If You See The New AAFCO Publicity Video… – Truth about Pet Food
The AAFCO website – at the very top of the homepage – has a new promotional video. Unfortunately, for anyone that views it, it is full of misleading information.
But first…before you read any further, go to the AAFCO website – https://www.aafco.org/ – and watch the video. Take note of what you believe the video is saying about AAFCO, what AAFCO does. Then continue to read. And feel free to post in comments below (or email AAFCO directly at aafco@aafco.org) regarding what you felt the video was saying and how you felt after you learned more about what AAFCO does and doesn’t do.
Now…here’s the truth.
The video includes segments from AAFCO President George Ferguson, and multiple segments from individuals AAFCO reportedly helps. Here is the transcript of the second individual – rancher “Chad” (bold added for emphasis):
“We are in northwest Colorado, we’re known for our winters. Typically on a normal winter we have several foot of snow along with the cold weather, so nutrition is crucial during those months to make an operation productive. The animals, they have to have good quality nutrition to thrive. When I go to the grocery store and I look on a box or a can I want to know that it’s the truth. It’s honest and dependable. And so when I go to the feed store I expect the same when I go to that feed bag. I want to make sure someone is making sure that information is correct so I can make my best decisions for my animals.”
Unfortunately for this rancher and everyone that gets misled by this video – AAFCO does NOT ‘make sure the information on a feed bag (or pet food bag or can) is the truth’. The organization does not validate anything on labels. AAFCO has no regulatory authority to hold feed/pet food manufacturers accountable for any label claims.
What is true is that some members of AAFCO – as part of their full-time job as a state Feed Official – might validate some label claims. As example, in some states pet food and animal feed manufacturers are required by state law to submit copies of labels of every product they sell to the regulatory authority of that state (such as in Florida, per Florida law, manufacturers are required to submit copies of all labels to the Florida Department of Agriculture). The regulatory authority has tens of thousands of labels to oversee each year, so needless to say very little is actually validated. At most, labels are checked to make sure they include the required information per that state’s laws.
But again, AAFCO does not do this – AAFCO has nothing to do with any type of label validation. So why did AAFCO allow a segment in their promotional video that made viewers think the organization validates the information on labels?
And…
In the next segment of the video was a veterinarian. He stated (bold added):
“My name is Kelly Hepworth, I’m a veterinarian in Craig Colorado. I also raise Labrador retrievers. I have people come in all the time and ask me geez I just got this new puppy. I ask them what they are feeding. And there’s so many products on the market right now. It’s overwhelming especially if they don’t understand kinda what goes into them. We’ll sit down sometimes and pull up on the computer labels and compare. So I think it is very critical to have some avenue that we can predict analysis and predict performance from the various feeds we are feeding.”
This veterinarian does not understand what AAFCO does and doesn’t do – and for some unknown reason AAFCO allowed his uninformed opinion to be stated in their video. AAFCO does not – in any manner – provide to veterinarians or consumers a method to “predict analysis” or “predict performance” of a pet food. AAFCO doesn’t test (analyze) pet foods and AAFCO doesn’t perform research studies that would predict performance.
AAFCO has established nutrient profiles for dog and cat foods. However, all complete and balanced pet foods – per state laws (in most states) – are required to meet those standards. But, this is required by state law – NOT by AAFCO.
And…
The next segment of the video is a horse breeder. She stated (bold added):
“I’m Marty Yansen, we raise Belgium draft horses. So it’s important to know what’s in your feed. There’s tags on the feed bag, we know how much of each mineral all of our horses are getting. When we feed them the pellets, it makes a difference in their attitude. It makes a difference in their work ethic, and it makes a difference in the babies when they come.“
Another misleading segment. Whether it is horse feed or pet food, a label does not tell the consumer “how much of each mineral” (or any other ingredient) the animal is getting in the feed/food. On horse feeds, minerals are listed at minimum or maximum levels. Labels do not disclose exactly how much minerals or vitamins are included in the product.
And…
The narrator in the video makes this statement towards the end:
“While science guides AAFCO and animal health is at its core, people and collaboration are at the heart of the all volunteer association.”
It’s quite a stretch to call AAFCO an “all volunteer association“. AAFCO members – State Feed Officials and FDA representatives – join AAFCO voluntarily (no one forces them to be members). BUT, those State Feed and FDA officials participate in AAFCO as part of their government job. They do NOT ‘volunteer’ to attend AAFCO meetings and pay their own admission, airfare, and hotel fees. AAFCO members attend AAFCO meetings at the expense of their state or the federal government, required as part of their government job.
And…
In the last segment from AAFCO President George Ferguson, he states (bold added):
“Often times states will have concerns with a product manufactured in another state. The advantage of being a member of AAFCO is that direct contact to regulatory officials the state the product was manufactured in. Being able to contact them and bridge the gap between you and the manufacturer. That’s where AAFCO really excels.”
Actually, anyone with a computer can look up contact information for regulatory officials in any state (I’ve done it hundreds of times over the years). And anyone with a computer can look up contact information for pet food manufacturers (I’ve done it thousands of times over the years). No one needs to be a member of AAFCO to be able to connect with regulatory or manufacturers. Yes, it is important for regulatory authorities in different states to be able to connect but is that what we need AAFCO to excel at? Providing phone numbers and email addresses?
Personal opinion: The video says to me that for some unknown reason AAFCO is trying to blur the line between their private organization and actual government regulatory authorities. This is concerning.
As a private organization, AAFCO is not held to the standards of conduct and ethics that government officials are (or can be) held to. As a private organization, they basically can do whatever they want. History has shown us this in the past when the organization refused to allow multiple pet owners, advocates, and veterinarians to attend a meeting. Government meetings could not do this, but AAFCO did.
Another example of AAFCO doing whatever they want, the following email was sent to AAFCO regarding my participation (representing consumers) in the AAFCO Pet Food Label Modernization working group. AAFCO was allowing the working group to vote on what pet food label updates would be implemented. I was providing feedback to the working group chair.
Mr. Stan Cook provided the following response to my feedback. His response was typed into my email –
Mr. Cook’s response is in blue colored font below…
His statement “It’s AAFCO’s party, we can invite who we want to the party” is somewhat understandable for a private organization, but NOT an attitude that would be allowed within a government agency.
Thus, AAFCO trying to blur the line between their private organization to government officials is worrisome.
AAFCO can certainly publish a video that contains misleading information, they are a private organization and can tell anyone anything they want. However, the government officials that are members of AAFCO are held to certain rules of conduct. We intend to investigate this issue further, and will report to pet owners any new information.
In the meantime, don’t believe what you are being told in this video. Tell your pet owning friends – and your veterinarian.
Wishing you and your pet the best –
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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