and fairly is a goal of these Agencies. Does it happen that way? Certainly not, and it is easy to see this played out in the media. Other restrictions are that the Agencies only take on cases that the US Attorney will support and know they can win, otherwise they are wasting resources. Targeting the Agencies gets you nowhere, and only feeds the conspiracies, but that is exactly what the bad players want the public to do.
Ms. B Dawson
March 3, 2019 at 12:51 pm
My question was rhetorical, which was obviously lost in translation.
I’m rather well educated on the PFI, actually. As a biologist, herbalist, raw food advocate/educator since 1992 and one-time owner of a holistic pet supply, I have a wealth of personal experience with FDA and USDA, including testifying at congressional hearings during the fight to pass DSHEA in 1994 and a regulatory visit to my shop that targeted a raw food I stocked. (As an aside, I was an environmental biologist and have personal experience with EPA as well.)
Your comment: “The Agencies are not political organizations, they are made up of ordinary citizens, like you.”.. is bull roar . The very fact that the heads of these agencies are political appointments makes them a political organization. The very fact that these agencies are funded by Congressional Committee makes them a political organization. Senators and congresspersons are dis-inclined to risk campaign contributions from their constituents’ industries. You yourself said as much: ..”they have elected representatives to protect their money making industry…”. I think that smacks of a political organization!
Ordinary citizens? Yeah, cherry picked from captains of industry, such as ex-CMO of Flatiron Health, Amy Abernathy, now FDA deputy commissioner and let’s not even mention how many ex-Monsanto/Bayer folks are/have been in various positions over the years. You must drill down to the boots on the ground staffers who do the grunt work before you find ‘ordinary citizens’ like me. Many of my college pals accepted those boots on the ground jobs believing they would be doing amazing public interest work. Most left within a decade, demoralized by administrative bosses who worried more about fallout than holding major offenders accountable. There are always good people to be found in these agencies – and I admire those tough skinned individuals – but the over-arching attitude at the top is one of protective self-interest. You paint a different picture of the agencies with whom I have dealt.
ANY governmental agency that tilts enforcement toward the little guys because they lack the political and financial resources of big companies is not truly providing consumer protection. They are picking off the easy marks so they can show a ‘successful track record’ of enforcement when budget hearings come around. That’s not fair, its biased.
I am not necessarily defending RadCat, although there’s some pretty damning evidence of chain of command breaches and I think it demands an investigation. If their produce was contaminated, they should be held accountable the same as any other company. But I want to know – no I NEED to know – that ANY company will be held accountable if they don’t follow the law. That’s what my taxes should fund.
Kenneth Kalligher
March 3, 2019 at 3:30 pm
Ms. B, you are spot on! Unfortunately, one has only to look at today’s political appointees at the various government agencies to see that the fox is in charge of the chicken coop. To assume all is well in the regulatory agencies and the intent is pure is to ignore the facts and truth.
Dianne & Pets
February 24, 2019 at 5:47 pm
Let’s not forget all the compliance policies that allow pet feed producers to include all kinds of questionable ingredients. I hope you would make the same complaints about how the companies producing the pentobarbital laced food or the ones with excessive amounts of Vit D who instead of responsibly removing the products fought and denied it.
Kenneth Kalligher
February 24, 2019 at 7:52 pm
I realize this is an endless conversation and people will, as usual, line up on both sides of this debate. I only need to say that the notion that the FDA is in the consumer protection business is at the very least laughable. I too had a brief career with the FDA and subsequently spent over 40 years in the food manufacturing business with many different food companies. I think to understand the FDA, one only need to look at the FDA’s regulation of big Pharma. The opioid crisis lies directly at the doorstop of FDA. Apparent changes in the way Big Pharma was allowed by FDA to change the way opioids were prescribed was at the core of the rise of the use of opioids! NO QUESTION! To suggest that FDA was in the consumer protection business is nonsense. This agency has a very long history of collaboration with manufacturers of food, drug and cosmetics. There are reams of evidence for anyone with a mind and the willingness to pursue the truth, that leads one on a path where FDA has an obvious history of colluding with companies for the benefit of those businesses whose political connections through massive donations (I would say bribes) have resulted in benefit to those massive corporations. Unquestionably small companies are at a distinct disadvantange in a highly competitive and ruthless business. We have former Directors of the FDA openly critizizing the operations within the FDA and the evidence is clear; you pay you get what you want. Having participated in dozens and dozens of FDA inspections both as an investigator and manufacturing plant management, I can tell you without exception, there are good and bad investigators, but even at that level, there is little they can do to effect the outcome of inspections. Political connections can summarily end a thorough evaluation of the manifold violations that occur every single day. I’m sorry, it just roils me to the core to talk about justification of clobbering a small manufacturer because he was a threat and should have known better, when I know of the violations that go unreported or covered up in too many cases. We are inundated with pathogens in the human food chain every single day and to suggest that somehow the food we purchase is pure because of agencies such as FDA and USDA or State Health Agencies is really laughable. These are regulatory agencies pure and simple, under the control of political pressures. Can I say it? FOLLOW THE MONEY!
Ms. B Dawson
February 25, 2019 at 11:00 am
Kenneth ~ thank you for your response. As an ex-biologist, I have many friends who used to work for FDA and EPA. Their stories are similar to yours. It is always the personnel in the field who see the problems and become discouraged by managers at the top who have agendas. My friends thought they were going to be of good service to humanity and instead found nothing but frustration and ultimately, disenchantment. Like you, they can rarely talk about their experience even years later without anger.
As to the safety of our human food supply, here’s one: The slaughter house I was getting my dogs’ goat meat from had screwed up by changing locations before all the meat had been transferred to the new facility. USDA licenses the facility, not the company, so USDA sealed the old freezers with meat remaining and would not allow it to be released. I had to go to the Atlanta office of USDA and talk to the head honcho to get my already paid for goat meat without it being denatured by either charcoal or inspection ink.
