Hawaii Health Department Oversteps and Bans Raw Milk Pet Products – Truth about Pet Food

Just like what happened in New Jersey in 2019, the Hawaii Health Department has held (some) pet products to human food regulations.

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture regulates pet food products – including raw milk pet products. But, the Hawaii Health Department took it upon themselves to step into the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture and regulate some pet products to human food regulations. The Hawaii Health Department recently went into pet food stores, confiscated all raw milk pet products and issued cease and desists orders to pet stores on future sales of these pet products.

An exact repeat of what happened in New Jersey.

In New Jersey, the Health Department officials had no clue that pet products were regulated as feed. Few would. Most would believe that any product labeled as “food” would be subject to food regulations. New Jersey Health Department Officials assuming food is food swooped into pet food stores and confiscated raw milk pet products, applying food regulations to pet products. Though it took multiple parties and a lot of phone calls/emails, we finally convinced the New Jersey Department of Health their actions were outside of their jurisdiction.

And now we have the same challenge in Hawaii. The state of Hawaii regulates pet products as feed. Hawaii commercial feed laws apply to pet products, NOT food laws. But the Hawaii Health Department is enforcing food regulations (not feed regulations) on one category of pet products (raw).

States can’t have it both ways. They can’t regulate some pet products as food while allowing other pet products to be regulated as feed. They can’t enforce food laws on raw pet products while allowing other styles of pet foods to violate food laws (pet foods that contain ingredients sourced from diseased animals and animals that have died other than by slaughter).

Hawaii pet owners should contact the Health Department asking them to explain their jurisdiction over pet feed products. We will be doing the same. As we learn more, 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
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