One of my pet food peeves is when those responsible for enforcing pet food regulations ignore violations of pet food law. No one is enforcing a significant pet food regulation and consumers are being misled because of it.
Question…
Would you eat this for dinner?
What about this? Would you consider this food for yourself or your family?
Well guess what – these beautiful images of real food are part of pet food labels.
Pet food – the majority of pet foods – are using images of human grade food on labels. These images tell consumers the pet food is made from human grade ingredients.
Human grade ingredient claims is a sore spot for regulatory authorities, that is…the words “Human Grade”. There is little more that will cause a regulatory official (State Department of Agriculture and FDA) to take swift action other than the two little words “Human Grade” on a pet food label. Officials have forced manufacturers to remove products from store shelves all because of those two little words (“Human Grade”). In fact, for a pet food to be allowed to state those two words – “Human Grade” – on their labels, they have to go through a lengthy and detailed verification process with the FDA. Once the FDA verifies that each and every ingredient meets the legal requirement of “food” they are provided with FDA’s ‘Letter of No Objection’. No objection to the human food/human grade claim.
So, in order for a pet food to ‘say’ Human Grade in words, they must go through the FDA Letter of No Objection process. But no one – and I mean no one – cares if pet foods speak the very same words through images.
What is your opinion…Are the pictures on the following pet food labels ‘saying’ Human Grade without words? Are they speaking to the pet food consumer with images?
Of course these images are speaking to consumers. And the above is just a tiny portion of pet food labels – or pet food websites – that display images of human grade food. Better than 50% of all pet food labels, and a huge majority of pet food websites display images of Human Grade ingredients on them. Most who display these types of human grade food images, have NOT obtained a FDA Letter of No Objection to make the Human Grade claim.
There is a law within pet food regulations that is specific to images on a pet food label…
The law is: PF2.(c)
“A vignette, graphic, or pictorial representation on a pet food or specialty pet food label shall not misrepresent the contents of the package.”
In other words, pet food regulations require that a picture or graphic on a pet food label MUST portray the actual contents of the pet food. If this law was enforced, the only pet foods that would display human grade ingredients on the label would be those that have gone through the FDA ingredient verification process (Letter of No Objection).
But instead…each and every regulatory authority (each State Department of Agriculture and FDA) chooses NOT to enforce this law. In the last two years (before things have gotten out of control as they are now) I have complained to regulatory officials numerous times about this issue. They have stated to me this is not a health risk to pets – and they don’t have time to enforce this regulation.
Motorists going down the highway all slow down when the police are around with their radar guns, everyone abides by speed limits. Pet Food knows there is no need to abide by speed limits. There is no police around. They know that regulatory authorities will come down swiftly and firmly if they state the words ‘Human Grade’ on the labels. They know no regulatory authority cares if they say the same words through pictures.
Because State Department of Agriculture and FDA don’t enforce their own laws, consumers are being misled to believe many pet foods are made with human grade ingredients when they are actually made with feed grade/pet grade ingredients. As things stand now, pet food companies that are actually made with human grade ingredients are forced to jump through regulatory hoops, pet foods that are not made with human grade ingredients are allowed to openly violate regulations.
If you see images of human grade ingredients on a pet food label or website, before you believe that the pet food is made from human grade ingredients, call or email the manufacturer and ask them for a copy of their FDA Letter of No Objection. Because those responsible for enforcing regulations are not acting responsibly (protecting the consumer), we all must do our homework before we believe any pet food. If you discover the pet food actually does not have FDA permission to make the Human Grade claim, please report the product to your State Department of Agriculture for misleading images. You can find your State Department of Agriculture contacts by clicking Here.
For the upcoming AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials) meeting (early August 2015), the co-chair of the Pet Food Committee recently sent an email to all committee members asking for suggestions of discussion. The human grade claim on pet food labels was mentioned as a possible.
I sent my suggestion to AAFCO that product images are openly making the human grade claim through the use of pictures. I asked that this discussion take place at the next meeting as pet food labels are out of control and misleading consumers to believe human grade ingredients are used in most pet foods (when the opposite is true). I was told no. The only discussion that might take place is regarding the words human grade on a label, the discussion of misleading images will not take place.
I will continue to ask regulatory authorities about this issue, at every opportunity. Will they ever listen? Will they enforce the law and stop misleading images on pet food labels? They should. There is no excuse.
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
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 3000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com
The 2015 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here
Have you read Buyer Beware? Click Here
Cooking for pets made easy, Dinner PAWsible
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
John Stone
May 18, 2015 at 4:13 pm
I also think any pictured animals should ACTUALLY be eating the foods in question. You can tell when a Purina model is actually on their food…
Connie Chauvel-Gomez
May 18, 2015 at 4:59 pm
what “gets me” is a client of our pet-sitting business who still feeds her precious dog BENEFUL. I have printed documentation of deaths, etc. She states money is the issue!?! There are many foods (inexpensive ones) which have not caused documented deaths! And, this person goes on vacations; yet she cannot feed her dog a decent food….!!!! I do NOT “get it”!!!
