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Pet Food Regulations

The (Ridiculous) Difference Between the Regulation of Toothpaste and Pet Food

Toothpaste is recalled due to being stored in excess temperatures, pet food is not.

On September 16, 2022 the FDA issued a recall – “Voluntary Recall of Certain Over-the-Counter Products Sold at Family Dollar Stores Because They Were Stored Outside of Temperature Requirements.” The products recalled ranged from pregnancy tests, condoms, marijuana test strips, to toothpaste. The reason these products were recalled was (bold added for emphasis) “due to product being stored outside of labeled temperature requirements.”

This recall occurred ONLY because the products are labeled with storage temperature requirements.

According to a New York Times post from 2011 – “Pharmaceutical manufacturers recommend most of their products be stored at a controlled room temperature of 68 to 77 degrees , said Skye McKennon, clinical assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy. In truth, that is the range in which manufacturers guarantee product integrity. ‘During heat waves and cold spells, storage locations can go above or below those ranges, causing medicines to physically change, lose potency or even threaten your health,’ Dr. McKennon said.”

But with pet food…there are few to NO labeled temperature requirements.

Statements on labels equate to accountability. An example would be the Guaranteed Analysis statement found on every pet food label. If a pet food states it contains a minimum of 20% protein, the product can be recalled or the company can be sued if found to contain less that what is stated on the label.

Without labeled temperature requirements, pet foods can be stored or transported in extreme temperatures with detrimental outcomes.

Tufts Veterinary School states: “When exposed to high temperatures or humidity, fats in pet foods can become rancid and nutrients in the food can break down. High temperature and humidity also provide the perfect environment for mold and bacteria to thrive.”

The Hill’s Pet Food website (not their pet food labels) states: “Storage at temperatures of 120°F (48°C) for more than 48 hours can accelerate the normal degradation or destruction of the vitamins.”

The FDA offers storage advice to pet food consumers, but – this is ONLY suggestion to consumers, it is not mandated for manufacturers to follow: “Store dry pet food and unopened canned food in a cool and dry place. The temperature should be less than 80 F. Excess heat or moisture may cause the nutrients to break down.”

Unfortunately, there are NO existing regulations requiring pet food manufacturers to include storage temperature requirements on their labels. With no storage temperature requirement on the pet food label, pet food consumers have no guarantee and no means to hold manufacturers accountable for transporting or warehousing pet foods in excessive temperatures.

How hot can conditions become during transportation of pet food?In general, truck trailers can get up to 30F warmer than that the outside temperature.” In other words, an air temperature higher than 50 degrees F would result in pet foods transported in a trailer above the FDA’s suggested maximum 80 degrees F. Consider how many months of the year the temperature is well above 50 degrees.

What can Pet Owners do?

We need storage temperature requirements to be stated on pet food labels. Again, without this information on the pet food label – pet foods can be stored in excessive temperatures for weeks or even months causing rancidity and nutrient break down.

In a minimal search, we found most – but not all – frozen/refrigerated pet foods included label statements such as “Keep Frozen until…” We found a few dry products with generic statements such as “Store in a cool, dry place“, none with specific temperature storage requirements. We did not find any specific temperature storage requirements for dry or canned pet foods.

Check your pet food label, look for manufacturer storage temperature requirements. If none is found – ask your manufacturer what requirements they have in place for distribution and warehousing of their products? Ask the manufacturer if the pet foods are required by written agreement/contract to be transported and warehoused under specific temperature requirements?

And significantly – ask your pet food manufacturer to include specific (not generic) storage temperature requirements on their label. Not on their website, on the actual pet food label. Information on the pet food label is enforceable – by regulatory or lawyers. As the Family Dollar Stores recall evidences, labeled storage temperature requirements hold manufacturers and retailers accountable.

If your pet food manufacturer refuses to include specific storage temperature requirements on their label, you might want to look for a brand that will.

Wishing you and your pet the best –

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food


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4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Peg

    September 21, 2022 at 3:41 pm

    The govt does not give a flying crap about its citizens. And no govt agency cares at all about our pet family members. It’s just that simple.

  2. Eve

    September 21, 2022 at 9:37 pm

    TEMPERATURE??? This is W O R S E ….Anybody noticed how our beloved Pets are treated as toxic waste? LOOK where they place Commercial Processed Pet Foods (if you call it food anyhow – which it is NOT) predominately they place it in the isles of hazardous CHEMICALS toxic and poison chemicals – GARDEN and HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS. Go down the isle you can SMELL the poisonous gasses emitting from these chemicals. The Pet foods are then tainted with these chemicals whether it be through micro-porous bags or chemicals and gasses lay upon the packages and tins —even worse the SCOOP BISCUITS and TREATS that are OPEN and EXPOSED to these CHEMICALS and GASES once the SCOOP LIDS are LIFTED. OMG…W.T.F? Why are our pets being treated like disposable waste or unaffected by these toxins? Pets get poisoning with over-vaccinated compromising immunity to withstand disease, poisoning with over-anti-parasitic topicals and orals, poisoning with toxic non-disclosed commercial processed pet foods PLUS storing our beloved pets foods in the most harmful isles OUTDOOR CHEMICALS AND HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS in the supermarkets —-ever wonder WHY HUMAN FOOD IS N E V E R positioned in these isles?! This NEEDS UGENT ATTENTION SUSAN I feel nobody has taken thought of. We need to have this changed. SUSAN ANOTHER THOUGHT IS THAT THE PET FOODS ARE “SO” HAZARDOUS they are NOT allowed anywhere NEAR HUMAN GRADE FOOD! NOW THAT IN ITSELF NEED ADDRESSING IMMEDIATELY!

  3. Eve

    September 21, 2022 at 10:34 pm

    ps…So the GASES from all the HOUSEHOLD and GARDEN CHEMICALS formed also change the air temperature within it’s close proximity in turn affecting the integrity of the commercial processed pet foods. GRAINS especially the extremely poor quality of so called ingredients in commercial processed pet foods already carry harmful pathogens for example AFLATOXINS naturally present in grains and legumes will surely multiply or become even more toxic when subjected to toxic fumes ‘gases’. Wonder why pets REFUSE to eat from the CHEMICAL ISLE…their sensory olfactory receptors are “million times” acute than humans as CATS HAVE 50-80 million and DOGS HAVE 200-300 million – us well we only have about measly 5 million! So we think our pets are fussy…mmmm NOPE! they can smell these TOXIC CHEIMICALS. BIRDS, RABBITS, GUINNEA PIGS ETC are not safe from this either.

  4. Amy

    September 24, 2022 at 12:01 pm

    What if this is actually intentional? Think about this: probiotics and digestive enzymes are very heat sensitive. So, it’s very easy for a little weather to damage the viability of the probiotics and enzymes added to feed. This means the manufacturer can blame it on handling and the regulators can then wash their hands. It actually means less work for the regulators. Maybe they like it that way? And certainly the manufacturers can SAY they put in the right amount – but who can prove it?

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