Organic, Humanely Raised, Fresh, Raw and Human Grade – One Does not Guarantee the Other – Truth about Pet Food

Recently a pet owner emailed us frustrated that her expensive organic pet food was feed grade (not human grade). She assumed it was food (not feed) and felt somewhat betrayed by the pet food company (justifiably so).

Because we have little legal requirements for label transparency, and because the laws we currently have are not enforced – it is easy to see how this pet owner and millions more can be misled. If a pet owner wanted to read pet food regulations to better understand label terms and requirements, there is NO public access to label laws. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) owns the regulations that are adopted into state laws and charges $135.00 a year for access.

Per pet food regulations, each of these label claims are processes and have separate definitions:

Fresh: “Ingredient(s) having not been subject to freezing, to treatment by cooking, drying, rendering, hydrolysis, or similar process, to the addition of salt, curing agents, natural or synthetic chemical preservatives or other processing aids, or to preservation by means other than refrigeration.”

Organic: “A formula feed or a specific ingredient within a formula feed that has been produced and handled in compliance with the requirements of the USDA National Organic Program (7 CRF Part 205).”

Raw: “Food in its natural or crude state not having been subjected to heat in the course of preparation as food.”

Certified Humanely Raised: There are varying requirements for certified humanely raised, depending on the certifying organization. As example the organization Certified Humane requires various ‘Animal Care Standards’ for each species including “Animals are never kept in cages, crates, or tie stalls. Animals must be free to do what comes naturally. For example, chickens must be able to flap their wings and dust bathe, and pigs must have space to move around and root.”

And…then there are separate definitions for quality standards of pet foods:

Human Grade: “Every ingredient and the resulting product are stored, handled, processed, and transported in a manner that is consistent and compliant with regulations for current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) for human edible foods as specified in 21 CFR Part 117.”

Feed Grade: “Material that has been determined to be safe, functional, and suitable for its intended use in animal food, is handled and labeled appropriately, and conforms to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act unless other wise expressly permitted by the appropriate state or federal agency (suitable for use in animal feed).”

The important thing for pet owners to understand from all these definitions is they are separate. These processes and quality standards can be ‘mixed and matched’ at the discretion of the pet food manufacturer AND without full disclosure to the consumer. Pet owners can easily be misled. Such as…

Fresh

Blue Buffalo has just released a new refrigerated pet food line.

Possible misleading issues:

• The name of this pet food is “Fresh” – but it does guarantee a pet owner the food meets the legal definition of the process fresh.
• The packaging of the pet food is similar to deli-style human foods – but packaging style does not guarantee the pet food is similar to human food.
• The label and marketing displays images of human edible foods (such as grilled steak and chicken) – but regulatory authorities ignore marketing images even if the pet food contains no ingredient similar to ingredients displayed in images (such as grilled steak and chicken).
• Because the legal definition of pet food “meat/beef” and pet food “poultry/chicken” is different (and separate) from the human food definitions – there is no guarantee the pet food actually includes steak or chicken breast as displayed on the label.

Even though the product name, marketing, and packaging alludes to Human Grade, this pet food label does NOT include the Human Grade claim. Without the label disclosure of Human Grade, pet owners can assume the pet food is Feed Grade. This ‘Fresh’ dog food could be made with condemned meat, animals that have died other than by slaughter as allowed by the definition of Feed Grade.

This pet food sells for $7.98 for a 16 ounce tub.

Before purchasing pet owners should ask Blue Buffalo (or any manufacturer) for a written guarantee the pet food is made with human edible ingredients – including supplements – and manufactured per all human food safety standards.

Organic

Castor & Pollux produces the brand Organix.

This pet food sells for $24.98 for a four pound bag.

Possible misleading issues:

• The pet food is named “Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe” – but the organic claim is not the same claim/standard as human grade.
• The label displays images of human edible foods (such roasted chicken) – but regulatory authorities ignore marketing images even if the pet food contains no ingredient similar to ingredients displayed in images (such roasted chicken).
• The label does NOT display the second ingredient of this pet food – organic chicken meal. Meat meal ingredients are feed grade (by definition).
• Because the legal definition of pet food “meat/beef” and pet food “poultry/chicken” is different (and separate) from the human food definitions – there is no guarantee the pet food actually includes steak or chicken breast as displayed on the label.

Even though this product label alludes to Human Grade, this pet food label does NOT include the Human Grade claim. With the label disclosure of Human Grade, pet owners can assume the pet food is Feed Grade. This ‘Organic’ pet food could be made with condemned meat, animals that have died other than by slaughter as allowed by the definition of Feed Grade.

Before purchasing pet owners should ask Castor & Pollux (or any manufacturer) for a written guarantee the pet food is made with human edible ingredients – including supplements – and manufactured per all human food safety standards.

Similar misleading issues apply to EVERY labeled process.

Humanely raised animals can be diseased and condemned – and could still be used in a pet food. The FDA and State authorities allow the use of these animals in pet food WITHOUT disclosure to pet owners.

Raw pet foods can source condemned meats and animals that have died other than by slaughter. The FDA and State authorities allow the use of these animals in pet food WITHOUT disclosure to pet owners.

On the flip side…

Fresh, Organic, Raw and Certified Humanely Raised are GREAT processes IF the ingredients are human grade.

Don’t be misled. In pet food, we need to be highly diligent and never assume one claim equals another. Ask your pet food manufacturer:

• Are ingredients human edible?
• Are supplements human edible?
• Is the pet food manufactured to similar or equal food safety standards of human food?

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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