Luckily, the guy was reasonable and we had an amazing conversation. He flat out told me that consumers think our food is so safe when in fact it is barely more sanitary than the old open air butcher markets of the 20s. He finished the conversation with the comment: ‘its the sorry state of our immune systems that is the bigger problem than a little bacteria in the meat.’. I found it refreshing to hear such a high ranking official candidly ‘fess up to what I already knew to be true.
I sometimes wonder how long he stayed with USDA.
Kenneth Kalligher
February 25, 2019 at 8:35 pm
Ms. B I really appreciate the comment. You couldn’t be more accurate! Most of the people I worked with and for in the FDA have retired or moved on to other careers. Of course there were dedicated inspectors who believed in their passion and those not so good. I do believe that up to the level of Chief Inspector, most of the FDA employees were dedicated to serving the public good. There were too many cases to mention where gross and repeated violations of the code would somehow vanish beyond the Chief’s level and many times operators who were politically connected found a way to make the arm of regulation atrophy. We continue to be poisoned by both Pharma and the food industry and the USDA person you conversed with is honest and correct in his assessment and it is good to hear. Thank you for sharing this and I apologize for my passion, but sometimes some responses just get too close to my anger and I just can’t let it go.
JaWash
March 2, 2019 at 12:34 pm
Kenneth – your assessment has some merit, however, also perpetuates the false impression regarding policies and understandings of food supply. In no way shape or form can you irradiate pathogenic bacteria, from the environment or from our bodies, doing so will destroy humanity (over time). The overarching impression by the public is that FDA or USDA can magically control this. The companies that produce the products are to “control” this, not the government Agencies, and Agencies to try to hold them accountable, but there are many barriers that prevent this from happening.
There have been people in FDA top positions in the past, and currently, that are from Industry and have had personal/political aspirations for their own gain. Examples of this are Sen Orrin Hatch and Fmr Sec of State Donald Rumsfeld. They are part of the problem, that continues to be a problem for regulators. But mostly, the problems are with the elected officials that put these players in to those positions, the Voters are ultimately responsible for this occurring.
If you worked in or with FDA, you would know there are no “Inspectors”,and no “Chief Inspector”. There are Investigators, and there is no Chief Investigator position. USDA does have Inspectors though, and FDA did have Field Inspectors a long time ago, but that position was phased out almost 20 years ago.
Kenneth Kalligher
March 3, 2019 at 3:20 pm
Agreed! I was with FDA when, what were then, Inspectors and shortly after became Investigators; and there were, indeed, Chief Inspectors, and yes, it was well over 20 years ago. Notwithstanding what they were called doesn’t change the fact that little has changed in what happened then and now. The field inspectors then were both good and bad. We all have specialites and strengths and weaknesses and some that came to FDA were outstanding and some not so much. Unquestionably, as citations went up the ladder from field inspector to Director, “stuff” happened. Irrespective of why, (i.e. poor field work, misinterpretation of results or some other mitigating factor.) there was a definite unpredictable outcome. LAWS, as I understand them, are immutable. Gravity: you jump off a building, you will hit the ground, and so on. FDA is a regulatory agency and the laws that drive any regulatory agency are a reflection of the temper of the times. They are anything but immutable and, unfortunately, able to be modified or ignored depending on politcal will and political appointees. You definately know the intricacies of the FDA and by extension, should also know how this and any government agency can be manipulated by political pressure. There is always money and pressure at the core of most decisions. I have personal knowledge of how that worked in cases I had when I was a mere Inspector. I can only imagine what is happening at higher levels. Then, as now, the smaller companies who were not well connected were the least able to survive. In industry, I was able to represent some of the companies I worked for to the FDA and was successful in mitigating consequences, I believe, because of the relationships I had within the agency. That was petty, but I am quite certain that “stuff” much more important happened, and, as Bill Maher, says, “I can’t prove it, but I know it’s true.”
Gia
June 17, 2019 at 9:34 am
As someone who feeds her cats raw commercial food (we rotate brands), and a microbiologist who routinely studies and test bacteria in tissue, I will put in my 2 cents. Yes the government mishandled testing, and appropriate measures need to be taken. Regarding the representative who did not place the sample in a cooler on its way to the lab, how many of us place the raw food in a cooler before placing it into our car? 1. Putting it into your car as you drive home, for me in 90deg FL weather with about 2 hours of traffic, is a true representation of consumer behavior. Why are inspector samples handled differently? 2. We don’t know how long it was in his car for or if it was thawed upon submission,so we can’t with 100% certainty say THAT is the reason for high bacteria counts and 3. Those tubs of RadCat take a looong time to thaw, like 24 hrs in the fridge for us, and the bacteria would really only start to replicate after it thawed and would need about 12 hrs of incubation before you saw substantial rise in numbers. If it tested positive, it means there were large counts of bacteria in the meat to begin with, or the inspector had it sitting in his car for 24+hrs. The latter seems unlikely.
Regarding the split sample, ok protocol wasn’t followed and they should give them a split sample, if I were RadCat I would sue. However not giving them a sample does not automatically void their testing results. Would you feed meat from that batch to your cats? They may have a reason for not providing that sample, and usually it’s confidential and you will never know about it. I know in our lab, we frequently had to double or triple test something to make sure we get conclusive data. This would sometimes require us to consume the entire sample. If RadCat did not get a split sample, did they at least test other samples from that batch? Do we know the result? Probably not.
So point is that these gov’t errors, do not mean that RadCat food was clean and nothing should have been recalled. What if it wasn’t recalled and pets started getting sick?