Currently browsing posts about: Pet food

The safety of pet food matters because we have one and only one food supply.  If pet food is unsafe, our safety is at risk.

You don’t believe me?  Try this: Darwin’s raw pet food linked to human case of E. coli O157:H7 in four-year-old child

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising the public not to feed certain lots of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products raw food to their pets after a four-year-old child became ill with E. coli O157:H7…The child was hospitalized, and developed a severe case of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), requiring dialysis. He spent a total of six weeks in hospital and is at risk of permanent injury to his kidneys.

The world of people who care about this sort of thing and demand that authorities do something about it is a small one.  I learned about this from Phyllis Entis, author of  TAINTED. From Farm Gate to Dinner Plate, Fifty Years of Food Safety Failures and TOXIC. From Factory to Food Bowl, Pet Food Is a Risky Business.

She learned about it from food safety advocate Bill Marler.  As the food alert explains,

The contamination came to light after food-safety attorney, William Marler, initiated third-party testing of an previously unopened package of BioLogics All-Natural and Grain Free, Beef Recipe for Dogs found E. coli O157:H7 in the raw, frozen product. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) confirmed that the strain found in the pet food was a match for the strain recovered from the child…when Marler reviewed the files once more, he noted that the family had a dog, and…learned that the dog exclusively ate Darwin’s pet food, and had begun vomiting one day before the child fell ill…Marler arranged for an accredited third-party laboratory to test the sealed packages of food that were still in the family’s freezer.

Marler has plenty of work to do.  He now asks: After Listeria, Salmonella and E. coli positive samples, and HUS in a child, why no mandatory recall by the FDA?

In less than one year Darwin’s Natural Pet Products have been found to be contaminated with Listeria, Salmonella (three times) and E. coli O157:H7.  This year Dawin’s pet food has been epidemiologically and genetically linked to kidney failure in a young child in Utah.

Yet, although Darwin’s has refused voluntary recalls in both instances, the question must be asked, why has the FDA not used its mandatory recall authority?

Comment: It’s great that Bill Marler took lthis on but shouldn’t this be the FDA’s responsibility?  Producers are supposed to produce foods safely—by law.  The FDA is responsible for making sure they do.  Its responsibilities apply to pet foods and well as human foods.  Raw pet food is uncooked and potentially risky; it requires vigilant attention to prevention controls.  This line of pet foods is not getting needed attention to food safety.  The FDA should be enforcing food safety rules, vigilantly, and yes for pet foods too.  What happened to this child and his family was entirely preventable.

Note to dog lovers: if you feed your pet raw food, you are taking a risk, and not only to your animal.

Forthcoming November 11, 2025

For Information and Pre-Orders, click here

Apparently, dog chews made in China may be causing werewolf syndrome in dogs in the UK.

A total of 10 different Barkoo and Chrisco branded chews have been linked to werewolf syndrome by teh FSA [Food Standards Agency] and EU.  They have best before dates ranging from Decembrer 2025 to June 2027.

Werewolf syndrome? 

The term werewolf syndrome has gained traction online as shorthand for a cluster of symptoms reported in dogs who appear to have consumed certain chew products. While not an official medical diagnosis, the term groups together sudden neurological symptoms such as:

• Sudden, unprovoked aggression or fearfulness.

• Excessive barking, crying or howling.

• Hyperactivity or restlessness.

• Destructive tendencies, such as chewing furniture.

Physical symptoms such as epileptic-style seizures, vomiting, diarrhoea and lethargy have also been observed in some cases.

The cause?  Unknown (mycotoxins?).

No cases have been reported from the U.S.

What to do?  Don’t feed those chews to dogs.

Bill Marler forwarded his post about how some pet cats got bird flu from drinking raw milk or eating raw pet food.

He learned about this from a Los Angeles County Animal Health Alert: H5 bird flu confirmed in four domestic cats that consumed recalled raw milk, and in one cat that consumed commercially produced raw pet food.

The Guardian explains how transmission works.

Pet Food Industry writes, Raw pet food linked to H5N1 infection, cat euthanizations: Officials found the cats all consumed the same brand of raw pet food before becoming ill.  Read more

Mother Jones asks: A Raw Milk Magnate Has Spent Years Fighting Public Health Agencies. Will RFK Jr. Take His Side?  (The article is about Mark McAfee, founder and CEO of Raw Farm, which sells the raw milk allegedly implicated in the death of cats.

