From a VERY reliable source, TruthaboutPetFood.com has been told the FDA is considering requiring freeze dried pet foods to be treated with irradiation. This is a huge concern that pet owners need to voice their opinions on now – before it is too late.
The FDA tells consumers: “Irradiation does not make foods radioactive, compromise nutritional quality, or noticeably change the taste, texture, or appearance of food. In fact, any changes made by irradiation are so minimal that it is not easy to tell if a food has been irradiated.” And the agency tells consumers that irradiation is a “prevention” method “to effectively eliminate organisms that cause foodborne illness, such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli (E. coli).”
But…there is much controversy surrounding irradiation, and some specific to pet food.
In 2008 Champion Pet Food imported pet food into Australia. At the time, Australian regulations required any imported pet food to be either heat treated or irradiated. Champion Pet Food agreed to the irradiation treatment, but within weeks of the food being sold to consumers, cats began suffering serious health consequences – some suffered paralysis, others died. The Australian Parliament stated: “an irradiation treatment applied to pet food for quarantine purposes, may have been a factor in causing depletion of vitamin A, and the formation and release of free radicals in the imported Orijen brand pet food.”
The AVMA reported on the irradiation issues with Champion Pet Food stating: “Australia will no longer offer importers the option of irradiating imported cat food to reduce microbial hazards following reports of a possible link between irradiated food and neurologic damage in cats.”
And then we need to remember the thousands of pet illnesses and deaths linked to jerky treats imported from China, all of the treats were treated with irradiation. FDA testing of the jerky treats included “markers of food irradiation (such as 2-alkylcyclobutanones).” And in an update to consumers during the height of jerky treat related pet deaths, the agency stated “Currently there are no validated methods to determine the dose of radiation that was used to ensure the product was properly irradiated.”
Specific to human food, the Center for Food Safety states: “Radiation can do strange things to food, by creating substances called ‘unique radiolytic products.’ These irradiation byproducts include a variety of mutagens – substances that can cause gene mutations, polyploidy (an abnormal condition in which cells contain more than two sets of chromosomes), chromosome aberrations (often associated with cancerous cells) and dominant lethal mutations (a change in a cell that prevents it from reproducing) in human cells. Making matters worse, many mutagens are also carcinogens.”
“Research also shows that irradiation forms volatile toxic chemicals such as benzene and toluene, chemicals known, or suspected, to cause cancer and birth defects. Irradiation also causes stunted growth in lab animals fed irradiated foods. An important 2001 study linked colon tumor promotion in lab rats to 2-alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACB’s), a new chemical compound found only in irradiated foods. The FDA has never tested the safety of these byproducts. Irradiation has also been shown to cause the low-level production of furans (similar to cancer-causing dioxins) in fruit juice.”
Below is a radura symbol. It is required on packaged foods that have been treated with irradiation.
Opinion: This is NOT a symbol we want to see on freeze dried pet foods (or any style of pet food).
I personally would NEVER give my own pets a pet food or treat that was irradiated. We firmly believe this proposed decision by FDA is founded on their all-consuming fear of pathogens in pet foods, with little to no thought of the effect of irradiation on 30 plus ingredients (food ingredients and supplements) included in a pet food or the carcinogens produced by the by-products of irradiation.
And what if…the FDA’s potential plan to require freeze dried pet foods to be irradiated is only a starting point? My apologies to go down this dark path, but I believe we need to be continually cautious with FDA’s intentions and take action now before it is too late.
Please send the FDA a message – now, before the agency makes this concerning decision. Tell them NO, you do not support any regulation or Compliance Policy that requires/encourages irradiation of any style of pet food.
Email FDA at: AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov.
Tag FDA on twitter: #FDAanimalhealth.
Tag FDA on Facebook: @FDA.
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
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
The 2023 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here to learn more.
The 2023 Treat List
Susan’s List of trusted pet treat manufacturers. Click Here to learn more.
Jackie Earnshaw, CPDT-KA
November 10, 2023 at 10:45 am
email sent. Thank you for letting us know about this.
