When you look at a Google Earth image of Baker Commodities, it looks to be an old dilapidated factory of some sort, that is oozing green goo into a canal. By looking at this old factory one would never think ‘food’ is produced here.
Baker Commodities is a rendering facility. “recycling animal by-products and kitchen wastes since 1937”.
Food IS produced in this plant…pet food (feed) ingredients.
The Baker Commodities location pictured above – in Vernon California – is currently in a legal battle with city officials due to odors coming from the plant year after year. According to a LAist.com story about the legal battle between the city of Vernon and Baker Commodities, an air inspector who visited the plant stated: “the odor at the facility smells intensely of rotting animals. He said in a sworn written statement filed in court that the first time he inspected Baker he wanted to vomit.”
“…smells intensely of rotting animals…”
May 2019:
January 2020:
August 2021:
No wonder it smells of rotting animals.
After these parts of animals – leftovers and condemned animal parts – are dumped onto the ground, after an unknown amount of time they are bulldozed into pits, ground, and cooked. And then the brown powder (below) is shipped to pet food manufacturers to become ‘Natural’ and ‘Premium’ pet foods – without telling the pet food/treat consumer ingredients were made with decomposing animals and parts.
This putrid animal waste – illegal to be used in any food, animal or human per federal law – is allowed by FDA to be disposed of into pet food with no required disclosure on the label. And this same horrible practice of rotting animal waste, dumped on the ground into large piles to be processed into pet food ingredients happens all across the US in many rendering facilities.
Why aren’t pet food consumers warned?
There are required warning notices on all types of products from tools to furniture (flammable), to toys, to drain cleaners, and oven cleaners. So why are there no required warning notices on pet foods or treats that contain rendered, rotting animal waste?
Don’t pet owners deserve to be warned if their pet food or treat contains rotting animal waste? Don’t pet owners deserve to be warned their pet food or treat ingredients traveled in unrefrigerated trucks, were dumped on the ground and allowed to decompose?
Yes…we do.
Please take action and ask the FDA why pet foods and treats do not include a warning notice when ingredients could be sourced from condemned animal material, decomposing dead animals, animal parts not stored or transported under clean and refrigerated conditions. Ask the FDA why pet owners are not warned.
Pet food consumers deserve to be informed, deserve to have the opportunity to NOT support pet food companies that utilize putrid animal waste ingredients. We have to ask and ask and ask them again.
Email FDA at: AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov.
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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Carol Chakeropulos
October 16, 2023 at 2:51 pm
All I can say is- Oh my Lord!
thank you, Susan for all you do.
Carol (a member and so glad to support you) and my 3 furbabies.
Take care.
Rox
October 16, 2023 at 3:52 pm
The big question is why, after all the information out there, are pet owners not home preparing their pets’ food? Why are people failing to do their own research into the multitude of crimes committed by the pet food industry? Susan sometimes I bet you feel like you’re the lone voice of actual sanity in that insanely disgusting sector of America! It won’t make you feel any better by knowing the FDA is also deeply entrenched in payola from HUMAN food industries. I switched to home prepared meals for my dogs back in 2007 when China deliberately caused thousands of American pets to suffer and die from contaminated ingredients sourced in China – just one more part of their guerilla warfare against this country. The only safe food is locally grown organic meats, fruits, vegetables and ancient grains (which are safer for dogs) that are prepared in your own clean kitchen and paired with a (researched and manufacturer investigated) vitamin. And that goes for people too.
Sandra Murphey
October 17, 2023 at 9:23 am
I appreciate your comment about preparing our pets food, but you must realize that not everyone is able to do this or to pay someone to do it.
That’s why I and many others rely on Susan’s “List”.
Sandra Murphey
October 17, 2023 at 9:29 am
Correction, on my Facebook page listed in comment:
https://facebook.com/catadvocate
Myra Bendimez
October 16, 2023 at 5:06 pm
What pet foods are made from this company’s waste?
Terry Durbin
October 16, 2023 at 10:53 pm
Yes, Susan. Is there no one who can report which pet foods are using this company’s ingredients?
Susan Thixton
October 17, 2023 at 8:31 am
Not to my knowledge. But the bigger issue is – this is only one plant of many that do the same thing, have the same horrendous ingredients dumped on the ground and them processed into pet food ingredients. See this post and pictures: https://truthaboutpetfood.com/illegal-allowed-by-fda-and-not-disclosed-to-pet-owners/. This happens all over the US – which is why pet owners have to push FDA into disclosing which manufacturers include these ingredients in their pet foods.
cb
October 16, 2023 at 5:56 pm
I went to Baker Commodities website. They are recycling and sequestering carbon! How can that be bad? I’m being entirely sarcastic.
They even offer the service of turning feathers into animal feed.
We really need to have pet food clearly labeled. I need to know exactly what I am buying. I’ll send an email telling the FDA that.
Valerie Ann Roccki-Marshall
October 17, 2023 at 6:00 am
Omg. Can we find out where the disgusting food lands in what pet food
Sandy M
October 17, 2023 at 11:46 am
Susan, thank you for all your hard work! Just sharing. . . Here is the letter I sent to the FDA:
Hello team FDA,
Why don’t pet foods and treats include a warning notice when ingredients are sourced from condemned animal material, decomposing dead animals, animal parts not stored or transported under clean and refrigerated conditions?
Pet food consumers deserve to be informed, deserve to have the opportunity to NOT support pet food companies that utilize putrid animal waste ingredients. Please consider making this a label requirement!
Thank you
Susan Thixton
October 17, 2023 at 2:31 pm
Thank you for writing them!