Marler lists lawsuits over previous outbreaks—among humans—attributed to tRaw Farm milk.

Marler published a Parents’ guide to the safe use of raw milk.  His conclusion:

There is a movement in the U.S. to consume organic, locally grown, unprocessed, more nutrient-dense foods.

Some believe raw milk is more nutritious and provides the body “good bacteria.”

There are many other foods that contain “good bacteria” and are less risky than raw milk. Many stores carry pasteurized yogurt and kefir with probiotics that are very safe to feed children.

There are also high quality nutritional supplements that can be used to add probiotic bacteria into one’s diet.

For more information visit www.realrawmilkfacts.com.

Other resources

Phyllis Entis (aka FoodBugLady), who writes a newsletter about food safety, efoodalert.com, discusses bird flu in cats and includes a useful handout from the Washington State Department of Agriculture on the topic.

t foods are typically made from the by-products of human food production.  These, like offals, are plenty nutritious; we just don’t happen to want to eat them.  Pet foods therefore, reduces food waste.

A reader and friend, Patricia Gadsby, sent me this note:

Never occurred to me to ask this question before. But when the idea occurred I thought of you. What percentage of greenhouse gases are attributable to pet food? I found this.

Here’s the article she refers to:

Pedrinelli, V., Teixeira, F.A., Queiroz, M.R. et al. Environmental impact of diets for dogs and cats. Sci Rep 12, 18510 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22631-0

The chief findings of this analysis of Brazilian pet foodss:

• Pet food has a high environmental impact.
• Wet diets have the highest.
• Dry diets have the least .
• The more animal protein, the higher the impact.
• The more calories, the greater the impact.

Like all environmental impact studies, this one depends on assumptions and tradeoffs.   The analysis does not consider the role of food waste., although the authors discuss this issue.

Several ingredients used in pet food are considered by-products, and this could be considered as a factor that reduces the impact of these foods…approximately 38% of beef, 20% of pork, and 19% of chicken is viscera or blood that is not used for human consumption31. Of all the by-products produced in Brazil, 12.8% are used in the pet food segment, and the rest is used for animal production, biodiesel, hygiene, and
cleaning, among other uses…In the present study, all types of diets contained by-products such as ofal or meat meals, although
dry and wet diets presented by-products more often than homemade diets.

I’m waiting for consensus on the assumptions.

In the meantime, two other items on pet food sustainability:

• Insect protein is a key solution to a sustainable pet food industry:  Government interest and funding are increasing for using insects to help meet climate goals.  .Read more

• Research reveals vegan diets can improve dog health: A study lead by Professor Andrew Knight at the University of Winchester in the UK found fewer cases of health disorders overall in dogs fed vegan diets. [Paid for by ProVeg International and conducted by authors linked to it and other animal welfare organizations—the full study is here].

Comment

Thanks to Phyllis Entis, author of TAINTED. From Farm Gate to Dinner Plate, Fifty Years of Food Safety Failures and TOXIC. From Factory to Food Bowl, Pet Food Is a Risky Business for the vegan diet item.  Vegan diets may be more environmentally sustainable, but are they best for a dog or cat’s health?  That question involves assumptions and tradeoffs about health and environmental impact.

The health impact would be easier to address if researchers were studying such questions.  But, as I discussed in my co-authored book about pet food issues, Feed Your Pet Right, remarkably little research is being done on dog and cat diets.  I think there are three reasons for the lack of research:

1. Pet owners do not approve of experimentation on companion animals.
2. The government does not want to bother to invest in research on pet food.
3. No pet food company wants to pay for diet studies that might not help sell pet food.

Personally, I would like to see studies examining the effects of high- and low-end commercial foods on health and sustainability.  Without them, we are left with assumptions and tradeoffs, and personal beliefs about what’s best for our beloved animals.

Two items about pet food this week.  Today: safety.  Tomorrow: environmental sustainability.

I have a long-standing interest in pet food, which I view as an integral—essential—component of our overall food system , not least because pet food uses food components that would otherwise be wasted.  I co-authored a book about pet food issues: Feed Your Pet Right.

If there are problems with the safety of pet food, you can bet those problems will occur in the food supply for humans.  I wrote a book about that too: Pet Food Politics: The Canary in the Coal Mine.

I am not the only one interested in such topics.  Phyllis Entis has written two books crticizing the safety hazards of pet foods.

