What we Ask FDA – Truth about Pet Food

We are sharing some of the emails we’ve sent to FDA over the last couple of years. Lots of different types of questions were asked with VERY few responses from FDA.

Depending on the pet food information we learn about, we often ask FDA questions. In many cases, we don’t share this information because FDA doesn’t answer our questions; information can’t be confirmed or denied because FDA won’t respond. Below are just a few examples of questions we’ve sent FDA over the last couple of years.

In 2018 we learned that Congress had passed a bill that deleted pet food safety laws promised to pet owners after the devastating 2007 pet food recall. This was a very serious issue (for pet food safety laws to be deleted from record). Assuming this bill deleting pet food safety laws came from someone at FDA (FDA was required to complete and implement these laws by September 2009, but the agency NEVER did the work – ignoring the deadline year after year) – we asked FDA who submitted this suggestion to Congress.

The FDA finally responded more than 6 weeks later, BUT…they did not respond to our question (of who at FDA was responsible).

Senator Rand Paul is who submitted the addendum to the bill deleting the pet food safety laws, but we never learned who at FDA was responsible. A Freedom of Information Act request was filed in 2018, but the FDA has yet to respond to that request.

Also in 2018 we questioned the FDA regarding their jurisdiction over pet food. Law states that food products with more than 2% meat are regulated by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Since pet foods contain more than 2% meat, we asked why FDA is regulating pet food instead of USDA. And this time FDA responded.

In 2019 we asked FDA some questions regarding their warning letter to JBS Mopac. JBS Mopac was the rendering facility that sold pentobarbital contaminated fat to Smuckers Pet Food which resulted in more than 90 million pounds of canned dog food recalls. Our questions were regarding the other rendered ingredients produced by JBS Mopac at the same time the pentobarbital contaminated fat was produced.

As background, the rendering process produces both dry ingredients and fat ingredients for each batch of dead animals processed. The animal material is ground, cooked, then the fat is separated leaving dry meat meal ingredients.

So, we asked FDA why the agency hadn’t addressed or recalled the pet foods/animal feeds that included meat meal ingredients sourced from the euthanized animals that also produced the pentobarbital contaminated fat.

The FDA never responded.

In 2019 we asked FDA if pet food manufacturers are required to document all consumer complaints received.

The FDA never responded.

And this year we asked the FDA to provide information if euthanized livestock depopulated due to closures of slaughter facilities (due to Covid19) would be processed into pet food.

And again, the FDA never responded.

It is beyond concerning that FDA picks and chooses what questions they respond to. Clearly their selective enforcement of law carries over into responding to questions; selective responding.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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