March 18, 2008
A year after pet food recall, still buyer beware - Creature Comforts- msnbc.com The FDA and other governmental agencies really put on a big show last year when the contaminated pet food outbreak occurred. There were lots of promises of tougher enforcement of regulations on the pet food industry, as well as stronger government oversight. Well, one year later nothing much has changed. Sure, there was legislation passed that toughened the rules for pet food factories, and stronger regulations of imported pet foods. But the laws that were passed made reporting of any violations, as well as recalls, VOLUNTARY. So if the pet food company does not want to disclose a contamination they simply won’t disclose it, and won’t pull the contaminated food off of store shelves. The FDA has no power under these new “tougher” laws to recall the food. Why bother passing the legislation if it truly has “no teeth”? The legislation needs to make reporting contamination mandatory, and should include surprise inspections by the FDA in all the pet food factories. Just look at Pebbles in the photo above. Pebbles died, slowly, of kidney failure due to the contaminated food she ate last year. That poor dog is proof enough that we need a tougher law to regulate this industry.

A year after pet food recall, still buyer beware - Creature Comforts- msnbc.com

The FDA and other governmental agencies really put on a big show last year when the contaminated pet food outbreak occurred. There were lots of promises of tougher enforcement of regulations on the pet food industry, as well as stronger government oversight.

Well, one year later nothing much has changed. Sure, there was legislation passed that toughened the rules for pet food factories, and stronger regulations of imported pet foods. But the laws that were passed made reporting of any violations, as well as recalls, VOLUNTARY. So if the pet food company does not want to disclose a contamination they simply won’t disclose it, and won’t pull the contaminated food off of store shelves. The FDA has no power under these new “tougher” laws to recall the food.

Why bother passing the legislation if it truly has “no teeth”?

The legislation needs to make reporting contamination mandatory, and should include surprise inspections by the FDA in all the pet food factories. Just look at Pebbles in the photo above. Pebbles died, slowly, of kidney failure due to the contaminated food she ate last year. That poor dog is proof enough that we need a tougher law to regulate this industry.