New Cell-based Meat Broth for Dogs – Truth about Pet Food
Wild Earth pet food company recently issued a press release about “a cell-based meat broth topper for dogs that will be available to consumers in 2023.”
The press release provides this statement from Wild Earth CEO: “By replacing factory-farmed products with clean, sustainable, cruelty-free cell-based meat we can tackle the issues of low quality and often contaminated meat used for our pets’ food and transform the sustainability of the entire pet food industry. Cell-based meat is the future of food for us and our pets, and this development marks an important milestone in our mission to disrupt the pet food industry for the better.”
An image of the product from PetFoodProcessing.net:
But…existing pet food regulations might stand in Wild Earth’s way. It all depends on whether regulatory authorities enforce law, or ignore law.
Pet food regulations define a stock/broth product as: “obtained by cooking mammalian or poultry bones, parts, and/or muscle tissue.” If law is enforced, regulatory authorities (State Department of Agriculture Officials and FDA) would/should question the labeling of the Wild Earth’s “Chicken bone broth” as it does not meet the existing legal definition of a pet food broth.
The question is…will regulatory authorities enforce law? Or will they look the other way with this product?
We sent questions to FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine asking if a cell-based pet food meat broth would be approved for sale, they have not responded yet.
Historically, regulatory authorities have looked the other way on many pet food ingredients. As example pea protein ingredients were allowed for years in pet foods prior to a legal definition of the ingredient being written. With no legal definition or GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status on an ingredient, per regulations the product should not be sold.
As well, pet food regulatory authorities in all 50 US states and all federal pet food authorities ignore state and federal laws that prohibit the use of meats/fats sourced from diseased and/or non-slaughtered animals in pet food. Instead of enforcing law, authorities directly allow many pet food companies to source meats/fats from adulterated sources with no warning or disclosure to consumers (they call it “selective enforcement”).
So…should Wild Earth go through the legal process and have their cell-based broth legally defined BEFORE the product ships to consumers? Or should they go down the path of so many other pet food companies, sell it to consumers even if it is not a legal ingredient/product?
Personal opinion: Why do we have AAFCO meetings twice a year if law is just going to be ignored anyway? Are meetings just an expensive ‘show’ or do the laws and legal definitions written there mean something? Actions (of pet food regulatory authorities) speak louder than words.
With regards to cell-based meats, I don’t have any opinion on the product at this point – I don’t have an understanding of how it is manufactured. In concept, it sounds great – I’m hopeful. But…what I don’t know enough about, I don’t give to my pets. As well, I ONLY give my own pets products that fully abide by law (otherwise known as human grade).
Wishing you and your pet the best –
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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