And the Latest (Worst) Animal Feed Ingredient Is… – Truth about Pet Food

Time magazine and Bloomberg news have reported on China’s new “technology to turn industrial emissions into animal feed at scale.”

“The technology involves synthesizing industrial exhaust containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen into proteins using Clostridium autoethanogenum, a bacterium used to make ethanol.”

“China is the top importer of soybeans, which are crushed to produce meal, mainly to feed its pig herd that’s the largest globally. If China can produce 10 million tons of synthetic protein using the new technology, that would be equivalent to about 28 million tons of soybean imports, the researchers noted. Producing synthetic proteins for animal feed at a large scale would also help China in its decarbonization program, they added, a major policy goal for the Communist Party.”

It’s hard to imagine how anyone would believe that synthetic protein made from toxic industrial emissions would be suitable nutrition for an animal. And even though this is by far the WORST example of recycling waste into a feed, China is not the only country that disguises industrial waste as animal feed nutrition. The U.S. animal feed industry is just as guilty (and probably wishing they would have discovered the synthetic protein from emissions themselves).

At the 2015 AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) meeting, there was a discussion regarding a livestock ingredient made from expired grocery store foods. The example given was expired yogurt. These expired foods are recycled into animal feed ingredients – plastic containers included. After processing (grinding and rendering), the end feed ingredient analyzes as protein. It is industry belief this type of recycling is providing animals with required nutrition/protein, while at the same time saving the planet from overloading landfills with expired foods (and their plastic containers). When a veterinarian stood and disagreed with the ingredient, stating she did not want her child to be drinking milk with elements of plastic in it – the entire room of animal feed industry representatives boo-ed her, loudly.

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine itself allows illegal (per federal law) waste to be disposed of in animal feed and pet food with no warning or disclosure to consumers. Dr. Steven Solomon, director of FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, stated “we do not believe that the use of diseased animals or animals that died otherwise than by slaughter to make animal food poses a safety concern and
we intend to continue to exercise enforcement discretion.”

Our tax dollar supported FDA believes this (Darling Ingredients, Denver, CO – picture taken by a pet owner):

and this (Darling Ingredients, California location, Google Earth images):

…is suitable animal food.

Adding insult to injury, FDA does NOT believe pet owners should be informed if their pet’s food contains the above illegal (per federal law) ingredients.

Whether it’s China or the US (or other countries all over the world), disposing of waste such as industrial emissions or decomposing animal carcasses into pet food or livestock feed is NOT the fix to climate change or sustainable agriculture. While those that manufacture these ingredients or use these ingredients in feed/pet food claim they are ‘saving the world through green technology’, in reality they are poisoning animals.

To avoid meats sourced from diseased animals or decomposing non-slaughtered animals in your pet’s food:

• Purchase pet foods labeled as Human Grade (on the pet food label, ignore website claims)
• Purchase pet foods made with human grade ingredients. Ask the manufacturer if all food ingredients are human edible.

To avoid meats sourced from animals fed diseased animals or decomposing non-slaughtered animal ingredients or soon synthetic protein sourced from industrial emissions in their feed:

• Purchase pet foods that source meats from humanely raised, pasture raised livestock.

Yes, these types of pet foods and ingredients are more expensive than feed grade waste ingredient pet foods. If you cannot afford to provide your pet with all human grade, meat sourced from pasture raised animals pet food – give them some.

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

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