• TAINTED. From Farm Gate to Dinner Plate, Fifty Years of Food Safety Failures 
• TOXIC. From Factory to Food Bowl, Pet Food Is a Risky Business

She keeps me up-to-date on the latest problems that arise.

I don’t know how closely you’re watching the pet food industry these days, but I thought this piece I just posted might interest you: When ‘truths’ collide: Darwin’s, ANSWERS, and the FDA

This was an account of an FDA Advisory and its non-consequences: Do Not Feed Certain Lots of Darwin’s Natural Selections Pet Food Due to Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning pet owners that FDA samples of five Darwin’s Natural Pet Products raw cat and dog food made by Arrow Reliance, Inc. tested positive for Salmonella and a sixth FDA sample tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono)…If you have any of the Darwin’s Natural Selections pet food product listed above, stop feeding the product to your pets and throw it away in a secure container where other animals, including wildlife, cannot access it. Do not donate the food.

The bigger story here, as Phillis Entis explains, is that the FDA did not force the company to recall the products; it asked Darwin to rissue a recall volunarily.

But in this case, the company resisted.  It voluntarily decided not to do the recall.  Pet Food Industry (an essential source of information) tells this story.

In a September 20, 2024, memo from the company to consumers which was sent to Petfood Industry, Darwin’s Natural Pet Products had this to say given the FDA’s public notice regarding the affected lots of cat and dog food.

The memo is worth a look.  It says things like this:

• At Darwin’s, the health and safety of your pets is our absolute top priority, and we take rigorous steps to support their well-being and to foster strong lines of communication with you and our fellow community members.
• It is also very important to know that the FDA has received no consumer complaints regarding any of these lots.
• We find the FDA’s public notice to be wholly unnecessary, and ultimately, based on flawed regulatory decision-making, and we have taken steps to make this position clear to the agency.

Oh.

Food safety lawyer Bill Marler asks: Will the FDA use its Recall Authority to Mandate a Pet Food Recall due to Salmonella and Listeria?   .The FDA has that authority.  It did not use it.

That leaves you on your own to make sure you do not buy Darwin products for your pet.

The FDA provides plenty of information as a basis for you taking responsibility for such things.

Its advisory asks this question: Why is the FDA concerned about Salmonella and L. mono in pet food?

Pet foods contaminated with Salmonella and L. mono are of particular public health importance because they can affect both human and animal health. Pets can get sick from Salmonella and may also be carriers of the bacteria and pass it on to their human companions without appearing to be ill…The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires that all animal foods, like human foods, be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled. Refrigeration or freezing does not kill Salmonella or L. mono.

It provides  these resources:

• Get the Facts about Salmonella
• Salmonella (Salmonellosis)
• Get the Facts about Listeria
• Listeria (Listeriosis)

Do we need more forceful regulation of pet food?  Of course we do.

Cell-culture isn’t just for beef anymore.  I’ve been collecting items…

FOIE GRAS:  ProVeg hails application for EU approval of cultivated foie gras: French company seeks approval for product made from cultivated duck cells.

EEL:  Cultivated eel that ‘melts in your mouth’? How Forsea mimics ‘tender, succulent’ texture of fish and seafood:  Eel meat is unlike any other: it is fatty, tender, and ‘almost melts in your mouth’, explains Roee Nir, co-founder and CEO of Forsea Foods. The start-up is working to mimic these attributes with stem cells in a lab…. Read more

COFFEE:  A cup of lab-grown Joe: researchers release proof of concept for cell-cultured coffee: Dr. Heiko Rischer and his team at VTT Technical Research of Finland published its cell-cultured coffee recipe, highlighting the opportunity to strengthen and reinforce the global coffee supply chain…. Read more

BREAST MILK: Cell-based breast milk in development to replace ‘suboptimal’ bovine infant formula: Can the complexities of breast milk be replicated by cows? France-based Nūmi doesn’t think so. The start-up is turning to cell culture to develop the ‘closest thing possible’ to breast milk…. Read more

PET FOOD: Cultivated meat pet food gains UK approval in world first:Meatly has announced that it has received regulatory clearance to sell cultivated meat for pet food in the UK…. Read more

PROTEIN: Beyond Meat launches ‘first of its kind’ protein to appeal to health-conscious consumers:  The company’s latest product is not intended to replicate beef, pork or chicken. It comes amid a sharp downturn in plant-based meat consumption.

