The FDA and every US State pet food regulatory authority allow condemned poultry and livestock, as well as non-slaughtered animals (those that die before slaughter) to be processed into pet food. without warning or disclosure to pet owners. In April of 2019, the FDA CVM stated: “we do not believe that the use of diseased animals or animals that have died other than slaughter for animal feed poses a safety concern and we intend to continue to exercise enforcement discretion.”
In addition to not requiring disclosure of pet food use of condemned or unkilled decomposing animal material on pet food labels, the FDA does not disclose how much of this material is used in pet food animal But the USDA gives us clues – four times a year.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal agency responsible for meat safety in the US. USDA inspectors are on site at each slaughter facility to ensure that the meat produced complies with federal food safety laws. The USDA provides the public – every quarter – with details on the number of animals that pass inspection, and the number of animals that fail inspection (condemned).
The latest data released by the USDA – for the time frame October 2023 to December 2023:
The USDA revealed that during this three-month period 53,605 cattle (cattle, pigs) were condemned, and 1,474,140 turkey and chicken carcasses were condemned.
If we average the weight of the animals at a conservative 300 pounds each – 300 lbs X 53,605 condemned animals = 16,081,500 lbs of condemned animal material that pet food regulatory authorities allow to be disposed of in food of pets.
If we average the weight of poultry animals at a conservative 8 pounds each – 8 lbs X 1,474,140 condemned animals = 11,793,120 lbs of condemned animal material that pet food regulatory authorities allow to be disposed of in food of pets.
This amounts to an estimated 27 million pounds of condemned slaughtered animals…in just three months. (This total does not include the estimated millions of pounds of animals that die on farms – ‘died other than slaughter’ – also allowed in pet food without disclosure.)
Fact: more than 27 million pounds of condemned animal material must be disposed of every three months. And although this 27 million pounds is classified as unfit for consumption by one regulatory authority (USDA), it is classified as ‘fit for use in animal feed’ by another regulatory authority (FDA). ..without disclosure to pet owners.
Ask your pet food manufacturer if the meats come from USDA inspected and passed animals. Please be aware that some manufacturers will state ‘Our meats are sourced from USDA inspected facilities’. Condemned animal material ‘originates from USDA-inspected facilities’. Make sure the manufacturer will answer your question directly (or find another pet food that will fully answer your questions).
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Buyer Beware of Author, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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