Which companies benefit the most from FDA’s and State Department of Agriculture lack of enforcement of law? Here’s a list of the top beneficiaries.
The FDA and each State Department of Agriculture are – without doubt – assisting some companies in pet food to make billions in profits selling recycled illegal waste. With FDA and State ‘assistance’, some in pet food are allowed to manufacture and sell products that federal and state law deems illegal – adulterated.
The law that’s being ignored is The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. “Section 342. Adulterated food. A food shall be deemed to be adulterated (a) Poisonous, insanitary, etc., ingredients (5) if it is, in whole or in part, the product of a diseased animal or of an animal that has died otherwise than by slaughter;”
What companies benefit the most from the lack of enforcement of the above law?
Purina Pet Food
From PetFoodIndustry.com: Nestlé Purina PetCare posted a 6.8 percent revenue increase in 2013, with double-digit growth in emerging markets, including Mexico and Brazil. The U.S. leader in pet food, Nestlé Purina PetCare operates pet food factories in 19 countries and on every continent, and the company claims to be responsible for 59 percent of global pet care sales.
Brands: Pro Plan, ONE, Beyond, Beneful, Dog Chow, Alpo, Chef Michael’s, Mighty Dog, Moist & Meaty, Veterinary Diets, Just Right, Busy, T-Bonz, Beggin’, Wagon Train, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Cat Chow, Kit & Kaboodle, Deli-Cat.
Annual Revenue 2013: $11,722,000,000.00
Ingredients used in pet foods and treats that could violate federal law (ingredients legal definition allow them to be sourced from non-slaughtered dead animals): Poultry by-product meal, meat and bone meal, animal fat, animal digest.
Mars Petcare
From PetFoodIndustry.com: In April 2014, Mars Petcare agreed to purchase 80 percent of Proctor & Gamble’s petfood business for US$2.9 billion, solidifying its place as the world’s leading petfood company. The deal excluded business concerns in the EU. Mars Inc. is the third-largest private company in the U.S. with annual sales exceeding US$33 billion.
Brands: Pedigree, Whiskas, Royal Canin, Kitekat, Banfield, Cesar, Nutro, Sheba, Dreamies, Chappi, Catsan, Frolic, Perfect Fit, Greenies, Goodlife Recipe, Temptations.
Annual Revenue 2013: $17,215,800,000.00
Ingredients used in pet foods and treats that could violate federal law (ingredients legal definition allow them to be sourced from non-slaughtered dead animals): Poultry by-product meal, meat and bone meal, animal fat.
Big Heart Brands
From PetFoodIndustry.com: Big Heart Pet Brands is the new name for Del Monte Foods Pet Products after Del Monte Foods sold off its non-petfood consumer brands in February 2014. The company, which merged with Natural Balance in 2013, is one of the country’s largest producers, distributors and marketers of premium quality, branded pet products for the U.S. retail market. The company also produces and distributes private label pet products. Big Heart Pet Brands’ 9Lives brand is the market leader for wet cat food, and Milo’s Kitchen is the leading dog treat brand. Overall, Big Heart Pet Brands claims to have the #1 market share in pet snacks (excluding rawhide), the #2 market share in dry and wet cat food and the #3 market share in dry dog food. The company operates five production facilities and uses 16 co-packers and 12 re-packers in the U.S., Canada and Thailand.
Brands: Meow Mix, Kibbles ‘n Bits, Milk-Bone, 9Lives, Natural Balance, Pup-Peroni, Gravy Train, Nature’s Recipe, Canine Carry Outs, Milo’s Kitchen, Snausages, Meaty Bone, Jerky Treats, Pounce, Alley Cat.
Annual Revenue 2013: $1,989,000,000.00
Ingredients used in pet foods and treats that could violate federal law (ingredients legal definition allow them to be sourced from non-slaughtered dead animals): Poultry by-product meal, meat and bone meal, animal fat, animal digest.
Walmart
Sells private label pet foods Ol’ Roy Dog Food and Special Kitty Cat Food, also sells numerous other brands.
Annual Revenue: Unknown
Ingredients used in pet foods and treats and sold in other brands that could violate federal law (ingredients legal definition allow them to be sourced from non-slaughtered dead animals): Poultry by-product meal, Chicken by-product meal, Turkey by-product meal, meat and bone meal, animal fat, animal digest.
Petco
Retailer selling numerous brands.
From Forbes.com: Annual Revenue 2014 $4,000,000,000.00
Ingredients included in brands sold that could violate federal law (ingredients legal definition allow them to be sourced from non-slaughtered dead animals): Poultry by-product meal, Chicken by-product meal, Turkey by-product meal, meat and bone meal, animal fat, animal digest.
Petsmart
Retailer selling numerous brands.
From Forbes.com: Annual Revenue 2014 $7,100,000,000.00
Ingredients included in brands sold that could violate federal law (ingredients legal definition allow them to be sourced from non-slaughtered dead animals): Poultry by-product meal, Chicken by-product meal, Turkey by-product meal, Meat and bone meal, Animal fat, Animal digest.