MEAT AND SEAFOOD: Cultivated meat and seafood watch: What’s the latest in cultivated?  Cultivated meat, despite only being on the market in one country (Singapore), is on the rise…. Read more

AND THE POLITICS, OF COURSE: Nebraska governor says no to lab-grown meat: If Gov. Jim Pillen has his way, Nebraska legislators will pass a law banning the sale of “lab-grown meat” — the industry prefers the term cultivated meat — during its next session. Florida and Alabama enacted state bans on the alternative meat this year, and Iowa has barred school districts and publicly funded colleges from buying the meat.

I subscribe to Pet Food Industry and greatly admire the superb quality of its reporting.

Here’s an example:

Pet obesity 2023: owners oblivious, vets scared to talk: Pet owners may be largely unaware that there is a problem, especially with their own dogs and cats, despite years of warnings.

Several items in this article got my attention.

A.  It is based on a survey by The Association for Pet Obesity (APOP).  Pet obesity is such a widespread problem that it has induced formation of a society to address it.

B.  Pet owners do not recognize that their pets are overweight.

The survey found only 28% of cat owners and 17% of dog owners to say their pets were overweight.  Instead,  84% of dog owners and 70% of cat owners said their pets’ weights were healthy.

Veterinarians say 59% of dogs and 61% of cats are overweight or obese, and percentages are rising.

C.  Veterinarians are reluctant to discuss obesity with pet owners.

Although the survey found 84% of veterinarians to report encountering “pet owners who appeared embarrassed or angry when told their pet was overweight,” only 4% of owners thought their veterinarian would be uncomfortable discussing the issue.

Comment

None of this should be surprising, as I think about it.  Doctors avoid discussing obesity with human patients (embarrassment, stigma, and lack of time, empathy, or satisfactory treatment approaches).  Obesity has become the “O” word.

An astonishing 75% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and children are also getting there.

We, as a society, need to prevent this kind of weight gain for ourselves, our kids, and our pets.

How to do this requires policies, and lots of them, all at once.  Policies require politics.  Politics requires advocacy.

We need all of these, and right away.

Resources

Sunday’s New York Times has an entire section on pets.

Information about my book with Malden Nesheim on pet food issues, Feed Your Pet Right, is here.

I haven’t said anything about pet food in a while, in part because I’m waiting to see what the FDA is planning to do about it, if anything.  The FDA currently regulates pet food the same way it regulates feed for farm animals.  Pet food labels look like feed labels.  They do not have Nutrition Facts or Pet Food Facts labels, making their contents difficult to understand.  There is a push to improve that situation and I .wish it were stronger.

FDA regulation of pet food

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates pet food similar to that for other animal foods. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) requires that all animal foods, like human foods, be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled. In addition, canned pet foods must be processed in conformance with the low acid canned food regulations to ensure the pet food is free of viable microorganisms.

I don’t see much sign that is changing.  Members of Congress introduced the PURR [Pet Food Uniform Regulatory Reform] Act to give the FDA authority over the  labeling and ingredient review process for dog and cat foods, currently up to the states.

As explained by Pet Food Industry,

The Pet Food Institute (PFI) noted in a press statement that the proposed bill language solely impacts pet food label reviews and codifies ingredients and marketing claims in the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Official Publication.

AAFCO sets ingredient definitions, label standards and laboratory standards and everybody uses them.

I wish it would propose Pet Food Facts labeling.

The pet food marketing—news

• U.S. pet owners spend over $2B on Valentine’s gifts for pets: February 14 iwas another chance for American pet parents to express their love to their companion animals…Today’s most popular gifts include heart-covered knitwear, scarves, tiaras, plush toys, cozy ‘human dog beds,’ and, of course, healthy treats.

Pet food ingredients—news

• PR Newswire Ÿnsect granted approval to use mealworm proteins in dog food It is the first time that mealworm-based ingredients for pet foods have been approved in the USA. Read More
• Cat owners more accepting of unseen insect-based ingredients: In a survey, the majority of survey respondents were willing to feed cat foods and treats containing insects to their pets, but the form of the insect-based ingredients mattered.Read more
• ‘World’s first’ cultivated pet food seeks regulatory approval: Meatly has created the ‘world’s first’ cans of pet food that uses cultivated chicken as a protein source, ready for rollout to stores across the UK pending regulatory approval…. Read more
  

My book with Malden Nesheim, Feed Your Pet Right, has a lot to say about these issues.  It’s still useful for understanding what they are about.  It’s really not a manual for feeding pets (although we did include recipes).  It’s an analysis of the pet food industry, something I still think worth knowing about.