Laurie Matson
May 18, 2015 at 6:19 pm
They honestly don’t believe that a pet food disaster will happen to them!! “Oh that will never happen to my dog” Then when their dog is dead they are mad and sad beyond belief!!! You can talk till your blue in the face to these people!!!
Hope Williams
May 19, 2015 at 12:13 am
Amen Susan. Amen!
Regina
May 19, 2015 at 2:17 am
I also cannot understand how people who drive expensive cars, wear expensive clothes and/or jewelry, or as you mention, take vacations and pay a pet-sitter . . . yet they won’t spend more money on their pets’ foods???? I see parents who will buy their kids the most expensive “fashionable” athletic shoes or whatever, but still buy cheap crap for their pets.
Is it just that they don’t love their pets as much as we do? Or are they just so ignorant of the differences in pet foods/feeds being sold today. I have tried to tell people that their pets will eat less of the “more expensive” foods, but they just can’t grasp that concept. Even after explaining it in detail, some people just don’t want to hear it! Denial is a very strong force that is keeping crappy foods in their pets’ bowls.
mahoraner
June 2, 2016 at 8:16 pm
completely agree, i was at My daughters friends house and she as 5 pairs of uggs and 4 leather jackets (shes an only child) and i was in the kitchen and saw the food bowl, the food shape is beneful!
Teresa Reid
May 19, 2015 at 3:12 am
Think that the photos are MORE misleading than the words because of the simple fact that the majority of people who buy pet food are too busy, rushed, distracted, etc., to stand there and read pet food labels. Not until one of their beloved pets dies from being on one of those horrible foods. So, they see a photo of a delicious human steak and scoop it up and don’t think about it another minute.
Most of us love our pets like we love our other family members – maybe even more. So, why shouldn’t we read the label and find out what exactly is in it? Most people will say because “I saw the photo and it looked great.” They don’t realize that it is not human grade like is shown on the front package. Same thing with human grade “hot dogs”. Every time I think about those big vats with that sludge being stirred around in them, it makes me want to hurl. Then you see people giving their KIDS that at a sports event, etc., GROSS!!!!! The point is that so many people just don’t have time or want to read labels about anything. They solely rely on the photos and then in their denial, tell themselves that it IS that thing they saw on the front package that they and their animals are ingesting. Maybe it’s just plain laziness that they don’t investigate further. One thing is for sure though, when there is a recall or their pet gets seriously ill or dies, you can bet they read the labels then but sadly it is too late. Those pets have to suffer because of that.
Whatever the reason, it is so wrong to put those photos on the package. Hope you, Susan, get to discuss this at the next meeting in August despite them telling you “no.” If there is a way to bring it up, know you will take that opportunity AND GO FOR IT!!! Those stupid laws permitting those false advertising photos should be stopped NOW.
Thank you for all the tireless work you do every day to keep our pets safe and healthy. You are such a hero to all. God bless.
Pat P.
May 20, 2015 at 10:28 am
The deceptive pictures on pet foods is VERY significant. As has been stated, many people, inexcusably, don’t bother to read ingredients or do any research, at all, into what foods their pets are consuming. Some are lazy, some are ignorant, some are gullible, some just don’t care. Whatever the excuse is for many, it is so tragic. Pets are dying, sometimes slowly, sometimes acutely, because of so much garbage.
While in the grocery store, last night, I saw a women purchasing a huge bag of really cheap cat food, with the delicious meal pictures on it. It disturbed me considerably, especially, since I know that anything I could have said would go on deaf ears or be consider NOMB. She was in a big hurry, which everybody seems to be, nowadays, (to an absurd degree) too much of one to consider the health of her pet–or, often times, her own.
What bothers me even more, though, is the people that complain about the price of the crap they feed them. Granted many are overpriced (more than they realize), but for some people, it seems even a few dollars is too much to spend on their animals. I watch and talk to people in pet food stores, and are amazed at the concern often voiced for the, even minimal, expense on their supposed beloved pets. Oh well, that is another issue.
Of course, these large corps. know the habits of their customers and depend on them to fulfill their profit goals. Sadly, it seems to be working really well with most.
I guess, Susan, all you can do is keep trying to get through to these thugs. I realize their reason for not wanting to discuss the pictures in the meeting, but how do they justify being so adamant about not doing so? Are Dr. Becker and Dr. Alinovi regulars now, or anyone else? Maybe all of you could broach the topic, with urgency, at once. Attack those monsters!! Those food pictures should not be allowed, especially since the real McCoy’s have to jump through hoops to obtain permission for a written claim. It is really criminal for this to continue.
Susan Thixton
May 20, 2015 at 10:38 am
Dr. Alinovi is a regular at AAFCO now – this will be Dr. Becker’s first meeting and we have another holistic vet coming (her first too) Dr. Judy Morgan. I am going to beg and plead to try to convince them to come back – each meeting. Fingers crossed. The FDA has agreed to meet with us privately and I’ve asked for the chairs of the Pet Food Committee to attend this meeting too. So…the best we can do is share with them our concerns and hope they will listen.