FDA CVM Ignores Pet Owners Once Again – Truth about Pet Food

Why does FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine always ignore pet owners?

In mid-February 2021, more than 1200 pet owners signed a letter sent to the director of FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Dr. Steven Solomon – asking the agency to address the concerning surge of aflatoxin pet food recalls. (Click Here to read our letter with all of the pet owner signatures.)

It wasn’t a big ask, but FDA CVM obviously disagreed.

The original letter was emailed on 2/16/2021.

We sent a follow up email on 2/25/2021.

And we sent another follow up email on 3/18/2021.

Dr. Solomon ignored them all.

We can speculate in many different ways to why Dr. Solomon ignored us – but, only he knows the answer to that question.

What we don’t have to speculate on is this: the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine continues to refuse to take into consideration what pet owners want.

And that is the part that is unacceptable.

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine has an attitude of ‘we know what is best for pets/pet owners – we at FDA decide, not pet owners.’

In 2017, we provided FDA and AAFCO 56,000 pet owner signatures on a petition asking for pet product label clarification of feed or food. It was very clear, pet owners wanted to know if their pet’s food is actually food or is it feed. FDA and AAFCO ignored us.

In October 2018, we asked FDA for a public meeting with pet owners. Follow up emails were sent November 8, 2018, November 13, 2018, December 3, 2018, and December 11, 2018. FDA responded on December 14, 2018 stating: “We intend to get back to you early in the New Year with more information and potential dates. Sincerely, AskCVM.” But, FDA never ‘got back’ to us as promised. More follow up emails were sent all the way through November 2019. The FDA never provided pet owners with a public meeting.

More than 800 pet owners provided a comment on our Petition for Reconsideration filed with FDA (regarding disclosure of feed or food on pet food labels and FDA’s allowed use of illegal ingredients in pet food). The FDA never provided a response addressing all of the consumer comments.

There are dozens more examples, all pointing to the same problem: the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine continues to ignore pet owners.

It is just us? Yes, it is.

While FDA is ignoring pet owners they are actively meeting and working with industry. In 2021…

On 01/26/2021 the CVM met with the trade association Pet Food Institute.

And on 3/5/21 the CVM met with the trade association American Feed Industry.

In 2020…

On December 14, 2020 the CVM met with the trade association American Feed Industry.

On October 5, 2020 the CVM met with multiple trade associations including the American Feed Industry Association, the Pet Food Industry, and the North American Renderers Association.

On September 3, 2020 the CVM met with the trade association American Feed Industry.

On July 30, 2020 the CVM met with the American Veterinary Medical Association.

On July 23, 2020 the CVM met with the Generic Animal Drug Alliance.

There’s more…you get the point.

Pet owners are the largest stakeholder group in pet food, yet we continue to be ignored by FDA. We have an official stakeholder organization (Association for Truth in Pet Food) just as industry has, yet we are dismissed. What will it take for FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine to hear what pet owners have to say?

Though we are certain it will be ignored too we sent the following to FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine…

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Pet owners continue to be disappointed by FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. Your continued lack of acknowledging the concerns and wants of pet owners is beyond concerning.

We are asked to ONLY contact the generic AskCVM email (instead of emailing representatives directly), and our emails are ignored by AskCVM.

We have asked for public meetings with FDA, our requests have been ignored.

We requested to provide input on the MOU with AAFCO, we were not provided that opportunity.

We have asked for improved monitoring of mycotoxin concerns in pet food and AskCVM has not bothered to even respond.

Laws are hidden from public view, allowed by FDA to be owned and sold by AAFCO. Pet owners have asked on multiple occasions to make all pet food regulations public information, FDA has ignored our requests.

FDA CVM posted in the Federal Register that color additives should be declared on labels, stating the information helps pet owners “to become knowledgeable about the foods they purchase for their animals” – yet FDA CVM refuses to require pet foods to disclose a more serious issue than food dyes, the use of pet food ingredients sourced from diseased animals or animals that have died other than by slaughter. Pet owners have requested multiple times to prohibit this material or at the very least disclose it on labels. FDA CVM has ignored our requests – going so far as to say this information ‘wouldn’t be in the public interest’ (in response to our Petition for Reconsideration).

And pet owners have repeatedly requested that pet product labels be clearly marked as feed or food.

FDA CVM has ignored all of our requests. 

We are the largest stakeholder – organized stakeholder – in pet food, we deserve the exact same considerations FDA CVM gives other stakeholder groups. We are requesting an explanation from FDA CVM to why the voices of pet owners continue to be ignored.

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Should FDA respond, it will be shared.

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 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.

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