Darling International
Renderer, manufacturer of pet food/animal feed ingredients.
From Wikinvest.com: Annual Revenue 2015 $3,400,000,000.00
Ingredients manufactured that could violate federal law (ingredients legal definition allow them to be sourced from non-slaughtered dead animals): Meat and bone meal, Animal fat, Animal digest.
If a conservative 10% of the above annual revenues from just these seven companies was acquired from sales of pet foods/treats whose ingredients could/might violate federal law – this would mean…
The FDA and each State Department of Agriculture are allowing
$4.5 billion dollars worth of illegal pet foods into the market each year.
As if the above isn’t bad enough, below are some responses that consumer advocates have received to questions of why law is not being enforced in pet food…
The FDA told us – without hesitation – they will continue to allow pet food to violate the law quoted above. The agency openly admits they allow pet food to violate law.
AAFCO President told us this law is not enforced within the states because there is no definition of “slaughter”. (In other words, state regulatory authorities can’t figure out what a ‘animal that has died other than by slaughter’ is – because they don’t have a definition of slaughter.)
Missouri Department of Agriculture (whose state is home to several pet food manufacturers that utilize these questionable ingredients) told us the reason this law isn’t enforced is because the law also states (bold added) “Adulterated food – (1) …but in case the substance is not an added substance such food shall not be considered adulterated…; or”. The Missouri Department of Agriculture believes that because non-slaughtered dead animals animals are not ‘an added substance’ – the rest of the law is not applicable.
And Florida Department of Agriculture (my home state) has refused to respond to seven phone calls asking why Florida is ignoring state and federal law. I have enlisted the aid of my state Representative who was very supportive and will ask Florida Department of Agriculture to respond to my questions.
In other words…they give a variety of excuses to why some in pet food get special privileges or they simply ignore the question.
Some of us abide by law, others get special permission from federal and state authorities to violate law. It certainly pays to have friends in government.
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 4000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com
The 2016 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
Anthony Hepton
April 15, 2016 at 12:02 pm
Susan, A great summary. We should have AAFCO refer to Webster’s Dictionary for a definition of ‘slaughter’. It is the killing of an animal for it’s meat, or more specifically, the butchering of livestock for market. So all those animals that died by other means were not suitable for meat or for market. AAFCO should go back to school.
Susan Thixton
April 15, 2016 at 12:08 pm
Thanks Anthony. AAFCO and FDA have their priorities…and pets are not one of them (industry is).
Sheila
April 17, 2016 at 5:36 am
What about Iams or Sci Di!
Marie
May 1, 2016 at 4:26 pm
Same as the rest… I read that Sci Die. 🙁 Buy Susan’s List! Only real foods on that.
Judith Gray
April 15, 2016 at 12:40 pm
Brilliant job…it should be reprinted and handed out in every vet’s office…of course it won’t be. Thank you.
Debbie
April 15, 2016 at 1:23 pm
I’m surprised P&G didn’t make the list.
Susan Thixton
April 15, 2016 at 2:08 pm
P&G is no longer in the pet food business. All of their pet food brands sold to Mars.
Sherrie Ashenbremer
April 15, 2016 at 2:16 pm
Awful, thank God we have Susan and Dr Judy Morgan too. I’m sure there are others out there. I think these big companies are so sneaky
Duncan
April 15, 2016 at 4:02 pm
This is a great deal of research with very disturbing findings. We trust to these companies and to our government to uphold standards–which they don’t.
Marsha
April 15, 2016 at 4:21 pm
From the list you are able to see who funds FDA and AAFCO. Shame on both of them for not listening to us.
Here is the definition of Slaughter that is in the dictionary.
slaughter
[slaw-ter]
Synonyms
Examples
Word Origin
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
noun
1.
the killing or butchering of cattle, sheep, etc., especially for food.
Maybe we should send them the dictionary so they are able to look it up.
Laurie Raymond
April 16, 2016 at 10:52 am
As we already know, legal definitions are essential to regulation-writing, which is needed if any law is to be enforced. Leaving a critical definition out when crafting the regulations needed to enforce the law is how the actual “gift” is given to companies that would be subject to the regulatory process in the enforcement of laws that apply to them. If the lack of such a definition were an accidental oversight, it would have been fixed, not used it as an excuse. At every level of government, bureaucrats can sabotage the intentions of law makers pretty easily. This is far broader than pet food: the entire industrial agriculture system, of which it is a tiny part, affects everything: our health, food safety, contamination and depletion of soil, starvation of organic farms, dependence on fossil fuels, climate change. We really MUST wake up to the need for wholesale reforms that can only come from long and sustained action by engaged citizens. Yes, these eye-opening studies and expressions of consumer outrage are important. But recognize that this is only part of a fight for a regenerated and sustainable planet, that all species, not just our own, need us to win.
VICTORIA MCDOWELL
April 16, 2016 at 7:04 pm
Hi Susan,
We have always used the best human ingredients. If our family wouldn’t eat it, then I will not feed it to my dogs or anyone else’s.
We continue to use the best and yes we pay dearly for our ingredients. However, I can sleep at night!