Betsy Dabbert
November 10, 2023 at 10:52 am
Just sent my email to them.
Concerned
November 10, 2023 at 10:59 am
Is the pushed to irradiated backed by the Big 3 (Hills, Mars, Purina)? Might be a way to recover market share loss noting this process could create a tainted product which will then cause a buying shift away from the Freeze Dried products.
Dick McWay
November 10, 2023 at 11:21 am
Has the FDA ever considered input from consumers? They are a criminally, corrupt organization totally controlled by the Pharma mafia, big food (including big pet feed), big ag and every other group that they are supposed to actually be a watchdog of. They will do whatever the affected group tells them to do. They are by bits and pieces slowly taking over all of our choices so that real food and real nutrients, natural supplements, and anything that provides real health is no longer available. Forget writing your congress critter. They are ALL bought and paid for. Some may make a lot of noise but that is where it ends. Given the current climate for those of us on the health freedom side perhaps you could provide a pseudonym for me. Or keep it between you and me.
Barb
November 10, 2023 at 11:23 am
I sent a message to the FDA stating
I will find an alternative source of pet food
if they make irradiation of pet food a regulation.
Barbara Fellnermayr
November 10, 2023 at 11:55 am
Wow, I find this extremely concerning. I wouldn’t eat irradiated food, nor would I feed it to my dog. If I can’t eat it, neither can he.
As a Canadian food manufacturer, I am so happy our government doesn’t impose these idiotic rules. While we are an unregulated industry, I would never put anything in my products that I couldn’t eat.
It always concerns me when they approve synthetic ingredients and say that they’re safe then years later they find out they are not. After causing irreparable damage. Stick with ingredients made by Mother Nature, she’s the best source and doesn’t make us sick!
Concerned
November 10, 2023 at 12:52 pm
I agree with Mother Nature but us Human’s have tainted Mother Earth that we need to find the least harmful food sources. The EU soils are soo bad right now because of the type of fertilizer allowed that contained high levels of Cadmium, which they have now banned but will take years for the soils to get better. Bioaccumulation in our food sources affect both us and our 4 legged companions. It might not have acute affects but have long term chronic affects.
Barb Reynolds
November 10, 2023 at 8:10 pm
Is there anyway we can have a petition for this?
The FDA does not give a rat’s ass about safety in anything.
Dianne & pets
November 11, 2023 at 5:25 pm
Even the creator of the processhas information on their website acknowledging the danger to cats. I can just picture this in my mind, someone has invested a lot in equipment for the process, people don’t want irradiated food. Brainstorm how to make money anyway, I know let’s get pet food.
If this happens, it will be the last straw, I will cook for my dogs. Even if it isn’t perfect, it will still be better and cheaper.
Are all the manufacturers of freeze dried food aware of this.
Susan Porter
November 27, 2023 at 9:57 am
I don’t believe there is any benefit in writing the FDA because I don’t believe they have a department that takes into consideration much less even reads letters from American citizens. Certainly, they have no interest in pet food as it pertains to the health of pets. The only reason they cared about the melamine contamination in pet food was because they realized that the melamine was also in the human food chain. I’m going to spend my time instead doing more research about formulating home made diets for my dogs.
Susan Porter
November 27, 2023 at 10:07 am
The jerky treats causing kidney disease/failure in dogs did not make sense to me given that they were subjected to a lot of analysis and no contaminant was identified. It was also strange that there were different brands that caused the same kidney damage. It now makes sense to me knowing they were all heavily irradiated– One of the functions of the kidneys is to filter to prevent the spilling of protein into the urine. Weird, cross linked proteins (created by radiation) can clog the glomeruli of the kidneys and cause death of kidney cells. Wondering if the symbol of irradiation of human food is even required for any pet food products. The FDA at any time can just decide, in collaboration with big corporations to no longer require the symbol on human food.
chris
December 3, 2023 at 4:38 pm
I purchased online two different types of Stewart Dog Treats and noticed one (Chicken Liver) had the symbol. No disclosure until the package arrived. Think I’ll be asking for a refund and if they don’t need the product back, will be pitching it.